Have a bloody – I mean, blessed – Ides of March. Do not forget to stab a bowl of Caesar Salad for the good of Rome.

Continuing on from previous posts, I will address various means of beginnings in literature. This time, focusing on the novel, given the recent publication of my own work.

The order in which I wrote The Cases of Inspector Marshall, Vol. I is well outside their chronological presentation. The first Marshall story I ever wrote was not the prologue. In fact, that was one of the last parts I put down on paper. Or, word processor, if I’m being literal. The epilogue was not even the last one I typed. The cases I started for Volume II are already scattered across the timeline.

“The Creature of Kettle Hall” was the story I had written before all the others. Even though it was a fair introduction to the detective, his capabilities, and background, I elected to put a prologue in front. I will delve into why shortly.

Starting a novel consists of two parts: the opening sequence, and the motivation to begin. It can be daunting, to have nothing written yet so much to write; it is possible to get hung up on how the book should commence.

Which is why my best advice to start a novel is to write a chapter other than the very beginning. An author does not have to write every chapter or story in the order they appear in the book. The sections to prioritize are the ones richest in the mind of the creator, typing out the ideas while they are fresh. That way, there is something written down that you can springboard off into other parts.

Wading one step at a time into the pool can take too long to immerse yourself, and it is too easy to leave. Cannonballing into the center, however, gets it over with faster. It allows you to get deep enough in, and you can swim around to any part of the pool from there. The stairs can wait until you need to use them.

And if the very beginning is the richest scene in mind, go for it. And if you are stuck on a certain step, you can always launch further into the water until you are ready to go back to it.

Writing later sections of the novel can help you out when you return to the true start. You can set up foreshadowing, raise questions that other chapters answer, create a base for how characters were prior to change – and so many more possibilities.

And most importantly, you are familiar enough with what the novel is, so that you understand more about how it should begin.

All of this adds into why I wrote the prologue after finishing most of the other stories: I realized it was a stronger opening than “Kettle Hall.” For action and narrative purposes. Recurring characters introduced, the world setting established, more gripping and immediate events – I learned enough about the book to know that these were what needed to come first.

If any of you readers are aspiring writers yourself, keep all of this in mind. Solve the pieces of the puzzle that you can, and soon you will see more of the picture and where it snaps together.

Best of luck.