How to write the first chapter?
1. what grabs your attention for the first chapter/sentence? funny things, dramatic, sad, action etc. Action. I detest character's complaining. I do not know the characters yet, so I don't care about their problems yet. I'm not a fan of people telling me about the weather. A thought-provoking line perhaps, but so as long as they aren't bombarding me. 2. how long do you usually like a chapter being? A chapter can be any length, but I prefer chapters to be around 10 book pages long, maybe 8. 3. do you think there is really a difference between writing in 3rd person or first person? which sounds better? Of course there is a difference. It's either the narrator telling the story or the protagonist, usually. So whatever works for your story. If you think it will sound better in first, or you think your protagonist has much to give to the reader, isn't annoying, and that the story itself follows her/him better in first, then do first. I prefer third person to write and read in, only because this feels like a natural form of story telling, and I might not like the main character in first and certainly do not wish to be in her/his head throughout the whole book. 4. past tense or present tense? Most people would say to go with past, because, again, that's the natural form of storytelling, but I honestly don't mind. The only difference you are making is changing your "saw" to "see", basically. And no, it does not make you feel as if you are in the actual story when in present tense; good writing does that. 5. should there be a build up to the story or should it kind of just get to the point? (know what i mean) You have to know when to get the right balance. Go in there full guns blazing, and your story will crumble. Go too slow and you readers will become bored. You need to research a bit about pacing and how some scenes benefit from being fast, while others are more drawn out to get the intended feel. 6. any other things you think that really makes a good story. i mean not things like story line/plot, or characters and settings because i have all that...its just the little details like things that make the story...know what i mean? When the author doesn't try and wriggle in her/his thoughts and opinions on the world. If I wanted to know theirs, I would have read an autobiography on them. Good luck.
How do I write a strong first chapter?
Hi,I have read many first chapters (1,298 to be exact.) and the kind I found to be most interesting is if you start with a flash back. For example; this is my first paragraph of my first chapter in my novel.Chapter 1I loaded up my crossbow and aimed for the nearest Bandit, a scream pierced the air as it hit his chest.Pain courses through my shoulder, I look down; it is soaking wet with blood.I was shot.A scream erupts from the pit of my stomach. I will bleed to death here and no one will remember me.As spots explode in my vision, due to blood loss, I see Andre across the parking lot "Andre! “I scream.She comes running forward, “again" she mutters "Alison, this is the fourth time this week that you have almost died""Sorry, I won't do it again” I gasp out, then another bullet strikes my leg and I feel hot pain travel over me in burning waves, "Shoot! We’re surrounded!" Andre curses.I look up. There are bandits forming a circle around us."Get us out of here!" she yells through her earpiece.“To where?” J.A.D.E’s mechanical voice asks.“I don’t care!” she screams. I hear several guns cock.An emergency transport opens as the guns go off.More pain shoots in daggers through me as we arrive on the base’s floor. “NO!” Alex screams as a thick black cloud envelops my vision. My head lolls backward, too heavy to lift.SIX MONTHS EARLIERGet it?I think this is teh best format, it interests readers, it gives them a real idea of the story and its fun as hell to write!Hope that helped,__Elena.
How would you rate my first chapter?
I have to say, the story idea is intriguing and although not completely it is still pretty original. I couldn't stop reading after chapter one so i read everything you have. Again, the story is going great (Maybe a bit to fast though?) Now for some down sides- Chapters- You have what, 4 or 5? All together they MAY make one chapter in an actual book (Unless you just want to write a short story or something). They are VERY short (Average chapter in a novel is around 2,500 to 3,000 words. They can be shorter or even a lot longer. Again i don't know if that's what you're going for or not...just don't base how long your novel is going to be on how many chapters you have. If a novel has 20...you'll need about 100 of the short chapters you have. Grammar- The grammar is terrible (don't take it personally because i know how the first draft goes...you write it, then come back and check.) But you should have fixed at least SOME of the stuff before showing it to the public. It's a great story but many people will stop reading if the grammar is bad. Tense- You jump between past and present tense A LOT. This has to do with grammar as well but it became confusing trying to decipher what was going on with the tense changes. All together I'd give it 2 (maybe 3) out of 5 stars because it's amateur writing. I love the plot but you need to tone your writing skills. I hope you don't take any of this to harshly, I'm just trying to help and I'm also just some guy on the Internet. Many people may disagree with me. Good luck to you. You have some great potential. P.S. You should really keep your story ideas to yourself. I know you want some criticism on your writing but the story idea is SO good that i think some people may take it and it won't be as original anymore.
