Ok, I've just about finished the first page of what I hope to be a novel, but could end up as a short story at this rate! The basic plot synopsis is: Man wakes up in strange apartment not remembering the night before, as the day goes on he seems to start feeling at home in his surroundings like its the norm. I'm thinking he's going to be some kind of mercenary thats had his memory wiped or something of the sort. "Silence filled the journey, Jack looking straight ahead as if trying to work out what was about to happen – for some reason Sam was feeling a sense of purpose, knowing where he was going and the nature of what he was about to do. He still wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do, but he knew he didn’t want to do it." Thats the most recent paragraph, and now I'm stuck Any ideas of how to bridge the gap between this part and the inevitable act Sam is going to commit? Eventually I hope to make Sam try and "get his life back". All ideas will help
That's a very deep plot line, if you're asking for some help, the best thing in this chase might include small flashbacks to the night before, or maybe you could center yourself around your surroundings. Lets say he's about to kill someone, you could give some details of his surroundings, while he thinks, like maybe at the end of this part: "Silence filled the journey, Jack looking straight ahead as if trying to work out what was about to happen – for some reason Sam was feeling a sense of purpose, knowing where he was going and the nature of what he was about to do. He still wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do, but he knew he didn’t want to do it."- the narration of the story has paused since Jack has made it to his designation. If this isn't the type of help you needed, I'll try again, but for now-good luck!
Makes sure you have a good idea how he had his mind wiped. It's an important detail, and if there are going to be flashbacks than the whole mind wiping process wasn't so accurate. Also, there's badgirl's approach and then there's one where it just happens. It's more implied than stated sometimes and then the character would reminisce on that. Ever heard of the book Saint by Ted Dekker? It might help as it has a somewhat similar theme.
I don't think I'll have flash backs, more likely to go with a series of events that slowly bring back his memory.. almost as if its meant to happen on a time scale. As if he's being used as a weapon by the organisation that did it, kind of like the film Paycheck if you've seen that. But without Ben Affleck
That was a good film... Though I was watching it on the way back from Australia, so my poor tired brain may just have prefered it to Minority Report
Paycheck & The Bourne Identity by Ludnum too. Strangely, I never start a novel at the first page. The first page is generally one of the last pages to write, because, frankly it is the reader hook, and you cant have a hook unless you know what the story is about. I just make a kind of temporary mock up of the beginning chapters, and get straight to the middle section. I know that at the last page of say chapter 13, I need my big blow out and the next 2-3 chapters will be in response to that. So before chapter 13, I need the events that lead to the blow-up (hopefully evenly paced and in logical order). The beginning is usually all Introductions and setting up of events that will happen in the middle anyway, so why not just start with the main course instead of the appitizer? (the end is dessert, you know). I'd just do a kind of an outline. Pick maybe 5 top moments in the book or story. I know it is old fashioned, but knowing the middle and end are often more important to me than knowing the beginning.
