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When asked some variant of "Where do I start?" my mom likes to joke "Start at the beginning, go all the way through the middle, and when you get to the end, stop." In this case, that might make sen...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-13T12:00:48Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47285 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T12:42:04Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47285 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
When asked some variant of "Where do I start?" my mom likes to joke "Start at the beginning, go all the way through the middle, and when you get to the end, stop." In this case, that might make sense. **Start at the beginning of your _story,_ not at the beginning of your _universe._** What's the tale you want to tell? What's the journey for your MC? _That's_ where you start. The backstory can be woven in later, or not, as the _story_ (the plot) requires. Remember that Tolkien made up a literal universe and mythology, from creation through several thousand years of history, just to give his characters a place to stand so they could speak the language he invented. That backstory eventually became _The Silmarillion,_ which _is_ another novel, but only the important parts were referenced in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and _The Hobbit._ By all means work out your worldbuilding. But if it's not important to the plot of your MC's tale, leave it out.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2019-08-13T10:42:58Z (about 5 years ago)
Original score: 19