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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42180
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

My story (novella?) starts _in media res_, in the middle of the conflict that will set the rest of the story in motion. Currently I am "scene-cutting" between that event and some earlier events that provide context. The current sequence for the first chapter is:

- main character #1 and main antagonist in main scene
- flashback to MC #1 and MC #2 earlier that day, in which we learn important things about them, the world, and the antagonist
- main scene advances; conflict begins
- flashback to MC #1 and antagonist earlier that day, in which we learn important things about their relationship
- main scene reaches its climax, with bad outcome for MC #1 and chaos for antagonist

My beta readers think this works ok, but I realized in revising that I need to add some more back-story. I need to replace the scene with MC #1 and MC #2 with one that's earlier in time (which is fine), and I also need to show something between MC #2 and someone else who will become important later. But that feels like too much flashback. Also, in the current version MC #1 is in every scene; in this new plan, the scene with MC #2 (and not MC #1) will need good transitions in and out.

Further, this story is set in an alternate world, so I've been trying to avoid "Earth-based" references to show passage of time. How time is counted in this world will come out, but I don't want to add that into the mix. This means I can't easily mark a flashback by outright _saying_ "six months earlier" or the like. I have to show where each scene is placed in time, at least approximately. (Exact timing is not important.)

How should I approach structuring this chapter so that I can hook people with the main scene and still show this back-story? One approach I've considered is to open with the "main scene advances; conflict begins" part (#3 in my list above) as a sort of prologue, and then start chapter 1 with the earliest point in time. But this is approximately a novella, not a full novel, and I'm not sure if a prologue for a shorter work would be hokey or pretentious.

Original score: 6