The one thing that's interesting every time I start a new project is finding the right place to begin. And by interesting I mean why the hell does it have to be so hard to find the right place to open the story?
This has always been an issue for me, something I've only gotten right about half the time in all my work, but for some reason, I forget this between projects--even if the projects are started close in time to each other. It's not something I think is a lot of fun and it's what I'm going through right now--I started a new project this week.
Usually, my characters talk a lot in my head before I start writing, but this hero and heroine haven't said much to me. Probably because the h/h from the previous proposal I was working on have dominated my thoughts for months and they still don't want to relinquish me. Believe me, I'm not complaining about this (not too much, anyway) because I love this h/h. Of course, I love them all--I couldn't write them if I didn't--but this pair are just beyond awesome.
Um, I'm on the verge of digressing. Veering back on topic. So not only do I have my usual how and where to begin the book issues, but I'm also dealing with learning my heroine's voice as I write the first scene in her Point Of View (POV). This isn't usual and has only happened once before. I definitely prefer them chatting a blue streak before I write.
Today, I trashed everything I had and started over and I'll probably do it a few more times before I'm finally happy. It's as if each attempt brings me a little closer to where I need to be.
It's actually kind of amazing how long it takes me to get the beginning of a story down. If I have a 6 month deadline, I'll probably spend four of those months on the first third of the book. Once I get to about chapter seven or so, the rest seems to write much, much more quickly. I love getting to that point. Until then, it's excruciatingly slow and totally not fun.
