It can be tempting for new writers to want to begin a novel with a resume's worth of information about the main character.
This is what we refer to as the "info dump."
First chapters from new"ish" writers tend to overly present backstory and minutiae--details like the color of a character's hair or eyes, how she feels about her brother (whether or not he's an important part of the story), and the fifth-grade teacher who made her want to pursue a degree in veterinary science.
After all, the reader needs context--to know more about who a character is and what she's been through--to better understand what she's about to face.
The problem, though, is that these often read like a laundry list of information and experiences and rarely kick-start a story. They contain the kind of writing readers tend to gloss over and skim to get to the more "exciting" parts.
The remedy?
1. Write the first three chapters of your story, then toss out the first. Find a way to incorporate the information presented in that first chapter into later chapters.
If the action does happen to begin in chapter one, then toss every paragraph leading up to that moment.
or. . . .
2. Keep in mind from the moment you open that blank document that it's important to begin your story as close to the action as possible, then intersperse the backstory and character details as they become relevant.
An author will *always* know more about a character than should appear in an actual novel, but just because *we* know that her fifth-grade teacher had a profound influence on a character doesn't mean the reader needs to know this (unless he does).
And remember: rather than telling (i.e. presenting that resume or profile directly to the reader), it's always best to show the character in action.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
P.S. This strategy isn't only limited to fiction. I tell my composition and non-fiction students that any introduction they write to their essays should serve as a placeholder only. After the piece is written, they should delete the intro and start over from scratch.
The first attempt at anything is mediocre, at best.
Good writing is good revising.
