What happens when the good stuff starts in chapter 4?

[SpeckyBrunette]

Okay, this is probably a totally odd question and probably one I shouldn't be asking yet as my book is not finished *slaps self*

Anyway, I've been working a lot on my book over the past week or so and was just thinking about agents and whatnot...when I realised that agents usually require the first three chapters (the ones I've been checking out, anyway).

Then it occurred to me that nothing really huge happens in my first three chapters.

My book is chick-lit (no, I won't refer to it as that in my query but I'll call it that for now). The book is...well, I'll say supernatural, but it doesn't involve vampires or witches. It's another sort.

Granted, what happens in the first three chapters is funny (I think!) and relevant to the story. But the 'big thing' that happens to my MC and makes the story REALLY happen doesn't start until chapter four/five.

Do you think this would matter to agents, or do you think they would want to read what happens? When it comes to sending my book out, should I perhaps make chapter breaks in some places so that I CAN get the action into chapter three?

It probably wouldn't be that much of a problem, but I'm wondering what people think about this.

[RLSMiller]

If chapters 1-3 are engaging enough to keep them reading then there's no problem. But really the good stuff should start on page 1. That doesn't mean you have to have tons of action or drama, but there should be something in the story that gives them an incentive to keep reading. Agents are ruthless with their time and if you don't bring the goods in chapters 1-3 I'm thinking they won't wait until chapter 4.

[Shweta]

It's entirely possible that you'll finish the novel and go "Oh look, these five major things need to be set up before ch4, and that'll get me some nice juicy scenes with things starting to happen."

Or you might finish the novel and go "Oh hey, I don't actually need chapter {1, 2, 3} after all.

I think what I'm saying is, finish the novel, then worry :)

[Elodie-Caroline]

If the agencies ask for the first three chapters, then you send the first three. If not, send the three separate chapters that you think will hook them.


Elodie

[Inky]

This trick was suggested to me, and worked...though slicing off the beginning was akin to removing a limb!

Start your book w/ where 'the good stuff begins', and see if the first few chapters can be 'weaved' in throughout the story, so your readers get the gist of 'where/how' began.

In many cases, you can shave off the first 3 chapters, and THAT'S where the PUNCH of the story is.

An agent told me: In this day & age, readers want instant gratification.
And the Maase (sp?) agency will only allow you to send in the 1st five pages. That's TOUGH!!!

So, look at your 1st five pages & ask yourself: would this pull in a reader? Or, post it here in SYW, and specify that you're only interested in finding out if this 'pulled' the reader in, or was a sleeper.
You should also specify if you want gentle or shredding. Most AWers will respect what you're looking for.

Hope this helps...

[Bufty]

Don't know how long they are, but if nothing happens in the first three chapters then they shouldn't be there.

How do you react if you read the first two or three chapters of a book and nothing has happened?

Exactly.

Good luck.

[James D. Macdonald]

What happens when the good stuff starts in chapter 4?

Delete chapters 1-3.

If not, send the three separate chapters that you think will hook them.

Bad idea. If they get anything other than the first three chapters, their immediate reaction will be "Guess the rest of the chapters suck."

[dawinsor]

Deleting the first three chapters is probably the best idea, but if you can't, another alternative is to build in what Maass calls "bridge conflict" in Writing the Breakout Novel. The idea is your character wrestles with a smaller conflict that gives way to and ideally links to the larger one. I recently read a mystery in which the MC was a lawyer. In the first chapter, she loses a court case and her client says he can't pay and she's immediately faced with the idea that her law practice might go under. That struggle for money runs through the rest of the book, but over it is layered a more urgent struggle with a murderer. I thought that was an example of bridge conflict. It creates stakes that then get upped as we go along.

[StoryG27]

In the words of Stephen King (I think), "Kill your darlings." Yep, get rid of those chapters.

But they're funny, I love them. Kill your darlings.

I've had to do it many times. It hurts but it usually makes for a better finished novel. I'm a slow starter, the first few chapters are usually engaging and full of whit and character, but they just don't get the story going, then I have to go back and chop them and, yes, it hurts, but like others have said, page one should be where the story begins. . .not page 21.

Of course, this is a judgement call and it's never an easy one. I wish you the best of luck!

**ETA: Don't do anything until you've actually finished the book though. I wouldn't obsess about what you've already written, just focus on what you are writing now, what you want to write as the story proceeds. Then when you're all done, take a break, then go back and see how you feel about chapters 1-3.

