[Auryporry]

When penning a novel, where's the best place to start? In the beginning or in the middle of a protagonist's career. Say, for example, that I have a male mason as my main character. Should I begin my novel with how he became a mason or start in the middle of his career as a mason? As a professional? You see, is starting in medias res the best way to open a novel? Or is it better to open it and show (not tell) how a character earns their profession? And is summarizing how they become a mason a bad idea? Would it be best to 'show' the reader how he become one rather than just tell it by summarizing his early life? If I were to write a trilogy about this mason, what should book I center on? His becoming a mason in the early part of book I and books II and III delve into his career a lot more?

Thanks in advance guys and gals!

[garfield]

It really depends on how big a role his being a mason plays in the plot. If it's big and the experiences he gained in the process of learning etc contribute largely, then obviously it'd be necessary to show why they did... although this could be done by flashbacks as well. It's a very difficult question to answer without knowing the plot, and there's no 'rule' that says exactly how many details concerning the main characters profession we need to know... but generally, I'll say this : if it's irrelevant, don't write about it. If it doesn't contribute in any way towards your plot, don't include it, because the reader won't care about it.

[Pixel]

We already have a topic very similar to starting a novel right here, if you haven't noticed. I think you should post your question there.