That Knot In Your Gut

From time to time, I like to look up writing tips online.  It's not that I think I'm an idiot about the craft, but I do like to keep an eye out for some new trick that hadn't occurred to me before.  These tips are always meant to help, but sometimes they can be a pain for me.

For example, I stumbled upon a page on the Writer's Digest website about what opening chapters must do, mainly introducing the reader to the main character and establishing the situation.  My alien invasion novel does not do this.  The first two chapters are one moment from the vantage point of fourteen main characters.  In fact, we in the audience don't know about the aliens until chapter four, I think.

This could end up being a problem.  I understand that.  An introduction running seventy pages or so might not be for the best.  Part of me wanted to trash the whole thing and start over from scratch.  The more rational side prevailed in the interest of not letting a couple years' work go down the drain.

While I could try to incorporate some of these online tips into future drafts, for now, I think I'd like to keep doing things my way.  Who knows, maybe a slow start might be a good way to ease the reader into the story?

Or maybe I should just trash it and start again?