Not a one trick pony...

[Deleted member 604]

To...
All my Fellow Writers...
It's been a while since I posted a thread.

7 Key Elements To Include In Your First Chapter – Writer's Edit

As writer's we all know the importance of a great opening to your NOVEL.
KACHING,KACHING, KACHING...
You bag an Agent (And we all want Pete LOL) and then a book deal follows, woohoo!
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY - ( I think we all want plenty of that )
Does it stop there? Is great openings something we have to maintain for every chapter?
How important are alternate chapter openings?
Is it necessary for the first three chapters? Or is it a MUST throughout your whole novel?

HELP
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS

Kind Regards,
Alix

 

[ChrisLewando]

The million dollar question, Alix.

My novels are all brilliant, except for the first pages!

But I do think you have to keep it up all the way through. When reading a bought novel, I personally don't throw a novel out on the first chapter, but I don't keep reading if it goes woolly, or has too many grammatical errors, or is badly written, or doesn't hold my interest.

 

[Kitty]

Ah money - that would be nice

 

[Carol Rose]

Yes of course you have to keep the interest all the way through. Why would anyone keep reading it otherwise? An agent interested in representing your work will eventually read the entire novel. So if the first three sentences, or the first three pages, or the first three chapters are stellar but the rest of it dies on the vine, why would they take it on? If they can't sell it to a publisher, they won't make any money. Even if they get a publisher interested, the publisher has to believe they can sell it or they have no reason to take it on, and the agent makes no money.

 

[Amber]

What are alternate chapter openings?

Chapter openings and ending are important and I think work best when there's something that teases at the end and something in the beginning that reminds the reader why they're reading.

 

[Deleted member 604]

What are alternate chapter openings?

Opening your chapters in a variety of different ways, through-out

 

[Rich.]

Isn't that the normal thing to do? It would be a fairly odd book that started every chapter the same way throughout.

Chapter 1: Dave opened the drawer and took out the knife...

Chapter 2: Dave opened the drawer and took out the knife...

Chapter 3: Dave opened the drawer and took out the knife...

etc.

 

[Deleted member 604]

I suppose, LOL smart arse

 

[Rich.]

Okay. I wasn't trying to be smart. So what did you mean by "Opening your chapters in a variety of different ways, through-out"?

 

[Deleted member 604]

I'm only Joking.
It was quite funny actually
Just you know when Pete read my submission for the 1st time.
You said you would try and come on for it.
Considering you've disappeared for a bit, LOL and you let us all know you were alive on Sunday hehehe.
He wasn't happy I opened my first two chapters with someone speaking, is all.
Do you remember?
So hence this thread
The importance of alternative chapter openings.
I'm I making any sense here...

 

[Rich.]

I missed that Pop-Up, I'm afraid. But now I understand where you're coming from. Opening on dialogue is risky -- it's easy for the reader not to know who's speaking.

As for your other questions, I think, ideally, a great opening should be followed by a great rest-of-novel, with all the excellence and variety that entails. If it's great, it should all be great.

 

[Amber]

Opening your chapters in a variety of different ways, through-out

I feel dumb. Cuz I don't understand.

 

[Amber]

I'm only Joking.
It was quite funny actually
Just you know when Pete read my submission for the 1st time.
You said you would try and come on for it.
Considering you've disappeared for a bit, LOL and you let us all know you were alive on Sunday hehehe.
He wasn't happy I opened my first two chapters with someone speaking, is all.
Do you remember?
So hence this thread
The importance of alternative chapter openings.
I'm I making any sense here...

Oh yeah. Well, sounds about right. Sometimes chapter openings go right into action, sometimes they continue or start a new conversation, sometimes they recap a little... depending on where you are in the mess.