Can you guess the opening lines of these great novels?
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
“Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm…”
“New Year’s Resolutions
I Will Not…”
There’s no better way to stand out from the crowd and catch an editor’s eye than a great first chapter! But before we tell you our top tips, here are some of the pitfalls to avoid…
Clichéd openings: We’re not saying familiar scenarios can’t work, but we’re looking for you to put your individual stamp on it by giving it a fresh spin! The weather, the trip in the car on the way to a destination, getting broken up with, discovery of the body–these openings are often used to hook a reader, but consider a different way to begin. And yet, don’t overthink it so much that you stop writing.
Include the characters sooner rather than later: Don’t spend three chapters setting the scene with no hero and heroine connection in sight! Romance readers want to meet them and see those sparks. Another easy mistake is to spend too much time relaying characters’ backstories before allowing them to interact. This is how you lose a reader before greatness happens.
Don’t peak too soon. A great first paragraph or gripping first line isn’t much use if the story goes downhill from there. Always find a way to increase the tension. Getting our attention is easy, but keeping it is more difficult (yet not impossible).
Here are our top tips on how to grab your reader’s (and editor’s!) attention with a gripping first chapter!
- Be sure of who your hero and heroine are before you start.
- Aim to get them together as soon as possible.
- Keep the focus on the hero and heroine and their developing romance as much as you can.
- Give your reader a tantalizing taste of the emotional conflict within the first few pages.
- Give evidence of the instant attraction between the hero and heroine.
- Aim to unfold the back-story in bite-sized pieces throughout your book. Not immediately, in one long, indigestible chunk!
- Use dialogue – when the characters speak for themselves, readers will be instantly engaged.
- Use minor characters sparingly.
- Keep an eye on your pace – it should be tight and fast from page one, with the aim of keeping the reader turning the pages.
- Aim to end your first chapter on a climax – and invite the reader to read on – leave them wanting more!
In case you couldn’t guess the opening line…
1984 by George Orwell
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
4 replies on “A Quick Review on Writing a Great First Chapter”
My biggest challenge for First Chapters is that a new story always comes to me at the Climax. And then I have to reverse-engineer the story until I find the proper beginning. Makes me crazy.(((sigh)))
Thank you for the info.
Way excited to begin!
Thank you. I’m learning a lot by being in the Harlequin group and reading these posts on sytycw. So many bookmarked pages in my Writing folder!
Comments ( 7 )
I spent the entire shutdown working. Had no time to wind down. I didn’t see my son much when school shutdown. My one co worker was told to stay home for 3 weeks so I picked up her hours. This year has been really crappy.
Ugh, Janell. Here’s hoping the rest of your summer is better.
Thanks for the info, Carol! Everyone is different in how they deal with the shutdown! I stay at home all the time since I don’t work so I haven’t been too effected but my shopping and errands sure have been effected!
Valri, I’ve been doing most of my shopping online. My local Target is still low on some items – mostly cleaning supplies. Grocery store is pretty much back to normal. Most of the dining in our town is outdoor. I can’t imagine have school-age kids!
Wow–getting your creative process on track must have been daunting–especially with “extra-large dog” glad to have you home. You don’t like coffee–I love coffee and have enjoyed my fortifying 2 cups in the morning even more than usual! How as COVID affected your story lines and characterizations? Best Wishes for all releases!
Interesting question, Virginia. You’ll have to tell me if the tone of my “COVID” books changed any! LOL
Life has changed so much! My dad passed Feb 2. The assisted living facility my folks were at went into hardcore lockdown the beginning of March. Mom couldn’t leave her apartment for 4 months! She was on the third floor, Will be 89 in two months & doesn’t use the phone. My husband and I remodeled the lower level completely and moved her in with us July 1. What a life change and difficult transition for the 3 of us! But we’re working thru it!