Your Thought?

[Noob Saibot 38]

Alright so I am working on a novel series called Necrosis Chronicles (NC) with the first book to be 'The Falling.' Now the problem as small as it is, is I'm having trouble deciding when to start the novel. By when, I am referring to a span of time in the novel itself. But before I continue on my dilemma why don't I bring you up to speed on a little about Necrosis Chronicles: The Falling.

 

In NC a disease surfaces that causes the following symptoms in people: hallucinative, violent behavior, blindness, necrosis of the outer skin or internally, and swelling of the brain. The diseases becomes known as the Necrosis Plague (NP) for the obvious reasons that is causes the decay of the epidermis or internal organs. The disease can be spread: air born (lives only 30 sec), sexually, blood (e.g. sharing needles or open wounds), and biting (tearing of flesh; not just making teeth marks).

 

The overall idea of NC is to show the slow decline from a technological world to a medieval life style with very little technology. After the NP has been out for awhile people find that they can not cure the infected, but they can prevent people from getting it. The disease also is the cause of a war. In an attempt to get ride of NP once a vaccination shot had been made some countries decide to kill those who are already infected. NP kills off plenty of people, but the majority of deaths are caused from people killing the infected, people they think are infected, and the war cause also kills a variety of people.

 

Now my dilemma is I am not sure if I should show the disease when it first breaks out or skip ahead by 5 or 10 years after the disease or even skip ahead to the time of the war.

[Kaylen 1]

I'd do the first chapter when the virus first breaks out, then skip ahead a couple years in the second chapter. It really depends on your writing style though. Will it be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person?

[Leon 55]

I suggest a story telling scenario similar to the one portrayed in I Am Legend. I find it would probably set this in similarity in the sense of storytelling. Give both the beginning of the spread, and the aftermath therein.

[Tomo2000 60]

I suggest starting at the very beginning of the outbreak and, each chapter, skip ahead a few months. I say months because in a year too much would happen unless you had a very large chapter. Thats my opinion, anyway.

[rgangsta 43]

Another way you can start it is at the end. Have the book start with the main character reminicing about the past of how it started. Much like the game Max Payne, how Max is remembering past events.

[Noob Saibot 38]

Well I am about to go to bed and would like to reply to each one, but time is short as I work in the morning. But to give you a better idea here is my writing style that I will be using.

 

1) 3rd person

2) Every book will have a prologue and epilogue.

3) Each chapter will follow the events of a different character (e.g. something like George R R Martin does in his "A song of Ice and Fire" series.

[Noob Saibot 38]

So anyone have any other thoughts or reasons? I decided to jump ahead by 5 years (maybe 10) after the plague had been released and prevented from spreading.