How much of a cliche is it...

Feathers · Jan 10, 2009

...to start a story with the bad-guy's POV? Especially if he's committing a crime, having a breakdown, or otherwise doing something in a dark mysterious place.

I'm just wondering because I started a new novel (yay!) and my first instinct was to show the badguy committing the crime that is the novel's inciting incident. Then I thought, no, maybe I'll show him ruminating about his crimes. Then I was like, whoah - doesn't this happen in just about every other novel?

So I took a step back and started with the main character who wakes up with amnesia. (I know. Just as cheesy. But he only forgot a week, so...)

Anywho, I realize that I tend to do this in all my stories - start out with the badguy, or start out with the goodguy confronting the badguy. I guess it wouldn't matter if I wrote crime - but I don't. I write contemporary fiction with a toehold in SF, sometimes primarily SF.

Thoughts?

-Feathers

Gillhoughly · Jan 10, 2009

Anything you can think of will have been done before.

The trick is to tell the reader YOUR version of it.

Your individual voice is what you bring to the table!

alleycat · Jan 10, 2009

Have you consider a limited third-person POV for the opening (showing action, not ruminating)? Yes, it's been done dozens of times before, but it can still be effective, especially if it's a short scene that piques a reader's interest.

The Lonely One · Jan 10, 2009

It might be a cliche in crime writing but I'm not familiar with it being common in contemporary fiction.

Dirk Gently comes to mind; that one opened with the 'bad guy' type scene.

I gave up being original when I started writing stories.

alleycat · Jan 10, 2009

The Lonely One said:
It might be a cliche in crime writing but I'm not familiar with it being common in contemporary fiction.

The one that immediately sprang to mind to me was A Time to Kill by John Grisham.

Feathers · Jan 10, 2009

So you guys don't feel this would be too much of a problem outside the crime/thriller/mystery genres?

-Feathers

Jerry B. Flory · Jan 10, 2009

As far as cliches go, beginning your novel with a certain POV isn't the issue; it's the words and phrases you use. Something I learned from Mike Hoag here is to google things you might think are cliche. If you get a lot of matches, you may want to rethink it.
You have to begin somewhere.

Makai_Lightning · Jan 10, 2009

Jerry B. Flory said:
As far as cliches go, beginning your novel with a certain POV isn't the issue; it's the words and phrases you use. Something I learned from Mike Hoag here is to google things you might think are cliche. If you get a lot of matches, you may want to rethink it.
You have to begin somewhere.

I have never heard that before. I like it! That's good advice.

Now, when should I suspect I've written a cliche, that is the problem. ^.^

Diamond Lil · Jan 10, 2009

Feathers, my novel begins with the bad guy's POV, so I'm working on this issue as well.

This can be a matter of pacing and character. Do you want to establish excitement right away or lead up to it? Do you like your villain, is he interesting to write/read about?

Muscle on through the draft and learn if this opening "feels" right as the story progresses. As Gillhoughly said, everything's been done before. What's different is your voice.

DeleyanLee · Jan 10, 2009

My experience is--on a first draft--the main purpose of the first scene is to get you writing the story you want to be writing. It's pretty much impossible to know if that will remain the first scene until you have the story complete and know what the story really turned out to be.

So if your creative process starts with the baddie being bad--why second-guess yourself? Get the story clear in your mind and on the page and change it later, if it needs to be changed.

One step at a time.

Sean D. Schaffer · Jan 10, 2009

Feathers said:
...to start a story with the bad-guy's POV? Especially if he's committing a crime, having a breakdown, or otherwise doing something in a dark mysterious place.

I'm just wondering because I started a new novel (yay!) and my first instinct was to show the badguy committing the crime that is the novel's inciting incident. Then I thought, no, maybe I'll show him ruminating about his crimes. Then I was like, whoah - doesn't this happen in just about every other novel?

...Snipped.

I know I'm not you, but if I were I would follow my instincts. Like Gilloughly said, no matter what you write, it has been done before. There's no way to get around that. Write your story and make it the best you can make it. If you find that you need to make it better a draft or two down the road, I say worrry about it then.

Good luck to you!

Exir · Jan 11, 2009

Start your story with the villian's POV and it is a cliche.
Start your story with the hero's POV and it is a cliche.
Start your story with the sidekick's POV and it is a cliche.

Everything's been done before, mate.

cbenoi1 · Jan 11, 2009

> How much of a cliche is it to start a story with the bad-guy's POV?

The entire Columbo TV series with Peter Falk is like that. In The Sum of all Fears from Tom Clancy, much of the book is from the bad guys' POV. Guess what. It worked.

> the main character who wakes up with amnesia

This is one of those 'use, but do not abuse' kinda thing.

-cb

Prawn · Jan 11, 2009

Just don't have a cliched villiain and you're golden!

How much of a cliche is it...

Feathers

emerging from the writing cave

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

alleycat

Still around

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

alleycat

Still around

Feathers

emerging from the writing cave

Jerry B. Flory

under the Milky Way

Makai_Lightning

Love Addict

Diamond Lil

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Sean D. Schaffer

Exir

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking

cbenoi1

Prawn

Writing is finite,revising infinite