: Re: Help, I cannot decide when to start the story So, this probably came up already thousands of times, though here I am. So let me explain... I have a story I want to tell. I am planning for

@Debbie451

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When asked some variant of "Where do I start?" my mom likes to joke "Start at the beginning, go all the way through the middle, and when you get to the end, stop." In this case, that might make sense.

Start at the beginning of your story, not at the beginning of your universe.

What's the tale you want to tell? What's the journey for your MC? That's where you start. The backstory can be woven in later, or not, as the story (the plot) requires.

Remember that Tolkien made up a literal universe and mythology, from creation through several thousand years of history, just to give his characters a place to stand so they could speak the language he invented. That backstory eventually became The Silmarillion, which is another novel, but only the important parts were referenced in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.

By all means work out your worldbuilding. But if it's not important to the plot of your MC's tale, leave it out.

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