Ever read your first chapter and feel like there is something missing? Ever wonder why agents aren’t interested after reading your first chapter? Ever wonder what some of the most popular authors do for their first chapter?
Well, I did for my novel. So I decided I needed to study some of my favorite novels to see how they began. I compiled some of the common things I saw to help you edit your first chapter to be the best it can be (and to help me too, duh).
1. Introduce Your World and What’s Different
One of the biggest things I noticed is that every first chapter threw out some of the main big terms to show how the world was different. Game of Thrones introduces the idea of the wildings and how it is the 9th year of summer. Hunger Games throws around terms like the Reaping and District 12. Ender’s Game talks about monitors and being a Third. Even The Hobbit begins with a description of what a hobbit is.
You should use your first chapter to introduce the main terms that distinguish your world from ours. Obviously, this applies most distinctly to fantasy and science fiction, but you can apply this to real-world fiction as well.
The best way is to weave in the terms without saying directly what they are. For example, in Dune, we are introduced to Spice and clues let us know how important it is, but the author never tells us why it’s important or what it’s used for. Hunger Games also does a great job of tossing around terms and slowly weaving in the meanings of those words.
2. Begin with Whatever You Want
How often as writers do we see the advice “don’t start with this” or “don’t start with that?” I know I’ve seen it so freaking much. So much that I thought I had to have this crash-bang beginning to my novel that I am now completely rethinking.
Most of the books I studied began with either a place or the weather. Not one began with an action. These are beloved books by so many! Game of Thrones: weather. Ender’s Shadow: place. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: place. Artemis Fowl: place AND weather! Dune: Weather. Jane Eyre: this got about as close to an action start as possible but also included, surprise, surprise, the WEATHER. I mean, The Hunger Games commits the “cardinal sin” of beginning with her waking up.
Are clichés bad? Yes, of course. But remember, even though “everything’s been written before,” nothing has been written by you. Don’t rely on cliches to make bad writing good, but don’t be afraid to use them to make good writing even better.
3. Use Lots of Dialogue
Every single chapter one I read had lots of dialogue. That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of non-dialogue and description, but dialogue is a great way to showcase the characters and make you feel you are not info-dumping so much.
For example, The Magician’s Nephew has a lot of randomly interspersed dialogue over the chapter which captures the child-likeness of the children characters from the pure misery of Digory at the beginning to the curiosity of discovering what’s inside the empty house. Use your dialogue to highlight the characteristics of your characters.
4. Identify 2 or 3 Characteristics of Your Characters to Make Clear
This leads to my next point. Your first chapter is the reader’s first introduction to your characters. What I noticed is picking 2 or 3 quality characteristics of your characters for your first reader. This tip was showcased best, not in a book, but one of my favorite TV shows, Gilmore Girls.
In the first episode of Gilmore Girls, you meet Lorelai, Rory, Sookie, Michel, Luke, Emily, and so many more characters. Very quickly, we learn very important details about these characters. Lorelai loves coffee and her daughter. Rory is innocent and smart. Sookie is always getting hurt. Michel hates people. Luke also hates people but loves the environment. Emily is stubborn and prideful. These are key aspects of their characters. Do those things change and evolve as the story grows? Absolutely, but this is about the first chapter, not the rest of the book.
When you are writing your first chapter, pick key aspects of your characters to highlight. These can be highlighted through dialogue, description, inner thought, action, etc. A comparison of opposite characters is also a great idea. In Dune, the author showcases the father and son by comparing how different they are. In Game of Thrones, the author compares Robb, the legitimate son, with Jon, the bastard. By comparing, we get an in-depth look at who the characters are and how they interact with each other in the world.
5. End with a World Changer
How many times are we told to begin with a flash-bang world-changing thing? I’m here to say end your chapter in a flash-bang world-changing way. Ender’s Game ends with Ender beating a child to a bloody pulp. Hunger Games ends with Katniss’s sister getting chosen for the deathly game. A Bad Beginning ends with the Baudelaire children becoming orphans and having their lives completely changed. The Magician’s Nephew ends with Polly disappearing.
How does your world change? How does the world completely end up upside down for your main characters? End with that. Your first chapter is there to introduce your world, introduce your characters, and then screw it all to Hell.
When it comes down to it, writing tips are just tips. They are there only to help you be the best writer you can. But given how successful the books are that do do these things, it might be worth keeping in mind. I know I will be as I rewrite my beginning.
What are your writing tips from your favorite books? Comment below!