[Ziljon]

Specky, all the rules are really just a compilation of things that have worked in the past; they're not a formula to writing a successful book. True, most people want something exciting to happen at the beginning of a book to pull them in, but if the everyday life of a character is engaging and fun to read--then it is.

Inserting conflict or cutting your opening chapters just to get to the conflict seems like a bad idea to me.

If your query is clear and explains the story well, and if the opening chapters are well written and entertaining, then I think you'll have success in finding an agent.

[san_remo_ave]

...what happens in the first three chapters is funny (I think!) and relevant to the story. But the 'big thing' that happens to my MC and makes the story REALLY happen doesn't start until chapter four/five.

Sounds like the first three chapters are backstory --funny or not. If your story "doesn't start until chapter four/five" then that's the beginning and you'll end up cutting the first three.

But whatever you do, do not cut anything until you have finished your story and set it aside to rest. Then when you pick it up to edit, you'll likely agree.

Don't worry. Keep writing.

[Diane]

Like everyone has said: finish it, then put it away for a few weeks, then return to revise with a fresh eye.

That said...

In today's market, you don't have three chapters to hook an agent. You barely have one PAGE. If you have a chance to go to a conference where they do a public reading of pages and agents commenting on them, do it. The session at the conference I went to was called "Two Minutes, Two Pages" but it also has names like "Slushpile Idol." What you learn very fast is that you don't have very long. Most of the agents wanted to stop reading at the first SENTENCE. It was amazingly obvious early on which manuscripts had something going and which didn't.

This doesn't mean you have to open with a gun battle -- in fact, that would probably be a turnoff for most agents: "Another gun battle?" -- but you need something going on right away. You don't have time for 3 chapters of witty banter where nothing happens.

[blacbird]

If the agencies ask for the first three chapters, then you send the first three. If not, send the three separate chapters that you think will hook them.

Unless the agency specifies something other than the first three chapters, it's a lead-pipe cinch the first three is what they want. It's very rare for an agent to want scattered bits from the manuscript.

If the "good stuff" doesn't start happening until chapter 4, that likely means the first three chapters constitute a backstory info-dump. Chances are that at least half that info can be jettisoned harmlessly; the other half needs to find its way into the story in some fashion other than right up front.

caw

[Craig Gosse]

I can sympathize: The novel I'm working on started out with a 'prologue'. I was told to either 'promote it, or dump it'. So, I made it Chapter 1, posted it in SYW... and, now, as much as it hurts, I'm starting to think 'dump it' is the answer. I'm going to... well, okay, I'll be honest: 'procrastinate', as I've posted the 'alternate' Chapter one in SYW as well. At least, if enough people bash me over the head with the obvious, I'll have something my Intellect can use to prove to my Emotions that it was the right thing to do.

[HourglassMemory]

What I did was to create a prologue that intrigued the reader, and kept the reader reading beyond the first chapter.
And even so I tried to make the first chapters as interesting and intriguing as possible, by themselves.
Then, when the reader thinks I can't go any crazier I indirectly show that it hasn't even started yet.

[Stew21]

I had this problem with my first novel. Nothing happened until chapter 4. Now it's three chapters shorter.

Finish the book - and if you find it is still true, chop off those chapters, put any necessary information from them into other locations - spread 'em out - little bites.

[Inky]

You guys rock. There's such great stuff here, even I'm going to heed this advice.
Why?
Ah, ye' ken. Like Storygirl said: go Stephen King on your opening chapters.
How easily we forget this awesome advice.

So, I'm going total Shining...heeeerrrrrrr's KAREY!

WHACK!!

[JJ Cooper]

Like everyone has said: finish it, then put it away for a few weeks, then return to revise with a fresh eye.

That said...

In today's market, you don't have three chapters to hook an agent. You barely have one PAGE. If you have a chance to go to a conference where they do a public reading of pages and agents commenting on them, do it. The session at the conference I went to was called "Two Minutes, Two Pages" but it also has names like "Slushpile Idol." What you learn very fast is that you don't have very long. Most of the agents wanted to stop reading at the first SENTENCE. It was amazingly obvious early on which manuscripts had something going and which didn't.

