Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
The first chapter is on my blog. It's not finished yet, but the structure is there. It's basically to avoid having 30 pages at the beginning where nothing much happens, and if the characters have already been introduced doing something interesting I can gloss over the boring bits.
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I don't see a problem with using a nonlinear narrative, but if the point of the nonlinear narrative is to "gloss over the boring bits" then you have a major problem.
There should not be any boring bits in a novel. None. Instead of juggling the scene order around in an attempt to artificially create tension, I would recommend taking a good, hard look at those boring parts. Is there an interpersonal conflict that you can accentuate? Is there a strong, engaging personality that the reader will empathize with? What's it going to take to make those segments interesting?
The problem with using a framed flashback to hook the reader is that it doesn't work. If the content of the flashback is uninteresting, you will lose the reader as soon as you make the jump.