How to Start the First Chapter

Ready to start fleshing out the book plot? The first major hurdle is how to begin. Your beginning should obey the fundamentals of storytelling: from the oldest story structure there is, Freytag's pyramid tells us that your story should start with Introduction (revealing setting, theme, or the main characters).

At this point, even before setting your fingers to the keyboard, you should already have a plot to follow. Think of your plot as headlights that guide you down a tunnel, without it, you may end up groping along the way, ultimately hitting dead-ends and getting stuck.

Following Freytag's narrative structure, the first act of your book is meant to be the Set Up; the part that introduces the main characters, setting and theme.

Your first scene is just the first brick in building the Introduction of your story (or ACT I), so it must be compelling! It must catch and keep the reader's attention; these days a reader won't take your book home if the first three pages can't captivate them!

So, what is the objective of your first scene? To:

• Introduce an important character(s).
• Set the tone for the rest of the story by showing a problem with the status quo.
• Let your reader know what kind of world or place the story is happening in.

COMMON PRACTICES

1. ACTION

When you start with action, the main character may be hard at work on something, or they are being chased down an alley, or they've been caught in an altercation, etc. Action grips the reader's attention immediately, it is usually accompanied by insight from the narrative view, and if written well, can masterfully carry readers through the first chapter of the book.

2. DIALOGUE

Riveting Dialogue draws your reader in. It could start with a concept your reader instantly connects with, or a saying that piques curiosity; maybe something a supporting character said to your main character, or a saying that for various reasons, is important to your main character. Dialogue must read authentic, and to create authentic conversation, we can draw from human examples:

• When we incite conversation, we do so to either learn information or pass information. The dialogue that starts your first chapter can present crucial information, it could be something important to the story or the character.
• You can start with a statement that somehow affects your character, or the story; this would be exposition in dialogue, but it would catch reader attention. You can choose an odd detail said by someone, that could be built on as the conversation progresses.
• Dialogue can also be for the purpose of showing the reader someone that's important to the main character: is this a flashback where they are talking to their now deceased parent? loved one or friend? The possibilities are endless.

3. SENSORY INFORMATION (Set the scene for the character)

You can always start with these senses of the character: sight, sound, and touch. What can they see? What can they hear? What can they feel? In fact, this is important for most scenes, especially if you're writing in first-person or third person limited. By setting the scene for the main character, you draw the reader in, they're imagining what's happening to the character by seeing, hearing, and feeling the same things.

4. Exposition

You can also start by laying down the foundations of the story in what is commonly called Exposition. Cast your mind back to the children's stories your parents read to you, or those stories you listened to at school:

There once was a happy girl that lived by the sea. Every morning, she would hurry to the seashore to pick shells...        

Novels meant for an older audience may use advanced diction, but the mechanics remain the same. You bring the reader into the story by giving them important information.

You might tell us about a town where everything remains stuck, because no one dared to do anything different or aspire for more than what they could see, so they repeated the same mundane tasks every day. But one day, your character decided to stand out.

Your exposition should set the story up making the reader understand important elements of the story, usually elements intrinsic to story setting.

Exposition can present in four ways:

• Narration
• Character Monologue
• In Dialogue
• In Flashback

Here's a detailed article on this

5. FLASHBACK

You can start with a recollection from your character's past that is brief but potent enough to hold reader attention. To create wholesome experiences in your writing, flashbacks are usually triggered by something, but because this is you starting the first chapter, you can have the reader understand what caused the Flashback at the END of the flashback:

• Does the character emerge from that trance to find themselves holding something?
• Were they seeking something out and came across something else?
• Did they see something that triggered the memory or are they currently going through an experience that is triggering the memory?
• Could it be a sound they heard?

Flashbacks can be confusing for your reader to process, so ensure to make it brief and important; flashbacks are ONLY important if they point to something crucial in the story, a something that drives the narrative forward. A reason flashbacks can be confusing is a change in time and setting, imagine flashing back three decades ago, there could have been a ton of changes that could be jarring to the rest of your book. Take note of things that were different then:

• Technology
• Character age, looks, etc.
• Status quo

Later in this article, we will be trying out an example by using Flashbacks to begin a first chapter.

