It is a metaphor. Yes, you shouldn't write a scene that is boring where the person wakes up in bed. The key is making the scene intriguing ... and it can be anywhere.
I wonder if one have once said, "always start a story face to a closed door" ; and what he would have said in this case.
After all, it's the perfect counter metaphor to the "never start in bed" one. There's nothing more mysterious than a closed door, and you can almost be as boring as you want. The longer you'll stay face to this door, to a given extend of course, the more people will want to know what's behind.
Write it correctly, and you can even make the whole story resolve around this door in the player/viewer/reader mind. Each time MC want to open it, there's something that stop him. If you pace it correctly, people can perfectly stay just because they want to know what's behind this fucking door that is so often "near to be opened", but never effectively opened.
And obviously, I say it twice just in case, it's a metaphor, not an advice. It summarize what you said, not tell people to effectively starts face to a door. What you said about the "start in bed" also apply here ; everything will depend in fact of what will happen behind this door.
- Your third link states "... now if they woke up to a gunshot, or an alien invasion, or to a missing wife, those would all be exciting ways to wake up."
Yes, but with limits. As you said, the start must be intriguing, or at least interesting ; we talk about indie adult games, most of the players want to be entertained more than to be captivated, so "interesting" is already not so bad.
Too many authors seem to have heard this and starts their games in bed... by a dream featuring a BJ, or sometimes directly sex. But as interesting as it can seem as beginning for an adult story, the problem here is that it's a dream. You start with 1 minute of top action (for an adult game), and then come the cold shower. It was a dream and MC appear to be the exact opposite of what was sold by this minute. Boring, unsubscribe !
What doesn't mean that you can't start with a dream, but you'll have more chance of success if it's in fact a nightmare. People will pass more easily through the boring awakening part, because they want to know what hide behind this nightmare.
But except the nightmare case, starting in bed by an exciting event is good only if you can keep the rhythm long enough.
It's the difference between a boring:
MC awake because of a gunshot and think, "Thanks god, I'll leave this shitty place today. I hope that I'll encounter many chicks where I go".
And an interesting:
MC awake because of a gunshot, the shooter is right in front of him, the headlights of a passing car make him appear for an instant.
Without hesitation, MC roll on the bed, the shooter missed him because of the dark, as long as he stay in movement he have a chance.
Another gunshot, still missed. The shooter will probably wait, trying to figure if he hit his target this time. MC use this instant to evaluate his options. The window is opened, the shooter surely enter through it... One meter to the ground, it's grass and it was raining when MC goes to sleep.
MC don't hesitate, he jump through the window and run, run and run. No time to think, he need to go as far as possible, hoping that the shooter will not try to follow him, or at least lost his track.
MC enter a dark alley, he hide on a door frame and listen. No noise...
MC is safe, now you can put the boring "I need to leave this city... I hope that I'll encounter many chicks in the next one."
That's just like the advice to new writers to "write about what you know" ...
I heard that everywhere around the world, authors of polar and thriller were under constant police surveillance.
Just a joke, do not kill me.