This doesn't mean you have to open with a gun battle -- in fact, that would probably be a turnoff for most agents: "Another gun battle?" -- but you need something going on right away. You don't have time for 3 chapters of witty banter where nothing happens.

Slushpile Idol! That's gold.

JJ

[zornhau]

You could lace in scenes with a different POV to show the impending collision with the Supernatural Thing(tm).

[steveg144]

Chop the first 3 chapters and work whatever exposition they contain into future chapters as backstory. Seriously, I keep seeing that advice, "lose the first chapter or two", so you plunge your reader in media res, "in the middle of things." Grab them at the start and hang on to them.

[SpeckyBrunette]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Maybe you're right - it's likely I'll go back when I've written it and either chop stuff out or move it around.

Granted, right now my chapters are not that long (currently rewriting half of it and ending chapter three on p13) so I may be able to maybe add chapter breaks and only get rid of a little bit should I not wish to delete the whole beginning.

Hehe, I'd love to put it up for critique but don't yet think it's a good idea!

[Shweta]

Finish it before you put it up for crit. The best thing people can say about a WIP is basically, "keep writing" :)

[ishtar'sgate]

You'll probably want to lop them off, funny or not. It seems to be quite common for first time novelists to build up to their story for a few chapters before actually getting into it. Maybe it takes us a bit of time to get comfortable and then we can get on with the story. Backstory isn't always necessary. I made that mistake with my first novel, chopped out quite a bit and think I probably could have chopped out more without doing any harm to the story. This time around I recognize the tendency to over explain and build up to the story so have managed to avoid it in both my contemporary thriller and my historical.
Linnea

[wayndom]

This trick was suggested to me, and worked...though slicing off the beginning was akin to removing a limb!

Start your book w/ where 'the good stuff begins', and see if the first few chapters can be 'weaved' in throughout the story, so your readers get the gist of 'where/how' began.


Absolutely. My published novel, THOR, is told almost entirely from a German shepherd's POV. I mistakenly thought it would be necessary to take the reader on a tour of the dog's world for a few chapters to make the dog's way of seeing itself and the world understandable, before launching into the actual story.

I was "lucky" enough to get it published that way, but enough friends who've read it have complained that it took too long to get started, that there's no doubt in my mind that it would have sold better if the story started on page one, with the "intro to the dog's world" blended in with the action.

I'll never make that mistake again.

In many cases, you can shave off the first 3 chapters, and THAT'S where the PUNCH of the story is.

And if you CAN lop off the first 3, then you SHOULD. The best way to decide is to just delete them and see how the books reads without them. Chances are, it'll immediately look better.

An agent told me: In this day & age, readers want instant gratification.
And the Maase (sp?) agency will only allow you to send in the 1st five pages. That's TOUGH!!!

Tough, but smart. When you pick up a book from a bookstore shelf, how many pages do you read before deciding to buy it or put it back? For me, never more than one or two...

[imagegod]

Delete chapters 1-3.
As an unpublished writer, I am not prone to interjecting myself in these kind of advice threads, but as an Artist who is ambitious and committed, I feel I must.
To wit: What is the relevant difference (relevant to this thread) between Beethoven's 7th and 9th symphonies? Go to Youtube if you don't know them well.

Beethoven's 7th: the boy digs right into it, in an easy, very accessible way. No intro, no waiting...it's good stuff right up front.

Beethoven's 9th: Well, most people know this beauty, but only for the Choral...which of course is good stuff at its absolute best. But it takes a VERY long time to get there...and the 'getting there' is neither easy nor accessible.

My point: If you have ambitions for great (or even very good) writing, then be as accessible or up front as you want/need to be. And not an ounce less or more.

(Do I think you're writing something as good as the 9th? Unlikely. I'm simply giving you an artistic rather than a purely economic perspective. Which, by the way, aren't mutually exclusive. Just look at how much the 9th has sold over the years, either directly via disc/download or indirectly via radio/tv/movie fees. The 7th?...not so much.)

[Shweta]

Something one of my Wise Clarion Instructors told me, though: you have to learn to walk before you run. You have to learn the rules before breaking them. It's not just because of market forces that we should try what Uncle Jim suggests :) (Okay, Jeff Vandermeer didn't say that, he was telling us to listen to what Jeff Vandermeer suggested, but still)

I do not think it's a coincidence that Beethoven's 9th was... well, his ninth.


