That first blank page is a nightmare for many new writers. Torturing yourself while staring at the blank page, unsure of where and how to start. Filled with dread because you know the first chapter is so important. What if I told you the answer of how to write the first chapter of a book was fairly simple?
Knowing the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect makes it a lot easier, so just write. Then introduce your main characters, set the scene, and give your readers motivation to read the rest of the book. Most importantly, be confident in yourself.
Whether you are writing a fiction book or a nonfiction book in the form of a story, the recipe is the same. While it may seem to be the hardest part of your book, it can be easy if you follow this advice.
Don’t try to be perfect or you will never finish or possibly even start your book. It can be easy to fall into the perfectionism trap of thinking that you need a perfect first chapter to write a good book.
However, starting is the key to writing a good book, and no matter how bad the first line you write is, it all depends on how ruthless you are when editing and fixing your work after your first draft.
But maybe you have already moved past this first hurdle and are sitting with your rough draft ready to refine it. Whether you have started or not, here is your ultimate guide to perfecting that first chapter to make sure your readers are enthralled by the time they see chapter 2.
The First Chapter Is Important
Don’t let this instill fear in you; instead, let it motivate you to write the best first chapter that you possibly can. It will never be perfect the first time you write it, so just get going and scribble your thoughts down. When you are refining it, keep in mind why it is so important.
The first chapter can make or break your book deal if you are looking to have it published. If the first chapter hasn’t gripped your literary agent, you have given them no reason to read further or show interest in you.
If you self-publish and your book is sitting on Amazon, potential readers may be able to browse the contents of the book, and usually, all or at least part of the first chapter is shown.
Or if your book is printed and sitting on the shelf of a bookstore, potential readers will pick it up and may flip through the first chapter, deciding whether it is a book worth buying or not.
Your chapter needs to draw these readers in by giving them enough information to want to read further by purchasing your book but not giving away so much that they think they know exactly what the book holds.
A good balance between enough information and not too much information will be one of the deciders when a buyer is contemplating their purchase. You need to curate this chapter in a way that only writers can.
If you are even thinking of taking on the task of writing a book, then you have this inside you. All you need is some guidance to get there.
Before You Start
Preparing yourself before you begin your book is just as important as the first chapter. Now, your process should suit your writing style and your schedule, but before you write a rough draft, you should consider a few important points.
What to Do Before Writing
Firstly, you have to choose whether you want to write a fiction or nonfiction book. You may have a true story or elements that you want to write about in a novel-type style with real facts and events.
Or maybe you are writing your own experiences in a fictional tale adding in events that didn’t happen. You could also just want to write a novel from your imagination.
Either way, you will need to do your research. If you are writing your own story, you will still want to gather facts that others can relate to outside of your personal story to enthrall readers.
If you are writing a novel, you will still need a base to grow your imagination on, and this is where research will be important. Throw together some ideas on an inspiration board.
Then find the right angle and genre for your book. There are so many ways you can tackle your book, and before you start, you will need to define the exact angle and genre you want your book to follow.
Take some time to think of how your story or facts will flow together. Even if you are crafting a factual book on events, you will need to decide if you want to follow a chronological pattern or if you want to tell the story through the subjects’ eyes.
Make sure you create a detailed outline for yourself. Plot your ideas out, and map out how they will flow together to help you see your book from a bigger picture perspective. This will also help you whenever you get stuck and are unsure of what to write next.
Crafting your outline only needs to have rough ideas, and you can either jot down bullet points for each chapter or if you need more structure, detail exactly how you want each chapter to work and what you want to include.
The Recipe for Success
Once you are ready to get writing, here are some key points to keep in mind. You can use this as a checklist before you start writing or after you have written your rough draft. Either way, use this as inspiration to get yourself going with your book.
| When writing the first chapter of your book | |
| Dos | Don’ts |
| Introduce the main characters | Trick your reader |
| Set the scene | Over-explain the setting |
| Allude to the main character’s desires | Introduce all the characters |
| Hook the reader with tension | Leave the readers unsure of who the characters are (age, relationships, etc.) |
| Explain the theme of the book | Spend too long on the setup |
Now to get on to how to write your first chapter. Remember the dos and don’ts throughout, and follow these tips to craft a compelling first chapter.
1. The Opening Paragraph
The first paragraph of your book is arguably more important than the chapter as this paragraph needs to get the readers moving on to the next page. Your first sentence should hook the reader without trying too hard.
Don’t try to make the first sentence too dramatic and controversial. Often, simple is better, and readers will see straight away if you are trying too hard with your first sentence and paragraph.
2. Introduce Your Protagonist
Your first chapter must introduce the protagonist of your story since the reader needs to know who they will be rooting for and following throughout the book. Readers will be looking for the main characters, and they don’t want to search through the text to find them.
Be sure to know your character well before writing this as you need to get their voice, tone, and style all correctly portrayed in the opener.
Even if you are writing a nonfiction, factual book, you should introduce your protagonist. This could even be a specific diet you are teaching them about or a solution to their mental health problems.
3. Introduce Your Antagonist
The antagonist’s character should also be introduced in your first chapter. Even if you are not ready to tell the readers that the character is the antagonist, they should still be mentioned in this first chapter.
You can alter their personality to make it seem as though they are likable even if they aren’t. It doesn’t matter how you bring them in, but they should be mentioned here too.
For nonfiction, you also want to name the enemy here. The enemy of eating healthy could be false diets or lack of motivation. These ideas should be brought forward to create a similarity to the reader to show them they aren’t struggling alone.
