That Dreaded First Chapter

[gothicangel]

So, I think I'm going to enter this year's CWA Debut Dagger competition. I need my first chapter (a rough draft, which requires work and I'll post in SYW soon) and a synopsis. But then I started to think about the first chapter in general. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to write those first few pages to be perfect, to grab a reader into wanting more. But, I would love to hear from people with industry experience, do we put too much emphasis/pressure on those pages? Is the synopsis of equal importance. When I think of some of the books I've read, the first chapters can be quite ordinary if not cliched. Thoughts?

Also, I've tried looking at the first chapters of books on my 'to read' pile and realised they're all established authors, and established tends to mean can get away with more than a debut. So if someone could direct me to some debut first chapters, I'd be most grateful.

https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/the-daggers/debut-dagger

 

[Woollybear]

No industry expertise, but no doubt someone will come along who has some of that.

My thoughts are to scan the pitch wars showcase for the opens (first 250 words) of all entries in your age bracket and ask which openings grab you. Then ask what qualities those openings have, and apply what you learn.

Here's a list of debut SFF titles... you can surf to the first chapters from there.

Screenwriting advice for the first chapter (Snyder's beat sheet) can include "Opening image" and "Set up."

I would advise developing your ear and trusting it. Feedback is great, but when we ask for critique we get it and at some point we need to take the plunge.

Good luck! You will do great, I am sure.

 

[lizmonster]

I only have an anecdote, and it's from 2014, so it may be too old now to be relevant.

But my agent at the time, when discussing the opening of my book, said "I don't really worry about openings, because it's the easiest part of the book to fix."

Obviously you have to hook your reader, but "perfection" is clearly a subjective term.

She was in most substantive ways a terrible agent, but she was a really good editor.

 

[Lea123]

I wonder this a lot with opening chapters.
If I've bought a book, I know I'm going to read a good chunk if not all of it regardless of how the first chapter pans out. Unless it's awful, then it's off to the charity shop it goes.

Despite the old 'drop them into the action' thing, the books I've read lately are pretty average when it comes to opening chapters. The one I'm reading now didn't have anything exciting happening until 40 pages in. I don't mind a bit of a bumble to get to know the characters but there does come a point where I need something to happen. Sometimes, things happen so fast in a book, I feel like I don't get chance to know the characters well enough and I struggle to get attached enough to care.

I don't really hang around in book shops reading a first chapter either as I'd probably be told to buy it and sod off.

It's a balance I'm hoping gets easier to find.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

Even if there isn't something interesting happening, there needs to be the promise of something interesting happening. Like it takes a bit for Paul Dune to end up on Arrakis, but what's going on in Caladan is so weird and there's the promise of this epic planet and scope that you want to keep reading.

For something more modern, in the first chapter of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, we're introduced to the concept of evil spirits causing problems and said Dragon Emperor shows up and gives Zachary Ying powers. It goes through the first 3 steps of the hero's journey. One could argue that what's going on is cliche, but also "ancient Chinese emperor talks to you through your AR glasses" hasn't really been done before, and that's the part that is unique and interesting. That's the part that's in the blurb/synopsis and is what's probably going to get people to pick the book up.

 

[TheKingsWit]

I would say the first few pages are important not in that they need to be perfect, but they need to 1. showcase that your baseline writing skills are at a publishable level and that your voice/writing style is one the reader personally jives with, for which the content isn't quite as important. and 2. be engaging enough to make people want to keep reading. Engaging doesn't necessarily mean a big action scene and twist, but it can be something curiosity-inducing or unexpected, introducing tension. Recent reads that I bought based on the first chapter: The Vine Witches, An Unkindness of Magicians, The Girl from Rawblood (Actually, all three of those books are debuts, now that I think about it)

Anecdotally, for most agents I've spoken to, the synopsis isn't as high up on the priority list. It often gets used as an 'I'm fifty pages in and not sure if I want to finish, does the pace pick up?' or an 'I'm on the fence about the query and pages, this can be the deciding factor' sort of deal. Important, but less so than the pages.

 

[Unimportant]

The synopsis shows that you can design and structure an acceptable plotline. It can be thin and hackneyed if the story is written in a sufficiently engaging fashion.

The opening chapter demonstrates that you can write with a sufficient level of craft/engagement that readers will pay money for it. If that's lacking, no amount of innovative plot will cover that deficiency.

 

[Jazz Club]

Anecdotally, for most agents I've spoken to, the synopsis isn't as high up on the priority list. It often gets used as an 'I'm fifty pages in and not sure if I want to finish, does the pace pick up?' or an 'I'm on the fence about the query and pages, this can be the deciding factor' sort of deal. Important, but less so than the pages.

Checking out some UK agents' websites, I found that some said they weren't as interested in the synopsis as they were in the first 50 pages. However, there might be more weight put on the synopsis in the US. I'm not too sure.

