Iron Man and the Quest for a Better Beginning
Whilst wallowing in a sinus pressure haze, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and veg-watch something familiar. I chose Iron Man. The movie begins with an attack on Stark’s motor envoy. Then, it flashes back to all the important details about Tony and Stark Industries. When it returns to the bombing aftermath, Tony begins his path to Iron Man (even if he doesn’t know it at the time). It’s a great way to introduce a character, show character development, and create an origin story for a character that will last well into the series. As I watched, I wondered if I could use the Iron Man method for my book. The book about which I speak is Dreamweaver. It doesn’t introduce a new character. There’s no origin story here. In fact, it’s a later book in a series with already well-established characters. So, can I? The next morning, I answered, “Yes.” My main method for writing is to get the story out first, everything...