(As a constant fiddler, I still think it's best to get the draft finished, then delete the first 3 chapters and see what there is left. And I also strongly recommend renaming the file before making major changes, so you always have the old version available :)

[imagegod]

I do not think it's a coincidence that Beethoven's 9th was... well, his ninth.
Of course it's not a coincidence. But it's also an analogy that attempts to focus on Artistic committment rather economic necessities...and not a call to write 9 symphonies...or 9 books...or whatever.

I understand most people/writers see economy before they see Art. And that's perfectly fine. I don't...and won't. And simply want to give that perspective when appropriate.
Like now.
Thanks!

[Shweta]

I understand most people/writers see economy before they see Art. And that's perfectly fine. I don't...and won't. And simply want to give that perspective when appropriate.

What I'm trying to say, though, is that I see Art first too*. And I still think it's important to learn to walk before running. The "normal" way of doing things is useful for the "artiste" to learn too, so that one can deviate from it in interesting, story-specific ways, and not just because one does not know better :)

My visual-art example is: Picasso could draw very good realistic pictures. That's part of why his weirdness is so compelling. He knew what he was doing with it. Most great artists build on solid foundations.


* And heh, so does Jeff Vandermeer, I believe.

[imagegod]

What I'm trying to say, though, is that I see Art first too. And I still think it's important to learn to walk before running. The "normal" way of doing things is useful for the "artiste" to learn too, so that one can deviate from it in interesting, story-specific ways, and not just because one does not know better :)

My visual-art example is: Picasso could draw very good realistic pictures. That's part of why his weirdness is so compelling. He knew what he was doing with it. Most great artists build on solid foundations.
Agreed. However, I would add, 'learning to walk before running' doesn't necessarily imply cutting out the first three chapters if the 'good stuff' (however defined) starts in chapter 4. It may...just not necessarily.

[Shweta]

Agreed. However, I would add, 'learning to walk before running' doesn't necessarily imply cutting out the first three chapters if the 'good stuff' (however defined) starts in chapter 4. It may...just not necessarily.

Truth. But since we have computers, it's a good exercise anyway :) The author can always decide to leave them there after all, but there's no harm in cutting & seeing how it looks without them.

[Mumut]

I re-wrote the start diving straight into the action and it didn't work. So I reduced the original first pages to the bare necessities. It worked. When I review the original stuff again, ages later, I'm surprised I wanted people to read it.

Now I have the action starting in the third page. I'm happy with that because I really want the MC shown as an ordinary student, from an ordinary family with an ordinary insufferable twin brother. In that way, I hope my YA readers feel a connection with the MC when the action starts. So I'm not a fan of the idea that the narrative hook must be in the first paragraph.

[Shweta]

I'm not convinced action = narrative hook. That's one way of doing it, but only one.

[Sharon Mock]

What many other people have said: finish the draft, then decide.

You may find those first three chapters are throat-clearing, and they need to go. Or you might find (especially if you're talking less than 5000 words) that you've started in exactly the right place. Or you might need something to lead into the main action, but what you have now isn't it.

[johnrobison]

If the action starts at chapter 4, that's where the book should start.

I lopped off the first 70 pages of the original Look Me in the Eye for this very reason.

[JeanneTGC]

Chiming in only to counter one point being made a lot -- finish the book first ONLY if that's the way you create best. I, personally, edit as I go along, and when I hit something where I feel like I must fix it, I'm better off doing so and then continuing.

Also, if you're going to end up cutting the 1st three chapters and dribbling them in along the way, for me it's easier to do it "now" than when I'm "done".

[Shweta]

Chiming in only to counter one point being made a lot -- finish the book first ONLY if that's the way you create best. I, personally, edit as I go along, and when I hit something where I feel like I must fix it, I'm better off doing so and then continuing.

Not an argument, Jeanne, because you have way more experience here than me -- just a question. I see how this works if you already know how you work best, and know you can finish a novel, and know what the fix is. But f you're not sure which way to go, isn't it easier to finish and then edit? Also, if you're just starting out and might get caught in the endless cycle of editing?

I ask because I have never yet finished a novel because I've gone back and edited endlessly. And because I keep hearing that the proper beginning is often the last thing you'll write.

[Sharon Mock]

I should clarify: I'm speaking from the perspective of somebody who tried to start a novel where the action started. That opening failed. Nobody could get through the first five chapters of the book--not even my husband! I had to set up the stakes first, or else the opening action was confusing and uninteresting.

