Waking up...

Every single book in my middle grade series starts with a dream sequence.

Eleven books in, it's a running gag, and now they HAVE to start that way. But to be honest, I probably wouldn't have the cajones to pitch a book that wasn't part of that series that way, because I don't think I'm gonna get lucky the same way twice.

I don't think the problem is the waking scene per se. Done well .... etc etc.

But authors who use waking scenes often include lots of unnecessary detail. The waking up is quickly followed by teeth brushing and breakfast eating. Stuff that we just don't need to know.

Waking up is not a sin in and of itself. But it is a sign that other similar sins are probably about to be committed. And for an editor or agent having to wade through hundreds of manuscripts, that can be enough to yell "NEXT!"

It's also a sign that the writer doesn't know it's a cliché. Which hints that there might be other clichés that they don't know about.

Yes, it's deeply unfair. If we spend 8 hours per day asleep, then there is a one in three chance that something momentous will happen while we are asleep. That a 33% chance that our first knowledge about the apocalypse will happen when we wake up.

And also yes my first book did start with a waking scene. I was being self-consciously ironic. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The problem is that many new writers will start with the character waking up on the day that the story starts rather than at the point of change. Occasionally that will be where the story starts but most often it is not.

Even in the example given a few posts back I would suggest that the story actually starts with the MC seeing the planet in the viewer rather than waking up.

Apologies if I missed this in the previous three pages of replies, but opening with "wake up" worked for Suzanne Collins. It'll work for you too, if you've got the chops.

I read the back cover to see if the story interests me. I read the first page to see if you can write. I don't really care what you are saying all that much. Unless you're going Tolkien or Herman Melville on me, I don't give much weight to the opening line. Show me that you can write, and I'll turn the page.

It's a cliche and a lot of people are going to stop reading there.

But it's not like it hasn't been done justifiably and well. In EVERY DAY by David Levithan it's where the book has to begin because the book is literally about waking up in a different body every day. In HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY it's the most effective place to begin because it's super extra incredibly rude to be awoken (hungover, at that) by bulldozers trying to tear down your house than to have them arrive at a more reasonable time of day when you're not still in your robe.

If there's no better way to start your story (and you can get into what makes it uniquely important to start that way real quick, like within the first few paragraphs) then go for it. But if it's starting there just 'cause, know that you're probably losing a bunch of readers, and question whether it's worth it.

SeaSerpent said:

Even in the example given a few posts back I would suggest that the story actually starts with the MC seeing the planet in the viewer rather than waking up.

Click to expand...

In this case the waking up is causally related because it seems to be a "waking up from hypersleep" sort of situation. The computer detecting the planet causes the waking.

But I'd suggest that even seeing the planet in the viewer is too soon to start. That leads to a big computer databank infodump. Start with landing on the planet.

morngnstar said:

In this case the waking up is causally related because it seems to be a "waking up from hypersleep" sort of situation. The computer detecting the planet causes the waking.

But I'd suggest that even seeing the planet in the viewer is too soon to start. That leads to a big computer databank infodump. Start with landing on the planet.

Click to expand...

Why start with landing on the planet? How about when they encounter the aliens, or someone comes down with galactic plague, or they discover the intriguing ruins hours, days or weeks after they land?

Really, whether or not any of these is a good place to start depends on whether something that advances the character's story or gets the plot bunnies hopping during that scene. Or, does the shown event contributes something besides simple world building or backstory? Spec fict. writers have a special need that writers of contemporary fiction don't have: they have to establish their setting and premise and give the reader a chance to see the rules of the world in action. A common mistake, however, is to have scenes that do nothing except world build or establish setting and backstory (like pages upon pages of character walking through ship just to show how big and cool it is).

Now show me an opening scene where a character wakes up from hibernation, discovers the rest of the crew is dead in their units, and he/she commences to explore the eerily empty ship, looking for clues about what happened? That might pull me in.

Waking start for novel cliche?

Hi!

I definitely would not count yourself out just because you started with your protag waking. I agree about uniqueness. There are an infinite number of ways of waking. Look at the historic "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka where that story starts with the protag waking:

"One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked."

It is the uniqueness of who the protag is or what sh-he is waking to. What is physically obvious can be transformed. Waking is a common ground too. It happens to virtually all of us, a universal. Universals are what writers hope to connect with that in turn connect with readers. It's also your writing voice too that's unique. I hope this helps as I've never been published ha! So take all with a grain of salt with me.

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Winfred

Hi Setanta,

I think that the opening is one of the hardest parts of the book. This is what makes a reader/agent/editor decide whether they want to read on or not. As a reader, I'm put off by a character waking up at the beginning and *probably* wouldn't buy a book that starts this way (unless it's an essential part of the narrative like in Before I go to Sleep). That doesn't matter too much - many other readers wouldn't mind.

But most agents are pretty brutal about stopping at the first sign of disinterest. And every agent that I've heard or read on the subject of openings has declared this an immediate eye-roll.

Your opening might be different or clever or well done and who knows if something else about your writing might lure an adventurous agent in, but you're kind of stacking the deck against you. Unless of course you're writing for yourself rather than for publication.

Certain tropes are not recommended because they are overused.

There are many books that feature these tropes, which has made them overused.

If you feel it is necessary to use this trope, whatever it may be, and it is absolutely required to start your novel this way - use it. Otherwise, reconsider.

Just because it is overused doesn't mean it won't be successful, but you may lose readers checking out a sample from this alone if the rest of the initial narrative isn't enough to support it.

It can work (readin this thread I just came up with an opener with teh protag waking up and I think it works)

BUT

There's always a bit

It has to be super special. Not just good. It has to be GREAT

Same as any other opener tbh. It has to drag you in and make you want to keep reading.

That's it. for this or any other opening