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Okay, so I fixed my first problem. Now, I have to find the proper form of "in the beginning." Should it be はじめに、すなおだった (hajime ni, sunaodatta,) or はじめは、すなおだった (hajime wa, sunaodatta?)

JeremiahTDK
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In your sentence はじめは ("at first", "in the beginning") is correct. This は is contrastive, and can be used with another subject marked with は (e.g., はじめは彼は素直だった). はじめに means "first (of all)", "at the beginning (of a month, etc)", "Introduction/Preface (chapter title)" and so on.

naruto
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  • Thank you. And one more thing. Does the sentence translate to, "In the beginning, I was upfront?" I have a feeling that sunaodatta changes with context. – JeremiahTDK Jan 28 '20 at 04:57
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    @JeremiahTDK Without proper context, it's impossible to say yes or no. There are many similar words such as 素直, 正直, 率直, *docile*, *honest*, *obedient*, *straightforward* and so on. I don't know in which context you want to use this sentence. – naruto Jan 28 '20 at 05:08
  • I'm desiring to use it for upfront. – JeremiahTDK Jan 28 '20 at 05:39
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    @JeremiahTDK I know. And I said without proper context, it's impossible to say yes or no. [*Upfront* has many possible translations](https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=upfront&ref=sa) and no one knows in what kind of context you want to say *upfront*. – naruto Jan 28 '20 at 05:50
  • I understand and your help is appreciated. Thank you. – JeremiahTDK Jan 28 '20 at 13:43