Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Opening with a maguffin

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Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :

I'm in a process of rethinking the opener to my WIP. I wrote a really nifty new prologue that did a better job of laying the groundwork to subsequent chapters. I really liked it when I got done.

But as this prologue has sat there, fermenting, I find I'm not as satisfied. I've been mulling things over, and now I realize the POV character is not only the antagonist, his role in the story is to serve in some ways as a maguffin. The real villian won't be introduced until midway in the book, nor will the character's concerns become the actual crisis.

What I liked about this prologue was that it revealed a lot of difficult-to-explain backstory without being too infodumpy. The character will be present at the book's climax, and will have a role in the unfolding of events.

But, I ask myself, should a book start on a false note? Do readers get annoyed when the first chapter promises the exploits of one character, and by the end of the book he's been shoved to the side and reduced to an annoyance?

How do you feel about 1) opening with an antagonist who 2) does not end up being a main character?

Posted by januson (Member # 4194) on :

this may not help, but you can get away with anything, including starting on a "false note" as long as it works for the overall story and you write it well

think about it this way: is the change in direction later in the story something that would bother you if you were reading it?

Posted by JBSkaggs (Member # 2265) on :

King does that. I never really had a problem with it especially if the first character dies or otherwise passes the torch onto the subsequent POV seamlessly.

JB Skaggs