Tips on Writing a Powerful First Chapter

Beginnings are difficult for most writers, but I’m here to help!

Hey guys! It's editor and author S. A. Soule with some first chapter writing tips...

Just for the record: I hate beginnings. The first pages of my novels are an inexorably torment to write because I am such a perfectionist. But after numerous revisions, I am very proud of my first sentences and my opening scenes.

This post focuses on the “hook” every story needs in its opening scene. Without strong hooks, the reader has no reason to keep reading. A good “hook” can be an open-ended question, one that leaves the reader trying to decide what the main character will do next.

It seems like it would be obvious to start a story at the beginning of the character’s journey, but unfortunately, that’s usually not a good place to start. No matter what the genre is, there are most likely several other scenes that can be used as the opening scene. Find the one that will have the greatest impact on your readers. Think of your first line as a hook that lures your reader into the story. It is your big chance to be so ingenious that your readers will not be able to put your book down.

Dream openers are cliché.

Avoid beginning your novel with a dream. This can create a very awkward beginning. Dreams in general are often seen in the work of beginning writers (it will red flag you to agents and editors) because it’s overdone. Therefore, dreams should be used with great care no matter where they happen in a story, but should never be used as an opening. Always attempt to open your novel with the immediate sense of the storyline.

Some skilled writing fails to connect the reader because the writer doesn’t get what the novel’s opening must do in order to hook a reader. Frequently, as I’m editing other writers, I find a gripping opening scene pages later in the story. Most often, a dump of exposition or backstory drags the story to a standstill.

For an unpublished writer, it’s absolutely essential that you grab the reader’s attention from the opener. Metaphorical hands should rise out of the first page, seize your reader by the collar, and yank them, helpless into the narrative.

What will compel a reader to put down your book after reading the first page?

Not opening with a strong enough first sentence or that much-needed “hook” in the first paragraph to reel the reader into your world. The first sentence is essential and each should be meticulously constructed to entice the reader into needing to find out more. Readers may forgive a less than stellar first sentence; however, the first paragraph should lure them into the narrative. Don’t bore the reader with too many tedious details, long paragraphs of inner-monologue, pages of backstory, or lengthy description.

Remember, the opener needs to be fresh, original, with a great hook in the first line. Even the first paragraph. Even more than that, the first page. Each one is extremely critical and should be crafted to bait the reader into needing to find out more.

How many times do you revise your first line?

What are some of your favorite opening sentences?

Please let me know in the comments!