tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post8820346513178931484..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: What “Setup” in a Novel Actually MeansJanice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-74065056992052313882019-06-25T08:45:17.384-04:002019-06-25T08:45:17.384-04:00Most welcome! Going too fast too soon is a common ...Most welcome! Going too fast too soon is a common problem for beginnings. Until readers care about the characters, they don't care that they're in trouble. Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-23112808070939054302019-06-24T11:51:22.255-04:002019-06-24T11:51:22.255-04:00Thanks! That's very reassuring to hear. Honest...Thanks! That's very reassuring to hear. Honestly, I'm a bit tired of fantasy openings where someone or someones are immediately in serious danger. I like a slower build-up. Glad to know I'm not the only one!Molly https://www.blogger.com/profile/09047271164212332845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-47899832540018037252019-06-23T08:47:29.590-04:002019-06-23T08:47:29.590-04:00There's often a problem in the opening scene t...There's often a problem in the opening scene that's loosely connected (or even unconnected sometimes) to the main conflict. It works as a bridge to get the protagonist from page one to the inciting event. If she needs to find a mentor in order to find her brother (as in, she needs to learn skills to be able to do it or something similar), then that's enough of a connection. <br /><br />It sounds as though her internal need is driving her to act externally (find the mentor), which will then lead to her searching for her brother. That seems right to me. <br /><br />If her goal matters to her, and not getting it will affect her life for the worse, then the stakes are likely fine. They can be lower at the start, because the book just opened. if the brother is missing from the start, and that's why she's looking for a mentor, that's very high stakes. Hope this helps!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-12546667682862634422019-06-21T16:32:12.135-04:002019-06-21T16:32:12.135-04:00I'm actively struggling with this. Here's ...I'm actively struggling with this. Here's the problem: I have a two-part setup. The first few chapters are driven by one goal (finding a magic mentor) but then the rest of the book is driven by another goal (finding her lost brother). They are related--the protagonist needs what she learns from her magic mentor to find her brother, but it leaves me unsure how to do the opening scene. Right now, I have it focus on her internal arc (become more empathetic) because that spans both external goals, but I'm worried that then the stakes start out too slow or too internal for an upper middle grade book. Molly https://www.blogger.com/profile/09047271164212332845noreply@blogger.com