As for the overall question, I've definitely noticed that in more modern novels, the action tends to start more quickly than in older ones. I can't tell whether it's because modern readers will put books down quickly if their attention isn't grabbed, or whether writers/agents/editors fear that that's the case. Or whether it comes from everybody trying desperately to write a great first 50 pages because that's what you send to agents.

As a reader, I really don't mind if a book starts a little slowly as long as there's something happening, or even the promise of something going to happen quite soon. Or a nice writing style or an intriguing character. Or something, anything, that draws me in. Basically, I'll give it a chance as long as it isn't terrible, as @Lea123 says. I have no idea if I'm a typical reader or not, but if I'd thrown away every book that didn't grab me in the first few pages, I would've missed out on a lot of my favourite novels ever. I've also read a lot of so-called 'classics' from back in the day, and they tend to start slowly, so maybe I just got used to that delayed gratification.

 

[mejjimelk]

Not an expert but speaking as a reader, I can be quite forgiving if the beginning chapter or chapters start slow, if and only if the premise of the book is really interesting (which I know from beforehand, e.g., from reviews online). If I don't know the premise of the book, a slow start will probably cause me to give up reading further. Since most readers will know about the premise before reading the book, the most important thing of the beginning is to not ruin the reader's initial trust that the story will be worth reading. A good flow in terms of voice and interesting stuff happening is key. Keep me reading the next page and the next page. When I have read far enough, sunk cost fallacy will kick in so I am even more inclined to be forgiving of errors or slow parts. However, if the beginning chapters are exceptional as well the overall story has an interesting premise, I get very hyped to keep reading. That was basically Project Hail Mary for me which I read recently.

 

[Elle.]

If you are thinking of entering the CWA Debut competition I assume that you are writing crime fiction. More often than not in crime fiction (thriller included) the inciting incident tends to take place in the first chapter.

As others mentioned established authors get more leeway so maybe have a look at crime and thriller debut published this year and analyse their first chapters to get an idea.

A few at the top of my head: Sarah Bonner's Her perfect Twin, Stacey Willingham's A Flicker In The Dark, Sam Holland's The Echo Man, and shameless plug, mine as well, Nobody But Us...

 

[Ink-Soul]

As a writer, I do worry about my first pages. But as a reader, I don't have nearly the same obsession. As mejjimelk pointed out, if I know and like the premise of the book (which I do in 99% of the cases), I won't mind if the first chapters aren't explosive. I do think that, like the rest of the book, the first chapters must engage readers on an emotional level, whether it starts in the middle of the action, presents a mystery, or slowly introduces the world.

Buuut those are my personal opinions, of course. Agents and contests might see things differently, and most of the time, they'll force us to their standard.

 

[HogansHiro]

This is a great topic. I too wonder how much attention is being paid to the first chapter as the make or break deciding factor of a book. I can honestly say I have never read the first chapter of a store bought book without reading the synopsis first. In terms of journey it's like watching someone pack a car for a trip without knowing where they are going to. I need more information on the journey to let me know why the car is being packed the way it is and usually the synopsis provides that. Of course I am wrong A LOT of the time. I'm still waiting for beanie baby collection to go up in value.

 

[Chuckster]

When I think about buying a novel, I usually read the first few pages. If I don't like them, I'll move on.

 

[Shadowlark]

I agree with the others here. I tend to place more emphasis on the synopsis first. I will glance at the first page and make sure the voice is something I can handle. If it’s wildly different from what I’m expecting, then I usually won’t buy it. i.e. A historical novel that sounds way too modern.

Looking at the SYW area makes me nervous (for a host of reasons). But in part because I’m not sure my first three pages stand alone without a synopsis. That being said, it could just be evidence of my poor writing. I think it’s certainly an interesting question.

 

[DarkWriter223]

ልብ ወለድ ስጽፍ ሁሉንም በአንድ ፈጣን እና በጭራሽ ወደ ኋላ በማያይ ፍጥነት ልጽፈው ይቀናኛል።

 

[LDParker]

So, I think I'm going to enter this year's CWA Debut Dagger competition. I need my first chapter (a rough draft, which requires work and I'll post in SYW soon) and a synopsis. But then I started to think about the first chapter in general. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to write those first few pages to be perfect, to grab a reader into wanting more. But, I would love to hear from people with industry experience, do we put too much emphasis/pressure on those pages? Is the synopsis of equal importance. When I think of some of the books I've read, the first chapters can be quite ordinary if not cliched. Thoughts?

Also, I've tried looking at the first chapters of books on my 'to read' pile and realised they're all established authors, and established tends to mean can get away with more than a debut. So if someone could direct me to some debut first chapters, I'd be most grateful.

https://thecwa.co.uk/awards-and-competitions/the-daggers/debut-dagger

The very last chapter I wrote in my novel was the first chapter, largely because I wanted to know how everything ended before I thought about what a first chapter should do. Yes, it's important because it needs to intrigue the reader enough to read Chapter 2. Many people might give your chapter one a quick read but not willing to give you any further rope. Sorry, can't off the hand direct you to any specific first chapters for debut authors which struck out.