Daniel David Wallace
The “Project”
How Do You Solve the Problem of Getting the Story Started before the Real Plot Begins: Give the Protagonist a “Project”
Start the First Few Chapters by Focusing on Things the Protagonist Does First
Begin with a Character on a Mission
Their Story has Already Begun
Their Mission should be Simple, Everyday, Practical
This is not the Story Goal, and perhaps be in Opposition to It
Project and Story Plot may be Incompatible – You can Only have One of the Two
Aside:
Set the Project in the Sentence Hook for the Novel and It Should Make Sense
The Project and Story are Often the First Line of Your Query Letter
The Protagonist xxx (the Project), but/until/only to discover xxx (The Real Story)
The Project is How the Reader Males First Contact with Your Story
It is Dominant at the Start - What the Reader Sees on Page One
Magic is Not Enough
The Project Needs to be Strong Enough the Even Other Events won’t Initially Distract
the Protagonist from Pursuing It
The Project should Require Minimal Exposition
The Project should have Real, Concrete Goal(s) that can either Be achieved – or Not
Boolean
The Project should be Occurring At the Same Time as the Stories Larger Mysteries and Dangers
And Ideally – In the Same Place
This Needs Real Thinking on the Author’s Part
Allow the Protagonist to Discover
the Bigger Plot
the Thing the Novel is Actually About
As they Go in Pursuit of the Project
Ideally the Project should Already have Taken the Protagonist Out of Their Comfort Zone
This Approach Gives Us an Easy Method to Know How to Start the Novel
This is a “Character First” Approach because It Begins with a Character Struggling to Get
Something Relatable to the Reader
We Only Go On the “Real Story” Once the Character is Emotionally Ready for It
And We Only Transition to the “Real Story” when the Reader is Ready for It
Only Now is the Reader Ready to Find Out what “Really Going On”
And Unable to Put the Book Down