I think 3 is already too late. If you give me only character descriptions and how beautiful the house is for 3 OPENING paragraphs, if you don't start with some kind of intrigue or tension, I'll put the book down... UNLESS the writing is incredibly exceptional, brilliant.
Should have clarified:
1. I don't believe the 'conflict' has to be introduced in the first chapter, at all. Something needs to be there to hook the reader, and book-wide conflict doesn't have to be it. I personally think you should hook the reader with Character is dialogue first and foremost. The world and situation you created for that character are probably not that unique when you pare it down. Your character though, can be unique!
2. I would like to see action (fighting, running, walking to a fight, mentally preparing for a business meeting, family arriving outside, whatever) in those first three paragraphs. I wasn't saying that the first three should be filled with character descriptions and so on.
I don't see what dialogue has to do with it. Narrative doesn't mean it's all backstories. I suggest skip back stories or find a better way to include them (dialogue, for example), but it doesn't mean you have to start with dialogue. The entire first chapter could be action (narrative) only and that would work.
Why would the first chapter, filled with narrative action, be interesting (unless it's a really short first chapter). It's not like you care about the character, since you just met the guy/gal. Dialogue creates character, while one writer's narrative is all too often no different than another writer's narrative. Sure, some writers have really good and
unique narrative, but most do not.
Jack did this, then he did that, then he did some more of this. He didn't like this person, cause that person did this, but it's okay, cause that's the type of person Jack was. Sure, you can show some inner monologue, but it's better to find a place to start off at where there is some dialogue. Dialogue creates character
best in my opinion.
We all are separate and unique characters. When you think about it, a character in a book is made up of three things. Dialogue (how he presents himself to people), Inner Monologue (what he is really thinking), and Narrative (his actions and how people see him without knowing him).
If I see someone running down the street, diving between cars and being chased after dobermans. What does that tell me about that person's character? I can make guesses, but running from dobermans does not create character. It simply means you don't want your ass bitten. The situation you are in can tell us something about your character, but it's not the best tool.
Inner Monologue can tell us a lot about a character, but it's use should be limited. We don't want their whole detailed history in interior monologue. Right? People don't have running convo's in their head (at least that's what has been said here at AW). They act! and rarely think before they act!
It is dialogue, compared with action-filled narrative, and inner monologue, that is 100% normal and decides how we should treat a person or view a character. We deal with people through dialogue every day. We can guess what people are thinking through their speech, after we have spoken with them for months and years. It is the most important part of characterization in
most cases. I am now saying the other two are not important, but dialogue in most cases should be at the center of your character development. And characters create the book (unless we are talking sci-fi here).
And a good story has good characters!
- that's not the start of the story. Instead, the start of the story is three chapters later. Instead, try to begin the book as close to the inciting incident as possible. Then you can fall back into some flashbacks if you want.
'
Jack looked at his enemy, who stood on the dais, and spoke down to Jack as if he was a prophet. Jack knew what he had to say, if he wanted to end this all. No way in hell was he going to let the prophet win. So Jack spoke to the prophet, and he knew that the Priest were going to stand up against blackmail.
Jack reached for his gun, but the so-called prophet saw it coming and dived off the dais and into a side door. Jack chased after him. He wouldn't let the man win.
The prophet looked down at Jack. "My plan is in motion. Soon, all of the churches will be under my command."
"You think it'll be so easy?" Jack said. "Even the Priests won't allow you to blackmail them because of a few photos."
Jack reached for his gun, but the prophet saw it coming and dived off the stage and dashed for the door. Jack's shot rang out as the door closed behind the prophet.
"I won't let you win!" Jack yelled, dashing to the door and chasing after the prophet.
Not the best example, but imagine the narrative going on and on. It doesn't matter if it's filled with action. All writers can do a conflict scene and some can do them quite well. But first we must be interested in the character. One writer's chapter filled with some character running for his life in the woods, with hunting dogs on his trail is not much different than another character's stealing of documents from the inside of a business in downtown New York.
Show us some dialogue, build the character, then bring about the inciting incident. You can do all of that in a chapter 1.
- back stories or tons of info dump/exposition/explanations. If you start the book thinking the readers are going to be lost without all that explanations and "why things are," then you've already insulted their intelligence. Plus you've revealed too much already. It's like showing your hand too quickly in a poker game. Also, Explaineverythingitis is a common disease for many writers.
Agreed, and that is why they need to get to the dialogue. Just the other day, in SYW, I saw a piece where the character goes on about how she and this person had conflict. The character, in inner monologue, described the antagonist in detail. What happened a few paragraphs later? They have dialogue, where this conflict comes up. This makes the previous paragraphs quite pointless. As I've said in my first post in this thread, my advice was advice for most writers, not all.
A lot of these problems stem from the fact that it's the start of the story and the writer is trying to get it all together. Character development, settings, background stories, etc. etc. It's the literary equivalent of "clearing one's throat" before speaking or singing. So, write them out in the first draft. Write them so you can get into your groove. But once you did, in your rewrites
find the real beginning of the book and start the novel there. Rearrange everything else if you must.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, and the real beginning is
often with dialogue, or a few (3 at most) paragraphs before that dialogue.
Now, as I have pointed out, my simple rules are what most writers should
probably follow, if they have ch 1 problems. They are certainly not rules for everyone. I am sure there are good as hell writers out there who can write a hooking chapter 1 with just narrative. Also, the books I read have action in them. As I said above, I am not a contemporary or lit reader. So maybe it's done differently there. I have no clue.
It is just that from the stories I often read in the YA SYW, the real story starts with the dialogue, and everything the writer wrote before that ends up being mentioned again or completely forgotten about.
So take my little rules with a grain of salt if you want to.
Edit: Okay, I edited this a bit after posting, but I'm done now! 
