Adding Power to Chapter One

The first few pages need to whet the readers appetite and leave them feeling there is great potential to be had
by continuing. It can attract the attention of a publisher or agent and can keep an audience turning pages or
touching the screen for more. Before looking at chapter one, consider whether or not a prologue is really
necessary and if so, how long it should be. Prologues can make the reader feel excluded, rather than part of a
moving plot or being eased into it. Think about real life. Things usually shape an event or an outcome and you
should think about your story in the same way. Everything has a past, a present and potentially a future. In the
same way as life, your story can unfold midstream, which may help you to choose a suitable starting point.
If you are still unsure where to start, pick a scene within the book that you know you want to write about and
just start writing see where it takes you. In the end you might even decide that you want your story to start
here and that this will be your chapter one or you may insert other chapters beforehand. Failing that, you could
draw up a character sketch and see if anything comes from this; give detail on what that character will be
doing when we first meet them. The important thing to remember is just to get started!
Chapter one can also be used to set the pace and tone. If you are an expert on a particular subject matter or in
a certain field, you can use this to your advantage. Focus on action rather than just setting a scene. A reader
likes to see things actually happening and this serves to create pace. Every chapter should have its own plot
and the first chapter is no exception.
Significant events in life dont spring from nowhere. Things happen beforehand that shape the event and
things happen afterwards as a result of it. Characters have pasts, presents and futures, unless they die.
Places also have a past or a history, a present and a future unless it is knocked down, but even then it is still
a place. The best point to start is in the middle, well into a characters life, with what they are doing in the
now, the present, unless there are significant events that happen during their childhood that are relevant to the
plot line, which can be delivered as flashbacks.
Never fall into the trap of starting with:
the weather (it was a dark and stormy night)
introducing yourself (my name is ...)
sentences such as he would soon find out
long, flowery, overly descriptive scenes
clichs
exposition (going beyond what is necessary)
long prologues
addressing the reader as such.
Avoid accounting for everything and steer clear of mundane tasks. Instead, fill readers heads with
unanswered questions (though not literally). Give an air of mystery; make them curious. The main thing is to
be bold. Get stuck in and grab the readers attention.
Ever since Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote the infamous dark and stormy night line
in Paul Clifford, writers have been cautious when using weather in their stories; though it shouldnt
be avoided altogether.
Creating a Powerful Opening Line
Creating a powerful opening can grab your audiences attention, define the tone for the rest of the book and
ensure that readers stay engaged through to the end. Most authors try to attract the readers attention from the
opening line, as first impressions count and there are no second chances, so dont waste words. Publishers,
agents and readers alike are unlikely to read on unless they are captured or hooked from the outset. Indeed, it
stands to reason that the fate of most literary endeavours is sealed and its success defined within the initial
sentence and paragraph.
An opening line should have a point of view, a basic plot and direction, some element of characterisation and a
distinctive voice in order to build momentum. And all this in just a few words! Openings such as My name is
will only serve to annoy. A highly effective way of creating a good first sentence is to leave the reader with
a series of self-imposed questions, creating impetus and intrigue. Unanswered questions leave the reader
wanting more and this technique can be highly rewarding by drawing your reader in and making them feel part
of the story. For example:

As the coffin disappeared behind the curtain he smiled with a sense of relief.

As Yvonne opened her eyes she knew this wasnt her room or her bed and where the hell were her
knickers?

However, if you create such an impact in the first sentence, you must be sure that you have the ability to
sustain this style in order to avoid leaving the reader feeling disappointed and short-changed. If you use the
most dramatic part of the story for the opening line and the subsequent narrative doesnt measure up, you
leave yourself with limited options which are certain to dishearten.
Your choice of opening line needs to have a level of intelligibilitygibility to it to avoid confusion and frustration.
If you mention something which only becomes clear later, you might lose your reader rather than lure them in.
The reader should never have to reread a sentence in order to gain clarity it should make sense both with
and without additional knowledge.
Using a long line of dialogue as your opening sentence should be avoided. Far better to start with a short line
of dialogue, followed by narrative to clarify what is going on, before returning to the conversation.
Opening Paragraph
In conjunction with the first sentence, this is the most important part of writing if you are to catch your
audiences attention long enough for them to continue reading, having whetted their appetite. After all, you
have written something to be read, not cast aside. It should immediately intrigue the reader and be relevant to
the rest of the book.
Sentences are best kept short and the opening paragraph should be brief. This style can be varied from then
on, to add pace and diversity. Always ensure that your meaning is immediately clear. Openings you could use
are:

details surrounding a region, country or place

dialogue

a clue to the subject of the book

topical; something current in the media

By the end of the first paragraph, the reader should have some idea as to the setting or conflict, unless there is
a particular reason to withhold this information. The initial paragraph does not necessarily have to be complex
in nature simplicity will suffice. Avoid the temptation to begin your narrative before the action actually starts.
Enable the story to develop a momentum of its own, rather than opting for the natural progression of a
character waking up at the start of the day. Whilst you might include this background later, conflict is always a
better place to start.
Think about when you are going to introduce your main character and how you are going to set the scene
without going into too much depth. It may be that you introduce the main character by showing how they feel
about a particular scene. The main thing is not to get too involved at this point and to fill in the blanks later. All
the reader wants is the bare essentials. If you give the whole history you will be in danger of losing your
reader.
Coaching Tip:
Dont let fear hold you back. Many writers are concerned about the fear of failure, rejection and
being judged. If this is an issue for you, consider the following:
Fear of failure if you write your novel and it does not become a best-seller or even get published,
you will only be in the same position as you are now, but you will have had the pleasure of writing.
Fear of rejection if you are rejected you will be in the company of some very successful writers.
The ability to carry on when things dont work out is the determination of champions.
Fear of being judged often, writers are anxious about friends or family laughing at their ambitions. They
worry about people reading their work and not liking it. Remember that reading is like so many other things in
life in that it is subjective and purely a matter of taste, just like our opinions in this guide!