Writing a slow burner YA Urban Fantasy

I've always thought that the 'start with the action/conflict' advise has become too entrenched in a lot of people's minds. The message I always here is that you need to hook the reader/agent more or less instantly or else you've lost them. Obviously there's nothing wrong with doing that if you can manage it, but from reading a lot of unpublished stuff online I get the impression that some writers are letting their story suffer for the sake of an immediate 'hook'.

The thing to remember is that 'ordinary life' doesn't have to mean 'boring', just as 'explosive action scene' doesn't necessarily equate to reader interest. The most mundane opening can be engaging in the right hands. I also enjoy more slow-burning YA (Kevin Brooks comes to mind) and like to write those kinds of stories myself, so you're not alone on this one.

My advice would be to make sure that the 'ordinary life' stuff is relevant to the story. You'll find most readers are willing to put up with a slower start if it's obviously going somewhere, but they'll drop the book very quickly if it seems like it's going to just meander aimlessly for the first 50 pages.

When people say "start with the action" they don't mean "start with the climax", which is something that I'm seeing get confused quite a lot

Yes, you can -- and probably should -- have a book that begins with a smaller conflict and then builds up to larger and larger ones before finally "exploding into fantasy".

What is really meant, when people say "start with a hook" is begin with some kind of conflict. I think it's preferable to start out pretty close to the catalyst of your novel, personally. But yeah, taking some time and beginning with a small hook while getting the readers invested in your characters? Totally okay. You don't have to begin with cars exploding and what-not. So long as there's conflict, tension and some direction (as the poster above me mentioned), you're golden

Start the story at the catalyst.

This isn't the same as starting with 'action' in the traditional sense.

PurpleHat said:

Tastes have changed, and the current advice seems to be "start with the action." I can see the point of this when you have maybe 30 seconds to hook a browsing reader.

Would anyone bother to read a novel that started firmly in ordinary life, with creeping sense of suspense, before exploding into fantasy? I've always loved such stories.

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I think it's important to hook the reader, for sure.

I usually get hooked on voice.

In fact, even awesome action doesn't hook me if the voice doesn't appeal to me.

The good thing is, you can have awesome voice in a novel that starts out as ordinary life As long as readers are propelled into the story, of course and can sense some kind of conflict brewing.

Northern Lights starts with the catalyst, as Shaldna says above. It begins with the mystery of the Gobblers and the child kidnappings. The mystery then gets bigger and bigger as we find out more.

If I'm reading fantasy I don't want to read about the character taking a shower, walking to school, hanging with her friends, eating lunch...and then the story starts. I want something to happen that sets the story in motion. A creeping suspense might not be enough to hook me in if there's no actual story going on.

Lol yes I am a girl

No I don't think they are different really - every genre needs to start with the story. If I pick up a fantasy, though, I have certain expectations. If the book goes on for four pages about the character having lunch then I might start to wonder where the actual fantasy is.

eta: although of course many fantasies do start off in the real world. I'm not criticising that, but I do think you need, as Drummer Girl says, some tension or conflict to get things going. E.g. the Pevensies take a while to get to Narnia but TLTWATW starts with the catalyst (arriving at the Professor's house) and derives tension from that (the experience of arriving in a new place) and from the relationship between the characters.

Ah, my mistake! Haven't got a copy with me. I thought it had Lyra and her friend talking about the missing children early on. You're right, though, there's a lot to draw the reader in from just the world building.

"Action" just means something going on that draws the reader in. That can be quiet or that can be big and explosive (though honestly, big and explosive isn't as grabbing as you'd think).

Give the reader something interesting they want to see more of. A character with an intriguing voice, a compelling situation, a story question they want an answer to. It can be mundane, but don't make it boring. Something is going on that piques the reader's curiosity in some way.

DrummerGirl said:

I think it's important to hook the reader, for sure.

I usually get hooked on voice.

In fact, even awesome action doesn't hook me if the voice doesn't appeal to me.

The good thing is, you can have awesome voice in a novel that starts out as ordinary life As long as readers are propelled into the story, of course and can sense some kind of conflict brewing.

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Yes, yes, yes. I can get hooked on voice or even slightly out of the ordinary things happening to a character. There doesn't have to be a body or an explosion.

I prefer a slow burn as a reader and writer.


I don't need BAM! BOP! WHAM! at the beginning. I like to learn about the MC and their world first. All of the other stuff can come later.

When it comes to fantasy, I prefer a slowed beginning over a fast one, just because I want to get a feel for the world and understand it before we're thrown into it. I've read books like that, and I find it difficult to get into them.

Good luck!

It's hard to know when to start, but I'd say the same as others who mentioned the catalyst. I do enjoy a slow burn fantasy, though. I rarely see it done well. The truth is, even those writers who do a slow burn novel manage to hook the reader in with voice, technique, interesting characters and story. For example, City of Ember, starts out with the children receiving their jobs, not exactly action as such, but still interesting and well written.

PurpleHat said:

Tastes have changed, and the current advice seems to be "start with the action." I can see the point of this when you have maybe 30 seconds to hook a browsing reader.

Would anyone bother to read a novel that started firmly in ordinary life, with creeping sense of suspense, before exploding into fantasy? I've always loved such stories.

Unfortunately it leaves only an engaging character and possibly the first slightly strange thing as hooks, and a lot of ordinary life.

I can't say I can recall reading anything recent like this. Possibly Philip Pullman's Dark Materials series, but then, he's Philip Pullman, and people would read his shopping list. Plus it's firmly set in a fascinating other world you can't wait to explore.

Twilight of course is firmly set in the mundane, and apart from a very short prologue starts with driving to the airport on a sunny day. Nothing happens for pages. Mind you, the appeal of that book entirely escapes me, so I don't think I can look to it for help.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here?

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I feel your pain. I've trunked my favorite project in the whole world in hopes I can excite an agent with another project and then slip that one to them after I've already signed. Professionals just don't have the time to take the time, which is awful.

Would anyone bother to read a novel that started firmly in ordinary life, with creeping sense of suspense, before exploding into fantasy? I've always loved such stories.

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Start where the story starts. Give us something interesting enough in the first few pages to want to read on. You don't have to have a super cool fight scene or major drama just give the reader SOMETHING to work with.

Unfortunately it leaves only an engaging character and possibly the first slightly strange thing as hooks, and a lot of ordinary life.

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If the character is engaging and interesting and the story has a unique voice then you could get a person to read on without having a super wam-blam start.

I can't say I can recall reading anything recent like this. Possibly Philip Pullman's Dark Materials series, but then, he's Philip Pullman, and people would read his shopping list.

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Didn't care for the man's work. It was dull to me. Stephen King's shopping list? Entire different story. Just my 0.02 here.

I've come close on more than one occasion. But I can make this work. I can.

A unique voice. Hmmm. Not sure I'm quite at that level. I might manage an interesting one.

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Find some beta readers that know the ins and outs of YA. They can tell you if it is working or not.

The Kidd said:

Start where the story starts. Give us something interesting enough in the first few pages to want to read on. You don't have to have a super cool fight scene or major drama just give the reader SOMETHING to work with.

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This, I agree with! Things don't have to be explosive from the start, but there needs to be a reason for me to read on. If I'm in love with your character from the start, I probably will keep reading, exciting incident or not. And that "creeping sense of suspense" you mentioned in the OP? That sounds awesome. I like when something subtle builds into something intense.