A question of time frame.

[Kallahan]

I have a bit of a problem, one part of my story (the inciting incident actually) occures several years before the rest of the story. The main character has to be child at this point and an adult during the rest of the story. Should I use a flashback (ewww, I don't like them), or should I write the first part and then say, several years later, and continue on(Which I find equally unappealing). There is nothing of import that happens to this character throught the schooling years (say middle school through colledge). Or should I try to put this scene later on in the main characters life and start at one time point (clunky, have to put him in a mental situation that would allow for an experience to effect him at a basic emotional level).

Ok, maybe I just needed to type this out. But what the heck, lets here what you all have to say.

[maestrowork]

Just do a several years later. Keep it simple. Harry Potter started with Harry being a baby, dropped off at the Dursey's. By the second chapter, he's 12.

[Lisa Y]

I don't know if this could work, but could you start the character as an adult and then have him/her tell another character what happened as a child? In some instances, dialog can really tell a story, but I don't know if this is one of those instances. Just a thought.

[TashaGoddard]

One possible technique is to just drop hints to the earlier incident gradually. So, start at a good point in the adult's life and tell the main story, but have little events or comments that cause him/her to think back to that incident (e.g. a similar emotional response, a comment from a relative about the incident or another incident close in time to that one). Dropping small hints about it could then build up the reader's interest and cause them to want to know more. At some point it might then be relevant to have the character spill out all his feelings about the incident in question to a friend/colleague/psychiatrist(?).

Just a thought. Obviously it depends a lot on your actual story and what you are trying to say with it.

[HConn]

Type it out both ways. Use whichever one you like best.

[Torin]

Try it every which way. It never hurts to write and rewrite scenes and events until you fit them together the best way you can. Of course, there's always the chance that you'll end up throwing out entire scenes and working the information in via snippets here and there. :)

[Kallahan]

Thanks guys.