The first chapter sets the tone for the entire novel. (Scary, right?). It not only introduces the main character, it introduces you and your voice. (See link below for my blog post on voice). Whether in a bookstore, in a library, or using an electronic device, the reader uses the first chapter to decide if they want to continue on after the first chapter. (Yikes, a lot of pressure!). So, what the must have elements of a first chapter? Let’s start with the common mistakes and work our way back. Here are some of the common mistakes I see in first chapters:

1. Assuming the reader knows it is present day. Unless you give us hints of the year 2023, we don’t know we are in present day.
2. Assuming the reader knows you are in the United States. A common mistake for U.S. based writers is that the reader knows you are in America. Nope. They don’t know what country, city, town, college, school, etc. the novel is set in.
3. Assuming the reader needs to know what led up to this point in the main character’s life. Otherwise known as backstory or info-dumping.
4. An unnecessary prologue. Writers love prologues. Yet they add a layer of interruption from one timeline/setting to another when they jump to chapter one.

So, how do we fix these things? Let’s break them down.

1. When are we? Use hints of what is around the main character to show the decade/year/date. Here are some examples:
   • Using a landline vs. a cell phone
   • Watching a VHS tape vs. streaming from a phone
   • Going to FYE in the mall to listen to CDs vs. using Pandora or iHeartRadio.
2. Where are we? For world-building (this applies to fantasy, as well), give me the simple, yet gorgeous, details.
   • Show me the wealth or poverty, the puppies or dragons, the clothes on the clothesline, the home architecture, the cherry blossoms trees in spring or the tornados in the summer, how the coffee was made (coffee can apply to the when, as well. It was hard in the early 20th century to brew a cup of coffee!)
3. What are we doing? I mean it. Literally, walk me side by side with your main character. Are we driving a car, walking to school, buying a diamond ring, flying in an airplane, sitting in an airport, breaking bread with someone we love. I want to smell the smells, hear the sounds, and be immersed.

In the majority of novels, there should be a mood set, a place, a time, an action happening. No one sits still for too long. Even when you are sleeping, you are breathing and dreaming. Rarely is the world quiet – birds are chirping, vehicles are passing by, people are whispering or screaming, appliances are humming, weather is changing, the time of day is turning, etc. Show us the characters moving and interacting in the world you have built.

For more helpful information on voice, check out my blog for Nanowrimo, “Three Ways to Pull from Within to be Authentic and Real in Your Writing.” https://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/712617744997220352/three-ways-to-pull-from-within-to-be-authentic-and

For more helpful information on examples of novels who executed strong first chapters, see the blog post, “Great First Chapters.”