WRITING A FIRST CHAPTER

The first chapter of a story holds immense power. It's your first impression, your introduction to readers, and often the deciding factor in whether they’ll keep turning the pages or put the book down. But writing that crucial opening can feel like a daunting task—how do you hook the reader, establish the world, introduce characters, and set the tone, all while making it feel effortless? 

In this article, we’ll delve into the essential elements of crafting a compelling first chapter. Whether you're writing a novel, short story, or even a memoir, the opening sets the stage for everything that follows. We’ll explore key strategies for grabbing attention, creating intrigue, and establishing a foundation that makes readers eager to see what happens next. If you’ve been staring at a blank page wondering where to begin, this guide will help you take those first steps with confidence and clarity. Let's unlock the magic of the first chapter together.

I will just give out the formula at once, so you don’t have to read and read without knowing what the heck to do.

The first chapter has to include: 1) character, 2) (main) conflict, 3) specificity, 4) credibility, 5) background. 

1. Character

The first chapter should give readers a clear character to focus on, typically introducing the main character right away. If your story has multiple main characters, you can introduce one or more of them in the opening. However, it’s also an option to reveal the main character later in the story. If you choose this approach, ensure that the character introduced initially plays a significant role in the central action of the novel. For example, in Anna Karenina, Anna herself appears later, but her brother is introduced early on because of his importance to the plot and her eventual fate. 

That being said, modern readers may not have the patience to wait several chapters for the main character to appear. Regardless of your approach, the character you introduce first should be compelling enough to keep readers engaged and eager to turn the page.

Focus on showing character traits—strengths, weaknesses, and flaws—rather than providing biographical details. A character's flaws should be evident in the opening, as this creates the foundation for their growth and the challenges they’ll face throughout the story. Readers are drawn to books to see how characters confront obstacles and evolve.

2. Main Conflict & Stakes

You would want to introduce the immediate conflict at first.

Conflict arises when something isn’t going as expected. In the opening pages of my novel, for instance, Layla returns to Hyderabad to get into an arranged marriage. However, she’s already pregnant with someone else’s child. What’s more, in this traditional Muslim community, she’s supposed to be a virgin. So, right away, in the first few paragraphs, the reader knows things aren’t going right and they want to know how it will resolve itself.

Conflict is what keeps you turning the page of a book, even though you should be sleeping because you’ve got to wake up in a couple hours. Conflict is what makes your book memorable.

3. Hook & Suspense

Start with an engaging opening line. Tease the readers enough to spark curiosity about what is going on. Think Game of Thrones.

Try to find a character to help show the reader that something is not going as expected, that something is about to change. Meaning: hook the reader right away so s/he wants to read on to discover how it all plays out.

Immediate conflict: that happens chapter for chapter. 

Chronic/central conflict: chapter after chapter, beginning in chp 1 and resolved after the climax.

4. Specificity

An effective beginning makes use of specific details. Details in speech, in setting and world building, in characters’ thoughts and actions, in creating the central conflict. Specificity more than any of the four qualities is what separates out a publishable manuscript.

As a writer, make sure your opening chapter—and your entire novel—is rooted in specific, tangible details. Wherever your setting is, it’s important to create a vivid sense of place that draws readers into your world. Use descriptive elements to make the environment feel real and engaging. Likewise, bring your characters to life by showcasing their actions, conversations, and interactions with their surroundings and other characters. Use these moments to convey the finer aspects of their personalities and to unveil the complexities of your plot, ensuring both the characters and the story feel layered and genuine.

5. Credibility

It works on a variety of levels.

First, you have to prove you’re a credible writer. Meaning, that I, the reader, must feel that I am in capable hands. That you not only know this story and these character but you also know how to tell this story. Little things like grammar and spelling mistakes will be held against you. Writing as though you’re texting is not acceptable. Editors want to see solid sentence construction and a variety of sentence lengths.

On a larger scale, you must understand your characters enough so that the choices your characters make seem logical – not surprising or out of the blue. The plot twists should be surprisingly inevitable, arising from the story you’re telling – and not random for the sake of shock.

Finally, professions, hobbies, and vocations of your characters should be written about with knowledge.

Other tips:

6. Background

Set the background. This is important for your readers, so they can imagine and know where they are, where it’s all happening; help them visualise it.

Establish the setting, time and place, atmosphere and mood. 

7. Start in the middle of the action

This means to skip a slow-build or cliché beginning such as “The sun was hot that day and X was school.” Instead drop your readers straight into the action so you grab their attention right away. This is tied with the suspense item. 

For example: Fourth Wing. Violet is shown trying to survive her first test towards her new life and ont focused on her training for it or when she was a scribe. 

The instagranm Tips.for.writers also gives a First Chapter Checklist, and based on it, you should also have:

1. The ordinary

2. A change

3. A conflict

4. A want 

5. Agency

6. Tone

Don’t:

• Info dump

• introduce action before the readers care about the characters.

Sources: Stanford Course NVL 32, Professor Sarah Stone. 

Instagram: tips.for.writers