At the very beginning of the story, normally, the first chapter there's more descriptions than character talk.
Well, I start with the protagonists talking about the core of the book. (Do you understand? :p )
Should I... you know... put some straw there, or just leave it like that?
OK thank you Jonathan! :-)
I'd say it depends on the story. We're all (well, most of us) rooted in the present day. If your story's historical or sci-fi you need to ground the reader in that period as soon as you can.
But like Kate said you don't want to overdo it. Straw is a good analogy because it's both a waste product, if you're a cereal farmer, or a useful forage/bedding if you keep animals. Only thing is, if you're the latter it soon becomes a waste product again.
So you want a little clean straw at the beginning and a thicker bed as you progress, but make sure you muck out the big lumps of dirty stuff when you edit.
Best of luck :)
Thank you too carla. You're right. I might as well read that book just for safety :)