On the other hand, that may be a symptom of a deeper problem with the book, so...

So, every novel is different. Mileage varies. Starting where the action starts is an excellent rule of thumb but will not work equally well for every story.

[Scrawler]

I found I had a similar problem. I ended up removing the first three chapters and started with chapter four. During the revision process, I edited those three chapters down to the bones and sort of cut/pasted them in throughout the book were they fit as backstory.
(I think this is what Mamut and others have said?)

[JeanneTGC]

Not an argument, Jeanne, because you have way more experience here than me -- just a question. I see how this works if you already know how you work best, and know you can finish a novel, and know what the fix is. But f you're not sure which way to go, isn't it easier to finish and then edit? Also, if you're just starting out and might get caught in the endless cycle of editing?

I ask because I have never yet finished a novel because I've gone back and edited endlessly. And because I keep hearing that the proper beginning is often the last thing you'll write.
Well, there are so many ways to answer this...I'll give a variety of options and then my opinon.

1. You're doing it wrong FOR YOU. You do need to finish and do the niggling edits once you're done. You may have to force yourself.

2. Nothing you've started yet is READY to be finished. I have a lot of "begun" works...some remains works in progress for years. Some I know I'll never finish. Either the idea petered out, it just didn't work as I got it down on paper, or I came up with a different story and a better way to do the same thing. I don't discard anyting, because you never know when you'll get the urge to finish it and, voila, there you have a completed MS.

3. I disagree with the proper beginning being the last thing you write. For me, I tend to write the best beginning first. What I was doing before was trying to "make it better" when I'd done it right on the first go. Now, how I start may get a little tweaking, but my instincts seem pretty dead on. Everyone is different. Maybe your beginning is spot on and you just need to stop worrying about it.

4. You are spending so much time trying to be "perfect" that you're not writing. (And if that's the case, I give you permission to just stink on ice. Go ahead. Write something that's not any good. As Nora Roberts says, I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank page.)

There are as many other answers to your questions as there are people. I learned how I write best by doing it. By trying things and seeing if they helped or hindered.

I guess my bottom line is this -- you need to experiment. Not only with POV and voice and 1st or 3rd person, but what works for you to create. Maybe you need music when you've been trying to work in silence, or the opposite. Maybe you need solitude when you've been working in the middle of a lot of action. Maybe you need to write with pen and paper not at the keyboard. Maybe you lose your drive to write because you're outlining, when you should just sit down and write and see where the story takes you.

The problem with absolute rules about how to write is that they are not going to be 100% effective for everyone. Sometimes shaking it up a bit and attacking from a different or "wrong" angle can help.

In my experience, the biggest cause for the endless edits prior to completion is #4 above -- you're trying to be perfect from the get-go. Can that happen? Absolutely. Is it likely to? Not until you let go and just let yourself WRITE, and do it how YOU write best. The more you write, the better you get. The more you finish, the more you know you can.

It's a journey, and a learning experience, all the way through. Just remember -- the rules are more like guidelines :D not absolutes. The only absolute rule I, personally, believe in is: Money flows TO the writer. Everything else is subject to this: If you break a rule but do it WELL, then there is no problem.

[Shweta]

Thank you :)

I write short stories, so I know I can complete things! I suspect, for me, that it's a mixture of 2 and 1, with some of 4 thrown in.

So if I understand you right, I should barrel on and git 'er done. But that says nothing useful to the OP.

Is that right?

[JeanneTGC]

Thank you :)

I write short stories, so I know I can complete things! I suspect, for me, that it's a mixture of 2 and 1, with some of 4 thrown in.

So if I understand you right, I should barrel on and git 'er done. But that says nothing useful to the OP.

Is that right?
LOL, pretty much.

My thoughts for the OP still stand -- if it's bugging you NOW, fix it NOW. Especially if you're going to (likely) end up cutting those first 3 chapters and dribbling the info in. Again, my way of doing it. Everyone's mileage may vary.

[Toothpaste]

I also wonder a bit if the book actually does start at chapter 4 like you claim. From what you've said it sounds like chapter 4 only resonates because you've set things up chapters 1 - 3. I think you've had a lot of already excellent advice re:editing, so I won't add onto it. Also it is hard for any of us to know whether or not to cut the first three chapters as we haven't read it.

