I've had a story bouncing around my head for years. So much so it's caused other ideas to fall by the wayside. Normally I can just wrote it an idea, and if I nurse don't like it, I can let it go because I at least wrote. My problem with this one is that I had a preamble to setup u things and I couldn't seem to get my head to jump to the main story without looping back to the setup detailing the main. A few weeks ago I finally bit the bullet and resolved to push through it, and just been writing it the preamble for better or worse. My problem is I have 3 months of timeline of setup that I've mapped out so much over the years, I find myself interested in each nuance and I'm probably boring or annoying the reader. How do ya'll get out of your own way and just get to the interesting story for the reader and not lose them in the weeds?
A slow burn can work if it is really well written and hints at things to come, but the fact that you made this post in the first place shows me that you aren't particular confident in this. In general, authors tend to overestimate how important backstory is and how much the reader actually needs to know. Aside from outright ditching the intro there are a few strategies you can employ Medias Res: You start with the main story to give your readers a taste and then flashback to the intro. I'm not a fan of this personally, but it can be very effective regular flashbacks: Instead of telling your story chronologically, you start at the main plot and then pepper in the occasional flashback when needed Skippable intro: Just give your readers the chance to skip right to the good parts. They might come back and read the intro after they get invested in the plot Once you publish your story I would advise to start with enough chapters to get through the intro right off the gate. The early days of a story are extremely important since it got highlighted on "New stories" which means it is when most eyes are on it. In general, keep in mind that readers have absolutely no qualms of opening the storymap and skipping to a chapter they find sexy. Interest in backstory, setup and characters usually comes after they rubbed one out.
This was actually going to be my suggestion, and it still is. Because think about it, and I mean really think about it: why write boring parts at all? If you think there's fun to be had after some potentially boring leadup, then just jump right in to the fun part! Not only do readers not need every last detail of your world spelled out before they'll deign your story worthy of being read, they'll actually enjoy a bunch of mystery! And even if there is some crucial detail that needs illuminating, just do that at the moment it comes up. Exactly! Say your story features a city that's sitting on top of a dangerously unstable lava lake. You could start by writing half a dozen bone dry paragraphs about the economic, political, or military pressures that led to that situation, followed by a deep treatise on plate tectonics, a carefully crafted history of the region (nay, of the whole continent!) going back 2000 years, and in the process chase away all your readers before your story has even begun... or you could just get the hell on with it, and then 2-3 chapters in, boom, you've got a shocking reveal: gasp, a lava lake? And it's about to explode!? Wow, that sounds exciting, I wonder what'll happen next! Instant hook! But it's not just good for your readers, it's good for you, too. The hardest thing about writing a story is finishing it, but the second hardest thing is doing literally any of the actual writing. Anything you can do to make it easier for yourself: do it! Nothing will kill your motivation quicker than turning the process of writing into a slog, especially if you're not very experienced. Make it fun, make it exciting, make it something you look forward to doing! So trust your instincts. If you feel like some portion of your story is bad, or repetitive, or dull , or repetitive, or unnecessary, or repetitive, you're probably right. Anytime you find yourself thinking something like "urgh, now I have to write <X> boring paragraphs before just to get to <fun thing>", that's not quite a red flag, but definitely an orange one, and you should seriously reconsider. You're doing neither yourself nor your readers any favours by writing uninteresting things. Action! Adventure! Drama! Chaos!
Keep in mind that you can write the backstories and all the interconnected elements of the world and not publish it. I have a character reference page for my own stories that is not on the site and never will be. I use it to help my character feel grounded in their actions and worldview even if I don't spell all that out on the page. Then you can draw from it at points to allude to the wider parts of their life.
Thank you all so much for your tips and guidance. I'm sure this is probably old hat to many of you, but those of us that struggle with the written word appreciate. I know I've heard some of these tips before but they bare repeating; especially if they're ignored and doomed the outcome. I was mentally hoping I could use the CHYOA format to encourage small, quick chapters to get it out, but I found myself just taking the time line I'd written out and expanding on it. Got so frustrated with myself I tabled it for another year but fell back into old patterns when relaunching it. I can't really abaddon what is there in the mokent; that'll nag the crap out of me, but I'll just finish up the preamble as is (still at least 30 more chapters after 40+ so far), just to get it out of my head. Then layout the actual story and write it behind the scenes and launch it as a new story. If someone happens to want the details, it will be there; I'll probably do jump links just to get through the chapters. For those that have read it, I apologize and ask that you bare with it & maybe find something in it before the end. For those that are looking for the answers, a lot of great tips here and a cautionary tale: just because your brain thinks it can write a novel, stick with the core truth and focus on the interesting parts. Hope for great things in the future for you all! -Vyki
