Quick question: What do you do to get a reader to read your second chapter?<\/p>\n
Wow them with the first chapter, of course. The first chapter of your novel carries a lot of weight. It\u2019s where\u00a0you\u2019ll hook your reader for the rest of the ride or lose them for good.<\/p>\n
Here are four points to keep in mind when writing your first chapter.<\/p>\n
Your readers will be exploring your world through this guy\u2019s eyes, so it\u2019s crucial that they get to know him a bit and like him a lot, all within the first few pages of your story.<\/p>\n
Choose an opening scene that demonstrates your character\u2019s relation to society. For example, if he\u2019s a loner, show him not fitting in somewhere. If he\u2019s rich, show him enjoying the luxuries of something ordinary men can\u2019t afford.<\/p>\n
Choose a scene that clearly shows what your character wants. It may or may not be the major desire that drives the plot, but show him wanting something. This will give your story direction and help you pull the reader along.<\/p>\n
Choose a scene that shows your character doing something (or going through something) your readers can empathize with. Show something of how your character is not perfect.<\/p>\n
(If you have multiple POV characters, introduce one of them, you\u2019ll have to introduce each in his or her turn.)<\/p>\n
Your character doesn\u2019t live in a void. Give your readers some context to work with, or they might feel as if the story is groundless.<\/p>\n
Make sure the \u201cwhere\u201d and \u201cwhen\u201d of your story are clear from the opening scene. Let them set the mood of your story.<\/p>\n
For your opening scene, choose a location that doesn\u2019t threaten your character\u2019s comfort zone too much. Later in the story, you\u2019ll want to raise suspense by taking your character completely out of their comfort zone, but first you must establish that zone.<\/p>\n
Choose a location\/interaction that demonstrates what\u2019s special in your world, if applicable. This is especially true for some genres, like fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. Specifically, if there\u2019s one major thing that separates your world from our reality, be sure to introduce it in your opening scene.<\/p>\n
There is no story without conflict. People read stories to see someone face something significant in order to reach the thing they most desperately want.<\/p>\n
Show some conflict that involves your main character and reveals something personal about him.<\/p>\n
You could also have some conflict that echoes the major conflict of the story (i.e. your theme). Try to do this subtly; you don\u2019t want to give away your grand finale. For example, in a romance, you can show your character helping a heartbroken friend or dealing with an annoying ex.<\/p>\n
Television shows have been using cliffhangers for years to get people to watch the next episode in their series. It makes sense to use the same strategy for the end of your chapters.<\/p>\n
Throughout your first chapter, raise a lot of questions, and don\u2019t dispense too many answers. Give the reader enough so that they don\u2019t feel confused, but not enough to make them think they know everything there is to know.<\/p>\n
And finally, choose an end point that begs the question, \u201cWhat happens next?\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve gone over four points that will make your first chapter a page-turning hit: character, setting, conflict, and unanswered questions. Follow these, and you\u2019re sure to set a solid foundation for keeping your reader hooked for the rest of your story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[12],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/631"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refiction.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}