Still. Here's another opinion. I do think sometimes we get so eager to follow the "rules" which includes "start your story off with a bang" that sometimes we forget that one's particular story may simply not start off with a bang. That may not be the best way to tell that particular story. Nathan Bransford had an interesting blog entry (http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/01/shock-and-awe.html) about that.

I have three chapters of set up, plus a prologue, in Alex. Stuff happens, important information is revealed. But at the end of chapter three I actually wrote the line: "Because I suppose you could say that this is where our story truly begins." I can tell you if I had started the book with the end of chapter 3, it wouldn't have made sense, nor would you have cared that this was where the story truly begins. On the other hand, I did cut the beginning considerably.

So.

What it always comes back to . . .

does it work?

[Elodie-Caroline]

If you can, move it around, this way, you have a more enticing beginning, but don't have to lose stuff that you think is relevant to your story or character/s. I did this to my own work and it made it much better all round, plus it pulled the reader into the action from the very first paragraph.


Maybe you're right - it's likely I'll go back when I've written it and either chop stuff out or move it around.

[icerose]

I tend to start pretty close to the action, like within the first three pages, however, the narrative, no matter what's happening, needs to pull them in. The way it's written, the characters needs to pull up that intrigue, something needs to hook the reader to keep reading no matter how it starts. I urge you to finish your book first then worry about it, because then you'll have the whole book to put it into perspective. There are some pretty good and interesting books out there that don't have any action, they are all about character and relationships, but the way they are written, the way the characters interact are what make the stories shine.

It doesn't have to be explosions and blasts to be interesting. Since you mentioned vampires and such, I would strongly suggest reading "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyers (sp). It's a while before the narrative reveals what he is, but it keeps you reading the whole time.

[kzmiller]

Like many others have suggested, write the whole book first and then play with where and how to start the beginning. Proceed, after going over the beginning, with the rest of the book. It's too easy to get into 'patchwork editing' where you fixate on certain areas (the beginning is particularly prone to this) and overwork them.

Also what others have suggested--your first three chapters may have led up to the fourth in a way that makes the fourth understandable and interesting. Many writers are very resistant to the idea of chopping chapters off when they need to go, but you might instead have a personality that finds chopping off beginnings kinda addicting. There's definitely value to removing dead wood, and often it's appropriate, but sometimes you gotta work with those opening chapters. Help the writing grow and bear fruit rather than pruning until you have no tree left.

You may not be the best judge of how things are going in those first three chapters anyway. When you're done writing, try 'em out on AW. See if they hook. I personally am a terrible judge of my own writing.

I'm a little concerned with the possibility of a tone change when the writing 'takes off.' When you're done writing that's something to look at. But write write write it first!

[penny manning]

If nothing really exciting happens until chapter four...I'd toss out the first three. Hell, isn't that what an editor will do? Of course, the definition of "exciting" depends on the reader. For me, if the narration isn't engaging and doesn't at least hint at the plot AND doesn't introduce the main players, then why should I invest time reading? Now, if there's action on the first page, I'm more likely to keep reading. All in all, whether I keep reading past page one depends on the author's ability to engage me via the action and tone of the piece. Good luck!

[ccarver30]

If chapters 1-3 are engaging enough to keep them reading then there's no problem. But really the good stuff should start on page 1. That doesn't mean you have to have tons of action or drama, but there should be something in the story that gives them an incentive to keep reading. Agents are ruthless with their time and if you don't bring the goods in chapters 1-3 I'm thinking they won't wait until chapter 4.

Yep.
I realized this when I KEPT thinking, I hate the begninning and it doesn't get GOOD til page x!!

Well guess what? That means you need to cut the sh!t and start with the meaty parts. If your readers are bored on page 8, why would they want to read 200 more pages? Think like a reader instead of a writer for a while- it might help. :)
Good luck!

[Birol]

Granted, what happens in the first three chapters is funny (I think!) and relevant to the story. But the 'big thing' that happens to my MC and makes the story REALLY happen doesn't start until chapter four/five.

Then I'd say the story doesn't start until chapter four or five and you need to cut the first three or four chapters.

[maestrowork]

It's actually quite common that writers find out their story really begins in Chapter 4.

Really.

Cut 1-3.

You think that's bad? Try cutting 7 chapters. That's what I did (granted, I reorganized and reused a good portion of the first chapters); and then I sold the book.