Writing Tips: First Chapters

Last month, I talked about writing first sentences.  Thanks to all of you who read that post, and special thanks to Hannah Heath for tweeting about it!  I owe you. :)  So today, I'm going to continue that topic into something that includes the first sentence: the first chapter.

Chapter One is IMPORTANT.  In many ways, it's the most important chapter in your entire novel.  This is because most readers won't keep going if they don't like your first chapter too well.  That's a lot of pressure on the author.

The ultimate purpose of the first chapter is to introduce the story and hook the readers so they want to keep reading.  That's a lot easier said than done.  So without further delay, here's my list of everything that should be true of (basically) any first chapter:

1.  The first chapter should hook the readers in.  That doesn't necessarily mean a fast-paced beginning, however.  The hook can can come in all forms: an interesting character, an enchanting setting, a fascinating scenario...the possibilities are endless.

2.  The first chapter should include a decent amount of setting description.  You don't want to bore your readers with lengthy pages full of intricate details the readers simply won't care about yet, but add just enough description to transport the readers into your novel's setting.

3.  The first chapter should give your readers someone to love.  I have a perfect example for this one.  I started reading Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief a few years ago, but I couldn't bring myself to finish the first few chapters because I got depressed.  I didn't like Percy Jackson yet (I had no reason to like him), and everyone else in the first chapter was even more dislikable than him.  I needed someone likable enough to push me through the rather depressing first few chapters.  Eventually, one of my friends convinced me to give it another try, and so I did and eventually read the whole thing (and it was mostly a very good book), but if it wasn't for that friend, I never would have finished it.  Don't take that chance with your novel.  Don't be afraid to give your characters sone shining positive traits, and the readers will be able to relate to your characters right away.  Let's face it, most of us consider ourselves the nicest person in the universe, so obviously then your readers will find no difficulty relating to nicer characters.

4.  The first chapter should be correctly paced for your book.  This was the hardest thing for me to decide for my first chapter, and I recommend giving it a lot of thought.  It seems to me like a lot of authors and bloggers recommend starting your book with a faster-paced first chapter, but I'm going to slightly disagree on that.  I think there are several factors that go into pacing (specifically, pacing for the first chapter), and here is my list of them:

a.  How long is your novel/series?  You probably can't afford too slow a beginning if your novel is only 40,000 words.  If you're writing a series, on the other hand, you might want to start off with a slower pace and take the time to introduce your characters and your world more slowly (for instance, The Lord of the Rings.  It doesn't exactly begin with a fight scene, does it?).

b.  Does the pacing make sense relative to the rest of the book?  If the first chapter is fast-paced simply because you want a fast-paced beginning, you should probably rethink your approach.  Some stories just beg for a slower start, while other jump into the action right away.

c.  Get a second opinion from others.  When I sought beta readers for my first three chapters, I created a survey of questions for them.  And the first question I asked was about pacing.  Asking those who have read your manuscript whether the first chapter was too boring or too exciting will help you make a good decision.

5.  The first chapter should have at least SOME form of conflict.  A lot of writers, especially new writers, think that the first few chapters are there simply to set up the conflict.  However, this is not the case, for the most part.  Why would anyone ever want to read something that lacks conflict?  Most sources say that you should begin your novel right before the catalyst, and this makes a lot of sense to me.

6.  The first chapter should make the main character stand out.  Bookworms who pick up your novel will no doubt have read countless books with thrilling main characters.  They've also probably read many books with boring, generic, and forgettable main characters.  Don't let the readers ever forget your main character.  Give your MC a strong voice from the beginning, and readers will be less likely to forget him or her.  Also, have you ever noticed how many great one-liners can be found the first chapters of books?  Give your main character some strong sentences that will pop out in reader's minds.

7.  The first chapter should leave the reader dying to consume Chapter Two.  Make the reader suffer.  Make them stay up all night reading.  Be cruel. ;)

Well, that's all I got this week!  Thanks very much for reading, and I'll see you next Saturday. :)