Your Story's Firsts

First Few Words 

    No matter where you're starting your story, whether it be the very last chapter, the middle of an important scene, or somewhere at the beginning, there will come a time where your soul focus is the first few words of your book. 

    The first couple words are the most important that you will write throughout this entire process; it is what will hook your reader and encourage them to read your story. If the first sentence doesn't immediately capture your reader's attention, they are less likely to stick around for what comes after.

    When considering your first words, you must also consider the overall tone of your story. If the entire book is meant to be very serious, your first sentence should also be quite serious. If you're looking for something more intense, you might want to hook them with something that immediately gets their heart pumping. If your story is more lighthearted, then it is acceptable to open your story with something funny. 

    Many authors have many strategies when it comes to the opening sentence. Some like to stick with something simple. Others like to immediately reveal something important about the character. In some cases, the story might start with a bit of dialogue, mid conversation between two characters. One of my favorite ways to start a story is to parallel it with something that happens later in the story. The readers might not realize at that moment that you've done it, but when they eventually read the call back, they well experience a feeling of coming full circle, which can be really satisfying depending on your story.

    One example, with the story I'm currently writing:
        "My stomach twisted itself into a knot."
This is the first sentence to my most recent work, and there is a scene that is very similar towards the middle. That chapter will start with the exact same sentence, and then the paragraph that falls will completely foil the first paragraph that started it all.

First Few Paragraphs    

Following your first few words, you will have your first few paragraphs. Generally, this will make up the first page or two of your book. This is the moment where you most focus on drawing your reader in. After you've hooked them with your opening words, you've got to real them in with an interesting opening scene. 

    Similar to the first words, your first paragraph will help you set the tone of the story. It'll set the vibe and allow the reader to begin to understand your writing style. These pages are the most important because it determines whether or not your reader will want to continue. 

    As previously mentioned, my first few paragraphs are a direct foil to a later part of the story. In the start of my story, the protagonist is going to her first college party. She is extremely nervous and excited at the same time. She even foreshadows that this party might change her life forever. With this first paragraph, I'm able to set up a suspenseful tone that will be carried on throughout the story. As she navigates her life as a college student, she will experience all the stressors that are attached to finding yourself in a new environment. Later in this story, I directly foil this nerve-wracking moment by writing her as overly confident to be entering this same space, interacting the people that have wronged her since her first night out, and as desensitized to some of the outrageous occurrences she comes upon.

    Not every story has to start intensely, however, nor does every story have to foil a later event. Your first few pages can be entirely dialogue. The whole point is to write something entertaining enough to keep your reader reading. The main goal is invoke some sort of emotion.

First Few Chapters

    If your reader makes it past chapter one, you're doing something right, but that doesn't mean the war has been won. In your first few chapters, something interesting has to happen. You have to establish the purpose of your book. If a reader can't find meaning after the first few chapters, they'll be more inclined to put the book down. 

    Your first few chapters should be about three things: establishing characters and their dynamics, establishing a setting and how that environment impacts your characters, and introducing the primary stressor. These three aspects will ensure that your reader is invested. If they can't say they love your book after reading the first three to five chapters, then your book might not be very good. 

    It's important to remember that these first few chapters are going to be about a quarter of your book. Generally, in order to be considered a novel, a manuscript has to be at least 50,000 words. By todays standard, a chapter is about 2,000-5,000 words. They add up pretty quickly. If you haven't gotten to the meat of your story by the end of the first 3ish chapters, you might have to rethink the pace of your story.

    In the story I'm currently writing, my protagonist already met her love interest in the second chapter, and it's alluded that she met him in chapter one, she just doesn't remember. Considering this is a love story, it's critical that I establish their dynamic early on, that way it has time to evolve as the story progresses.

The First in a Series

    Writing a series is an ambitious task. You have to create multiple plot arcs and character arcs so that each book is as entertaining as the one before it. 

    If you're looking to write a series, my best suggestion is take it one book at a time. Try not to get too overwhelmed by what's to come. If you look too far ahead, the stuff that comes first might not be as good. You're looking for quality over quantity here; Let the story tell itself.