Starting a story out the wrong way | Writer Questions #11

I have read all over that the last thing you want to do is start your story with a dream. The thing is, it's not my intent to start my story out in a cheesy dream sequence. In fact, it's not even a dream. It's a premonition that is relative to the plot of the story. When I chose to start out this way, it wasn't because I thought "ah! I'm going to start my story in a cool dream just to throw the reader for a loop once they realize this isn't really happening". It's how I saw my story starting. And it's not intended to throw my reader for a loop, it's intended for the reader to want to know more about this premonition. Now after the premonition takes place, if you read further, you will see that it's not a dream. You will learn as you read that my MC has the gift of premonitions, and that this particular premonition has manifested itself in her waking state, as she received an injury from the premonition.

So the problem is, I understand that publishers don't appreciate books that start out with a "trick" or a dream, but I feel very strongly about this particular segment in my WIP. I have put a lot of thought into changing it and worked things around that could work. There are other ways to start my WIP, but none of them feel right. So, what I want to know is really how bad is it to start your story out this way? To reiterate, my WIP does not start with a dream, it's a strong premonition that manifested itself into my MCs waking world.

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Dear Writer,

Questions like this are often asked by new writers; it's really about the spectrum of artistic integrity vs. practical realities of professional success. Every artist, regardless of medium, must at one point or another engage this core concern.

What I will advise you to do is what I would advise anyone raising a question in this vein, no matter the specifics, to do: Write your story on your terms. If you like the way your opening reads, don't question yourself. Write the next chapter, then the next, and finish the story. Professional standards and unwritten rules of thumb cannot be your North Star. You started writing because you had a story to tell, not because you gave two cents about what some agent in Manhattan thinks they could possibly sell. Professional standards shift and may well shift by the time your story is complete, and the agent you've got your eye on today could choose a new career tomorrow.

When you are done with the story, put it away for a month or two—longer if you must—and ask yourself what you want to do with this work. Consider what beta readers and critique partners have said about the work's viability. Determine if it truly is worthy of professional publication, and if so, at what cost to your artistic integrity. At that point, revisit your initial question. You will have done so much more work and put in so much more time and energy by then that you will have a much clearer gauge about what must stay, what must go, and what can be rearranged. You may decide that you want traditional publication. You may decide to go another route. But these are not yet the questions you should be asking when it comes to the bones of your storytelling.

The literary world is fickle. Literary professionals are fickle. Write your story and worry about what people say are agents' "musts" only when you're ready to bear the burden of what those "musts" means for your work and your literary aspirations. By then, you will be mature enough to know what you want to do with your story and which hills are worth dying on.

Best,

DR-M