Tips and Tricks to Writing Chapter One

Is it just me or is writing chapter 1 the hardest thing? I don’t struggle to get words on a page, I struggle to make those words worth reading. And believe me, I’ve made every pitfall a writer can make.

I also know that my first chapters have gotten better. This is a good thing because it’s what will attract an agent, a publisher, and my readers. Here’s a collection of tips and some tricks to making your first chapter compelling:

1. Start out showing something extraordinary for your character(s). It doesn’t have to be the most life altering thing happening, but it should be interesting. Don’t get caught in the trap of writing about an ordinary day. It’s an easy trap to fall into because you want to provide context for your story. You need to get the reader curious and wanting more while slipping in bits of context.

2. Make the reader care or relate. This was one of the first bits of advice I ever got about writing chapter 1. I had no idea what it meant so I wrote the most heart-wrenching scene I could think of (a parent losing a child). Now I realize after reading a few writing books and writing a million first chapters and attending conferences that the drama wasn’t necessary. I could slip in something that makes my character likeable or quirky.

In Save the Cat (Get your hands on this book if you haven’t read it), it talks about adding a “save the cat” moment. Everyone likes someone who would stop to save a cat. Think about what makes you like a person instantly. Is it a kind gesture to a stranger? Is it the quirky way they eat a Twix (that’s how my best friend in high school and I connected)? Is it a struggle that makes you feel sorry for your character?

3. Cut out the backstory. If you have a whole paragraph dedicated to telling a person what happened before, cut it. If you have a character listing events that happened, cut it. If you narrate something that already happened, cut it. Cut all the back story out of the initial scene and let the reader experience what’s happening now with drips of the world and relationships entangled in your story.

4. Lure your reader into your story. THIS IS MY FAVORITE! Your first sentence should give the reader a question (small or big). The next sentence could answer it or deepen the question. The next sentence could answer the initial question but ask a new one. You continue on and on like this luring the reader to want to know more. Check out the first page of The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does a great job of luring the reader into her character’s world. This is how I wrote one of my initial chapters all the way through and guess what! It’s gone through many, many edits to make it come to life, but it also is a finalist in a contest. This technique makes the reader wonder, why is the character doing (fill in the blank)? You’re leaving room for curiosity rather than filling in the blanks.

5. Sprinkle your world into the action. As a fantasy world builder, I want to tell my readers everything about the world up front. But it’s a quick way to bore my reader. My poor mother has read many slow chapters painting beautiful pictures of my world.

6. Write tight. There’s no way to get around this. Take out any extra words: filler words, unnecessary adjectives, adverbs or anything that doesn’t push your story forward.

7. Does your writing have a distinct voice? This is the hardest thing for me to pinpoint. It’s also in vogue to have voice-y writing. This is the sound and feel of the writing. Read your writing aloud to hear the sound of it.

8. Make the right promise to your readers. Your first chapter sets the tone and expectations for your readers. If you promise romance and deliver horror, your audience might be disappointed. Even if you start in a contemporary setting and end up in a fantasy world, you still need to hint that change is on the horizon by the way you write and/or foreshadowing.

What other tips and tricks do you have for writing your first chapter?

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