New writers often think that they must let the reader know up front everything that led to the main character's current predicament. This can lead to a novel starting with pages and pages of back story that may not even feature the book's protagonist. Boring! To the reader, that is.
In the midst of creating our riveting tales, it is important to see the story from the readers' perspective. Even if those pages and pages of back story are well-written, who cares? Readers sure don't. They've not been given anyone to care about!
Until readers care what happens to the protagonist, they have no compulsion to keep turning the pages. But once readers simply must know how things turn out for the character that has captured their attention, they are "hooked," and the writer can carry them off on the wild ride of their heart's imagination.
Chapter one (excluding the prologue, if any) must begin with the main character in his or her ordinary world right before they are dumped willy-nilly into the adventure. Even if that means that a great deal of back story must be dribbled into the pages to come. The writer's very first indispensable task is to create a gut-level connection between the reader and that central character.
Note the structure of the first Star Wars trilogy for example. The sequence where Princess Leah is captured by Darth Vader would correlate to the prologue in a book. The story actually starts with Luke Skywalker in his ordinary world, dealing with daily frustrations, just before he is thrust into the inter-galactic struggle for freedom.
There is so much back story to this whole situation that the material consumed another entire trilogy, but the screenwriters didn't bother with an iota of it. They made viewers care about Luke first and foremost, and then they told his story. Everyone else's was peripheral. Successful novel-writing works the same way.
A great resource that sheds light on story structure is Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Also, Story: Substance, Structure, and Style for Screenwriters by Robert McKee is a must-read. Ignore the word "screenwriters" in the title. This book is a classic for the novelist, as well. Both books are pricey, but an absolute steal as far as investment value for the serious writer. You can't attend a seminar as cheaply and often won't get as much benefit!
