Beginnings

Why are beginnings so hard? I’m working on Part 2, which is it’s own book. Once again, the beginning is a convoluted mess. I would like to just cut it out and move thirty-five pages in, after a natural break in the story. But if I do that, I’ll be skipping over a lot of emotional development of my character. His choices wouldn’t make sense without it. I would also skip a very important near-fatal accident that is referenced multiple times later on. Oh, and the reader would miss my MC’s learning to play an instrument, which is pivotal to Book 2. Hrm.

Sounds pretty important, right? Then why does it seem so unimportant when I read through it? What do I skip? What do I include? And how do I reintroduce everyone just enough to jog a reader’s memory without annoying the readers who don’t need their memories jogged. Why was Book 2 so easy to write when every part of Book 1 is so hard?!