Writing.Com General Discussion

First off, begin with an event that will hook the reader. He's a hood, so have him doing something 'exciting', be it killing someone or roughing someone up or taking some protection money - or perhaps he's just there as muscle as his boss has a meeting with another gang or something - a nicely tense start.

Often, if your start looks boring, you're starting in the wrong place. Just don't start at the end and make the rest of the novel a flashback. That would be bad.