Note that important characters can be introduced over a series of chapters depending on your plot, but their entry to the story should not dawdle the storyline, but instead, further it.

Hence, as a good rule of note, introduce the Main character and their supporting character(s) in the first few chapters.

EXAMPLE

Storyline:

Joshua Spring is a wanted super-human who has forgotten his identity owing to an accident. He only remembers everything when an agent from his past approaches him.

?

• Let's use Dialogue to start Chapter 1, introducing Joshua and hinting that there's something off with him:

"Dad, can we go bike riding at the park?" The boy asked.

"Your mum gave us a curfew, we'd be late if we did that," his father said.

"Please? You promised!" the kid sniveled and folded his arms. His father sighed and seemed to weigh his options, then he said, "We could, if you say the password."

The boy brightened at those words, grinning up at his father's knowing smile. Leaning in, the boy said something in his father's ear, and the man erupted in hearty laughter; it was such a deep sound, resonating from warm memories they both shared; but a small distance away, an onlooker's gaze was fixed on them.

Joshua Spring had been staring at them from behind the counter, his expression placid at this display of emotion. The sight was somehow familiar and trying to connect with something in the fog of his own mind. What was it? The boy's words had struck a chord from the past, but the memory was just beyond his reach, vague and fleeting.

The reader sees that something is wrong with Joshua Spring, and because the story will progress with him, we know he's important to the story. The scene can be developed to include the entry of an agent from his past, leading to an awkward interaction that can include more detail.

By leaving hints that Joshua is having a hard time remembering something while building the rest of the chapter, you can also show his odd personality by the way he interacts with his co-worker and customers; he just doesn't seem to fit in at this establishment, but apparently, he works here.

---

"You're dozing off again! We don't pay you to daydream on the hour!" His coworker snapped, her red hair adding a vicious tint to her contorted expression. "Hurry up and make the next order." She flung a piece of paper at him, to which he just blinked, standing motionless before her.

But the doorbell rang, and they both turned in that direction as a new customer stepped in. The man stood still in the doorway dressed in a long black overcoat, a damning aura about him...

Bit by bit we unfold the rest of the scene: Joshua had just been triggered by a dialogue, and what the kid said is important to his character arc and the progress of the story. The supporting character makes his entry as you can guess, the main character and supporting character will make contact, having a conversation that will lead to more.

?

• Let's try one more example. Let's use flashback to begin this story...?

Joshua laughed, hearty and light, but the wind drowned out all sound, roaring in his ears and rampaging his hair as he flew downhill. He was flying on his metal bird, pedaling for more speed even as the rocky path made the bike jostle along. The end of the road was the rocky bottom where Dad stood; the man was waving and jumping excitedly! In this moment Joshua was invincible, charting an adventurous course in his mind's eye, glorious in this moment of shining.

It all ended abruptly. Joshua squeezed the brakes forcing the wheels to heel, stopping some yards in front of his father.

"Good job!" His father snatched him from the bike and lifted him high.

"Dad, can I go again?" Joshua asked...and this was all Joshua could remember.

~~~

"Joshua, you're doing it again!" Someone barked at him, and Joshua realized where he was. He was standing behind a counter and a woman was scowling at him, her red hair adding a vicious tint to her countenance.

"We don't pay you to daydream on the hour!" She yelled but Joshua paid her no mind, his gaze shifted once more to what had caught his attention earlier: a father and son were sitting across from them, passing jabs and small laughs, all happy and gleeful like there wasn't a care in the world.

Joshua was much older now, in a life that seemed black and white, but that spit of memory had so much color, so much life. Joshua could still see his younger self in his mind's eye, he had been joyous and daring, but that joy was now abstract, something he no longer possessed.

The doorbell rang...

You can decide to try starting your book with exposition. When done skillfully, exposition is an immersive connecting tool that helps the reader fully appreciate the story.

Need more pointers on how to start the first chapter? For the past five years, I have helped authors edit, ghostwrite, and develop plots! I look forward to working on your manuscript.