A common piece of advice among writers is to "start a story in the middle."  The idea is that tales often don't get interesting until a certain amount of tension builds, or problems unfold.  By starting a story in the middle, the characters have their motivations firmly in place, and the reader gets to find out not only what happens next, but what has already happened.  This is fresh on my mind after just watching the final performance of Seattle Opera's "La Traviata," Verdi's famous tragedy.*  I'd never seen it before, nor was I familiar with the story, although in many ways it's a classic tale.

I wish I had seen it earlier so I could have recommended it to more people!!!

      Here's a summary: the most popular young courtesan in Paris** is wooed by an awkward, bookish young man.  She is dying from a wasting disease, & he wants to take her away from her life of vice.  Against all her instincts, she falls for him.  For a time they are happy together in the French countryside.  But then the young man's father arrives & begs the courtesan to leave his son & not tarnish the family name.  Grieved, but determined to do the right thing, she abandons her lover & returns to Paris, where she persuades everyone - even him - that she was only toying with his affections.  He confronts her in a rage before leaving to travel abroad with his family.  Months later, she is dying alone, when her lover returns.  His father has told him of her sacrifice, & he is determined they shall live happily together once more.  But alas it is too late: although her heart is filled with joy she dies in his arms.
      The opera opens right where my summary began: at a party, where the Parisian elite are teasing this bookworm by pushing him towards his celebrity crush.  We know nothing of the courtesan's past except that she must be good at what she does to be so popular.  As the opera goes on, we learn more of her lover's past than of hers.  But the story doesn't need anything more: the themes of the tragedy (and the gorgeous music) speak for themselves.
      Now a novel doesn't have the benefit of music or actors to fill out the blanks.  The author must find ways to do this on their own.  But more than that, the author has to figure out something more subtle: just where the heck is the "middle," anyway?
      Some stories seem like they're starting at the beginning, & it's not until later the reader realizes how they are really in the middle of something--something big.  While not an expert on the genre, it seems to me this is how pretty much every mystery goes.  Consider the Sherlock Holmes mysteries; sure, it's the beginning of the adventure for the famous detective, but the mystery itself may have been gathering momentum for years.

"Once upon a time" could mean a lot of things, depending on the timeline in question.

      When I tried to think of stories that actually begin at the beginning, the only thing that came to mind was fairy tales.  You don't start by saying a girl in a red hood knocks on her grandmother's door, & then find out she met the wolf en route after she's been eaten.  But then again, the story starts with Little Red going to visit her sick granny.  Already we have a character with a history so strong her identity is synonymous with it.  Where do stories really begin, anyway?  If they're character based, would the beginning be birth?  But then what about the family of origin?  Or the history of the location where it all takes place?
      While I'm certain there are plenty of authors, professors, editors, & other people far more experienced & successful than I who give a concise definition of what it means to "start a story in the middle," I'm starting to think that for me it really means knowing the story myself.  As the author, I need to know what happened to set up the events at the opening of my tale.  After all, a good novel is rarely one story: it's usually several interwoven.  "Pride & Prejudice" may seem to start at the beginning - when Elizabeth first meets Mr. Darcy - but later we learn the story of Mr. Darcy's pride & reserve, & the scandal that threatened his family & comes to threaten hers.
      Maybe I'm getting too philosophical here, but thinking about where a story starts seems a lot of like trying to figure out when a day begins.  Midnight?  When the sun breaches or the horizon?  Or pulls free of it?  When your alarm goes off?  When your coffee kicks in?  Maybe it's not so much about starting the story in the middle, as it is about the writer creating a sense of real time continuum.  After all, everyone wants to believe their own next adventure could start any moment!



*It's so famous, that even if you're not an opera fan you're probably familiar with at least one tune.

**Of course it has to be Paris, even though the opera is in Italian.

      So far 2017 has hit like a right hook to the face, & it keeps on hitting.  Increasing my political activism has left me with relatively little time to write (or blog), but I'm hoping to find balance soon.  I think I did a good job of that this last weekend.  Friday I worked in the morning then went to a movie with family after.  Saturday I went to the Womxn's March in Seattle, which was an all-day, 8.6 miles on foot event, and I loved every minute.  Sunday I slept in, exercised, and then attended a Star Wars marathon at my friend Camela's place (Episodes 4, 5, & 6), while eating comfort food & enjoying a new cocktail for each film.
      The cocktails we chose included a Darth Vader (3/4 oz Godiva Liqueur & 1.5 oz Black Rum, 3 shaken with ice & 3 drops black food coloring) and a Han Solo.  But the marathon was originally envisioned as a tribute to Carrie Fisher, & I was not happy with any of the Princess Leia cocktails I found online.  So I created my own.  And before I forget it, let me share it with you!

Z.D.'s Princess Leia Cocktail

Ingredients
1 sugar cube
Angostura bitters
2.5 oz dry Champagne, divided
cracked ice
1.5 oz Cognac
2-3 tsp Blood Orange Gastrique

Directions
 - Place sugar cube in the bottom of coupe glass, and soak with bitters.  Let sit for a minute, then pour in 1 oz Champagne
 - Add a handful of cracked ice, then pour in Cognac & remaining Champagne.  Drizzle with gastrique, & serve.

   Just like the princess, this is pretty, but stronger than you expect.  It's dry with a sweetness underneath.  Enjoy at your next Star Wars party, or your next rebel meeting.  After all: