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 else comes later.  I have found that in my lapse with writing this book, I need to reread from the first page to continue.  I’m not keen about how it starts.  At first, I thought that mirroring the beginning of the first book was clever.  Then, I thought better of it.  Clever doesn’t always equal interesting to the reader.

For sixth book of the World In-between Series, I have an old character in a new setting.  How does he get there?  What’s the conflict?  How does he escape?

In flies Iron Man.

I’ve decided to start with Berty further into the conflict, where it will develop his character better than if I’d began earlier.  All the pertinent information about the what and how and magical fun can come in flashbacks.  I can sprinkle information instead of dumping, which I felt happened within my first chapters.

After rearranging, I like where it’s heading.  Berty’s in the thick and has to use his wit and know-how to get himself out.  Granted, this portion is already written.  But, I still have a long ways to go.  Sometimes, I find, that being happy with the start makes the rest flow to a better end.

Will Berty have his own version of a suit-perfecting montage later?  Will a carefully placed discarded object in the room give him what he needs to keep his girl from being Big Bad food?  Will his stumbling over an unknown obstacle save him from the Big Bad?  Only the pen will tell.