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« on: October 06, 2009, 06:44:45 PM »
I'm going to disagree with the last two comments, and yet agree at the same time. Let me explain.
Yes, I feel like the story is involving too many flashbacks at this point. If the book were to be published just like this, it would be hard to get a pace going at the beginning and many might not make it past the first few chapters for that reason.
But I understand why you're writing them, and they NEED to be written, if only for your benefit. This backstory is in your head, and it establishes the setting and many of the characters as well. We hear in Writing Excuses how even Brandon will write the first few chapters with the KNOWLEDGE that they will probably be eventually cut. But he writes them anyway, because he needs to.
And so I'll argue on both sides, that both of these two have good points, but that I wouldn't get too wrapped up in it. I don't think you should spend too much time stopping to revise the first few chapters right now - that's work for when the novel's rough draft is finished. That is the appropriate time, when you have the scope of the entire book, to figure out which chapters will be your first and which would be cut. When you have that perspective, you'll have a much better instinct for how to begin your book - I may be repetetive, but I'm thorough, and I mean it when I say;
DONT let yourself get caught up in constant revisions. Write the rest of the book!