I was wondering: when is the proper time for the MC in a novel to set off on their quest or whatever? In the novel that I'm writing right now, it's about 4,130 words in. Is that too short?
Some stories start off in medias res (literally "in the middle of things), in which case an MC leaving for a quest could set off on the very first page. Other stories are only about the reason the character is leaving and will actually end with his departure (though this doesn't really sound like it applies to you).
In all, this isn't something to worry about a whole lot. As long as the character (and us as readers!) has everything he needs to know (though not always; sometimes characters set off WITHOUT vital information, creating some delicious conflict down the line), there should be no reason to keep him around longer.
Also, once you're done with the story, there's no reason you can't go back and delay the hero for a while, if you think he jumped into everything too quickly.
This brings up the question of pacing as well. Let's say your MC is only in town for a day before he leaves. That one day could be shown in a single sentence where he sits around doing nothing. That one day could also be shown over fifteen or twenty pages of him promising his mother that he'll eat vegetables and wash behind his ears every day.
Technically, both of these scenes would take place over the same amount of time within your novel's world. The second one, however, will *feel* infinitely longer. I guess what I'm saying is that if you think you need to keep your hero around for a little while longer, but it seems like he's done everything he needs to, things like details and expanded conversations are your friend. They also present lovely opportunities for extra foreshadowing, which is always fun to use! But again, it might be that none of this will be necessary in the long run, especially if it's before all the good stuff happens.
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