10 Tips for Writing The First Chapter of Your Book

hello everybody save your champion audio book is coming out - any day now keep your eyes peeled it'll be on Amazon it'll be on iTunes and of course it'll be on audible even better if you're new to audible you can open up an account and listen to the TSC audiobook for free I'll have more information about this soon there may or may not be a giveaway so get excited moving on today's topic comes as a special request from not one but two of my patrons over on patreon both Stephanie Herrera and Loreen brooder want to know all about writing the first chapter of your novel aka the biggest [ __ ] of the entire writing process I think this is a great topic Stephenie and Loreen you have fantastic tastes I'm breaking down my top ten tips for writing the first chapter of your novel we're covering how to make it amazing and impactful and also how to survive the process with your sanity intact number one you're not gonna hook anyone with the first sentence so get over that right now everywhere you go you'll see people spouting off the importance of the first sentence if it's not the most interesting sentence and your book readers are gonna run for the hills this is kinda [ __ ] I'm not encouraging you to write a shitty first sentence but no one has hooked one sentence deep usually it takes a chapter to get someone sucked into a story so better advice would be to make sure that something interesting and impactful happens on the first page keep in mind the first sentence is still important but too many writers try to make their first sentence as unique as possible and instead they just make an ass of themselves protip if your first sentence isn't over the top of metaphor or simile you're probably being obnoxious number two begin where the story begins the number one question I get about writing the first chapter is with Jenna I don't know where to start start where the story starts take a look at every generic story you've ever for example Goldilocks in the three bears does the story begin with the history of three bears lineage and how they came to be doesn't start with Goldilocks in school doing homework or getting her locks so pleasantly golden no it starts with the bearers leaving their home and Goldilocks trespassing like the privileged [ __ ] she is no one gives a [ __ ] about anything to happen before then because it's not relevant to the story number three introduce your main character your first chapters should follow your protagonist or else there's gonna be issues but Jenna my first chapter follows the villain sounds like you've written a prologue but Jenna my first chapter begins hundreds of years before the protagonist is even born sounds like you've definitely written a prologue but Jenna I have five protagonist then the first chapter better follow at least one of them whoever you introduce as a focus of your first chapter that's who readers are gonna become invested in if you follow a random character and then switch over to the protagonist and the second chapter that shit's annoying plus you've failed to get readers interested in literally the most important character in the book number four give a snapshot of the main character's life a lot of books follow a similar formula the main character is living their normal life then the conflict is introduced and their life completely changes because of this it's important to give a brief look at what normal life looks like for the main character emphasis on brief this is where a lot of writers get hung up they'll start their book off with chapters upon chapters of the main character going to school or going to work you know the boring [ __ ] you can give the reader an idea of this person's life without taking them through every tedious minute of it instead of having the character wake up brush their teeth and sit through an entire day of school starve the book at the end of their very last class while they're staring at the clock waiting for the bell to ring this lets the reader know how mind-numbingly dull their life is without making the reader want to end it all with them number five introduced the problem some writers tell you to start the book with the inciting incident and that is most definitely an option however as a reader I'm more often than not to see the inciting incident in the second chapter instead the first chapter usually introduces the problem what is going wrong in the main character's life this is different than the inciting incident the inciting incident propels the protagonist into action whereas the problem is a shitty situation that instigates the inciting incident for example say your book is all about a quest to find the most powerful sorcerer in the realm the inciting incident is when your protagonist sets out on their quest thing is why are they setting off on this quest in the first place what is their motivation maybe their father is dying and the only person who can save them is this sorcerer that right there is your problem therefore you introduce dying dad in Chapter one and in chapter two the quest begins number six introduce the world as it becomes relevant one of the biggest mistakes writers make especially sci-fi and fantasy writers is turning their first chapter into one massive world building dumb no one gives a [ __ ] the reader does not need an entire history of the galaxy before the story has even begun and I'm willing to wager that 75% of the information you presented isn't relevant to the story at all instead adopt the method of explaining bits and pieces of the world as it becomes relevant when the characters are navigating difficult terrain that's when you can address the climate when they visit the castle that's when you can address the monarchy and yes a little exposition is sometimes necessary especially in sci-fi and fantasy but limit this information to the essentials and by no means should the first page of the first chapter begin with an info dump number 7 show don't tell another big mistake newbie writers make is using the first chapter to explain everything to the reader you know like they're idiots tagging his friend enters the room and the narrator says Todd was his best friend they'd known each other for years and loved one another like brothers not only is this boring a [ __ ] but it also doesn't resonate or stir up any emotion whatsoever instead show their brotherly banter describe them playfully teasing one another this will communicate way more effectively that the two of them love one another like family while also being way more entertaining to read number eight make the readers care one of the reasons it's important to introduce the problem in the first chapter is because you're trying to get the reader invested they're not gonna get emotionally involved if everything is fine and dandy introducing a problem will evoke the readers empathy additionally showcasing your main characters humanity is a great way to make the reader care about them so ask yourself what makes this person relatable readers don't want to see perfect people they want to read about characters who are bullied who are overworked or want something more out of life vulnerability in the first chapter is key to making your readers invested so put that [ __ ] out there number 9 move on do not waste time trying to perfect the rough draft of your first chapter because it's a losing battle instead of move on with your story allow that steaming pile to stink up the space for a while you can clean it up later if you obsess over making the first chapter flawless now you will never finish your book 1 because perfection is subjective and 2 because you are not yet capable of writing a flawless chapter writers improve as they write which means that if you go back to edit your first chapter after the rough draft is complete you will be addressing it as a more competent writer let that person make the first chapter flawless they'll get the job done and number 10 calm the [ __ ] down writing the first chapter is the scariest part of your manuscript but it's not gonna feel this way forever yes there is a lot of pressure to make this chapter amazing but you are doing yourself any favors by wallowing in the stress there is no need to have an aneurysm over this you are going to have multiple rounds of edits you are going to have beta readers and critique partners and editors and proofreaders there will be lots of time and lots of help to make this chapter shine so relax be confident in the fact that you will get the job done and even if you're not capable of writing a great chapter now you will be capable when the time comes to edit that's all I got for you a huge thank you to Stephanie and Laureen for requesting this topic if you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you or if you want access to tons of other awards check me out on patreon we've got an exclusive writing group we have early access to videos there's a monthly live stream they're signed merch we've got tons of amazing prizes check it out the link is listed below friendly reminder the TSC audiobook is coming out to very soon so be on the lookout there may or may not be some fun shenanigans planned don't forget to subscribe my channel I post new videos on Wednesdays and if you want to be alerted as soon as I upload ring that bell and be sure to follow me on social media I'm on Instagram Tumblr Facebook and of course you can tweet me at Jenna maresi bye this is when Boonton if you haven't subscribed to Jenna's channel then by all means go for it the people will love you for it go on press the button ding that Bell see you soon

Channel: Writing with Jenna Moreci

Views: 315,624

Rating: 4.9441252 out of 5

Keywords: write, writer, writing, read, reader, reading, book, books, ebook, publish, publishing, writing tips, writing advice, writing motivation, writing inspiration, jenna moreci, booktube, authortube, the savior's champion, the saviors champion, audiobook, author, novel, motivation, inspiration, 10 tips for writing, writing the first chapter, first chapter of a book, how to write a book, writing a book, how to write a novel, writing a novel, am writing, how to write, how to write a book for beginners

Id: h8ZYSUEZV78

Length: 10min 15sec (615 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 27 2019