I think King once said It was not structured properly. He probably had something different in mind, but I agree, and here's what I mean.
There should have been a true prologue. In a sense, if I recall, the first three chapters in reality comprised a prologue, but the book never should have started as it did. Remember those chapters that were italicized and got into the mind of It? That's how the book should have started. Forget about the boat at the beginning, get into the mind of It, let It begin the tale; maybe the entire book could have flashed back between It's italicized insanity and the actual story, and the in-between musings of the creature could have served as an ongoing commentary/narrative of the actual story being told. These observations could have come from the perspective of the post-defeated It, and perhaps the last line would have been something along the lines of "I'll be back" or "I still have one egg left."
Anyhow, It should have started the book.
There should have been a true prologue. In a sense, if I recall, the first three chapters in reality comprised a prologue, but the book never should have started as it did. Remember those chapters that were italicized and got into the mind of It? That's how the book should have started. Forget about the boat at the beginning, get into the mind of It, let It begin the tale; maybe the entire book could have flashed back between It's italicized insanity and the actual story, and the in-between musings of the creature could have served as an ongoing commentary/narrative of the actual story being told. These observations could have come from the perspective of the post-defeated It, and perhaps the last line would have been something along the lines of "I'll be back" or "I still have one egg left."
Anyhow, It should have started the book.