4. Leave Information Out
You will want to be careful here to not give the whole book away in the first chapter, so holding on to information is important. As mentioned above, the reader doesn’t need to know everything about your characters; they only need to want to follow their story.
In a nonfiction book, you want to give the reader enough information for them to trust you as an expert on the topic but not too much that they don’t need to read any further. Let them know why they need to read all of the information to get the full solution.
5. Establish the Narration
Your first chapter must get the reader comfortable with your narration style. Make it clear how the story will be told. Through one person’s perspective, jumping around between characters, or with an omnipresent narration.
This distinction will matter to the readers in all types of books. Nonfiction books need to establish whether the writer is speaking from personal experience, using someone else’s story, or teaching through fact-based evidence.
6. Give the Readers a Reason to Care
The readers want to be invested in the book; they want to immerse themselves and go into someone else’s life for a bit. They may also want to learn something new. Either way, you have to give them a reason to care.
This can be done through conflict with the protagonist or points that relate to your target audience’s lives. Ask yourself the question: How will this book benefit the reader?
Readers could care because they see similarities between the main characters and themselves or the book is providing them with a solution to a problem they are facing.
7. Outline the Goal
The introduction should state in some way what the goal of the book is. This does not need to be an obvious goal or even stated; it can also be implied.
If you start your book at the scene of a wedding, the reader will know we are going to find out something about the wedding couple. In some cases, the book will start with a murder victim, then we automatically know the goal is to discover who the killer is.
In nonfiction, your goal will be to solve the problem that you have stated and promised to solve. This could be how to diet properly, how to control your anxiety, or how to take stunning photographs.
8. Have Confidence in Yourself
This may be the last point, but it is the most important. If you are brave enough to take on the task of writing a book, then you have the skill and ability to finish writing it. Believe in yourself, and keep learning new writer’s tips to improve your skills.
Your confidence will show through how you write the book. Remember you can write; you just need to get started, and you can tweak and refine your drafts until you are truly happy with your end product.
Now, Write the Rest of the Book
Since you have your first chapter written, you need to continue writing the book. Keep your outline handy to guide you through the rest of the book, and use it whenever you forget where you are meant to be going.
While writing your book, don’t forget to keep your overall theme throughout the book, and stay consistent with your narration style as well. Unless you are intentionally changing the narration, don’t confuse the reader with a frantic narration.
Remember who your reader is, and write for your reader. Keep your target audience in mind, and remember they do not know everything that you know. So be sure to guide them along and give them all the information they need to make sense of your book.
Set goals for yourself to stay on track. Have word count goals to work toward each day you are writing, and try to pass these goals. Set goals that are attainable for you, and unless you have a strict deadline, don’t rush yourself.
Go Back to the Start
Once you have finished writing your book, it is important to revisit your first chapter. This is to ensure that you have kept your promises made in the beginning and to see if any information changed along the way while you were writing the book.
It is okay to start over with your first chapter and rewrite it to work better with the rest of the book. However, you should still follow the recipe above and fix any inconsistencies.
Make sure your chapter connects with the rest of the book, and be sure that you haven’t added anything in the first chapter that you haven’t gone on to deliver in the rest of the book.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Every writer has made common writing mistakes. Don’t feel ashamed if you make mistakes through your process; just aim to learn from them and fix the issue the next time.
However, so many writers have made mistakes before, and luckily, you can learn from theirs to avoid making these common mistakes yourself:
- A weak introduction
- Lack of research
- Telling, not showing
- Lack of editing
- Trying too hard
More Writing Tips
Fiction Tips
If you have chosen to write a fiction book and are ready to follow the process of writing your first chapter, here are a few extra tips to help you on your way:
- Enjoy the story you are writing
- Keep information from readers until it is necessary for them to know
- Write every day
- Always lead with people because they are the most compelling aspect of your book
- Keep exclamation points under control; use these sparingly
- Read it out loud to yourself to get a feel for your writing
Nonfiction Tips
If you are ready to tell a true story or teach your audience about something you’re passionate about, here are the techniques you should follow when writing your book:
- Remember to tell it like a story
- Identify your why; have a good reason for telling your readers
- Use plain language
- Use active voice
- Simple words are better
- Be careful with jargon
- Use short sentences
- Don’t forget to do your research
- Dig deeper and tell your whole truth
How to Write the First Chapter of a Book FAQs
1. How long should a chapter be?
The length will depend on the intended impact of the chapter. If a book contains short chapters, it will quicken the tempo, while longer chapters will slow the pace down. You can use the average chapter length of 1,500 to 5,000 words as a guideline.
2. Why is writing a book so hard?
Writing a book may seem hard at first, but usually, it is the lack of direction that causes writers to stumble. The search for perfectionism also hinders the writing process, and writers need to give up this desire and just write and then refine later.
Final Thoughts
Writing your first chapter doesn’t have to be daunting, and as soon as you begin writing, you will enter your state of flow and be on your way. Don’t sit around waiting for the perfect first sentence to arrive. The act of writing will allow your creative processes to kick in, and you can always go back to curate that opening line.
Have fun while you are writing; it is meant to be something you love doing, and worrying about being perfect will take this away from you. Make a mess of it; it’s okay. You can always go back and clean up the mess.
To get you rearing to go and get writing, here are some writing prompts to inspire your imagination. Whenever you feel as though you have hit a block, try writing a short story to get your mind off the book, and go back when you are feeling fresh.
No more reading everything online to avoid your empty pages waiting to be plastered with words from your book. Go and get writing!