I need feedback on my first chapter of writing. Is it any good?
Okay, this is very rough and hard to read. Like Lana Fisher said, the punctuation is not done well and the choppy sentences have no flow so it's a struggle to get through. I don't know if this was something you were trying to write "in voice", which the choppiness could be explained by the way the narrator talks, but it takes a really good voice to drag someone in. This character is not someone I want to know more about. I don't want to read a story if it is written this way. It would be almost too painful. I would also do like Simon Huggins suggested, if writing is something you want to go after then I would recommend taking classes. Learn the basics of writing. If you can get the basics down and try writing it out again, then you might have something or you might find something else in the learning. Practice, practice, practice. Another thing I recommend you do if you want to be serious about your writing is find a critique group, or some kind of group that will give you honest feedback on your writing and the style. Quora is a nice place to start, but finding a group devoted to writing is nice as well (I personally use Critique Circle). They have plenty of online and offline groups of people that devote time to sharing writing and helping other writers grow.
Whose opinion should I ask about the first few chapters of the book I’m writing?
If it’s non-fiction, someone who can assist you with the fact-checking of your writing.If it’s fiction, someone whom you can trust to give you thorough, but honest feedback on your writing, plot, characters, etc. You don’t want someone to give you good feedback simply because they’re afraid of hurting your feelings. You want brutal honest feedback so if you have flaws with your story, you can work them out, revise your work and polish it up.
Should I share chapters of my novel (looking for feedback from friends) as I write or after I am done the whole thing?
Write your story till the end. Don’t worry about grammatical or typographical errors.In step two, after you finish the first draft of your manuscript, you need to check for grammatical and typographical errors. Perhaps, you can also strengthen your vocabulary in this phase.In the next phase, you would want to check the whole story for missing links, dividing chapters, and twists in the plot.Only now should you share chapters of your novel with others. Till this phase, don’t even show them your work. They may say, “I’ve read something similar” or “This one won’t work” or “Change this, change that”. Hearing these kind of comments in the initial phase will make you pessimistic about your manuscript and you wouldn’t want to continue writing further.Therefore, just keep on writing till the third phase. Then, share it with everyone you like.I hope it helps :)
I'm writing the first chapter to a Elder Scrolls Series fanfic. What can help me write better and faster?
What will help you write better is the following:Scour the Internet for writer’s resources on tips and tricks toward better writing (I love reading articles from Daily Writing Tips).Talk with other writers and attend events such as Nanowrimo, writer’s forums, and of course, Quora.Get serious feedback on your work. What do you do that sucks and why? What do you do that works and why? Those are the questions your feedback should answer.Love to edit. Well, you don’t have to quite love it, but, understand it’s part of the writing process.What will help you write faster is the following:Practice, practice, practice. If you’re writing everyday, you’re producing copy. Eventually, you’ll start refining yourself to the point that the copy you produce isn’t a mess straight out of the gate, so when you edit, you won’t have to make too many passes.Set realistic goals. I know I can get roughly 3,000 words in a day. It would be a hard goal for me to write 4,500 words in a day though I’ve done probably somewhere 16,000 to 20,000 words, but that was pretty much a solid day of writing. If your daily word count is 500 words a day, keep at it. Eventually, you’ll find with time and practice, that number goes up.Good luck to you! I hope you produce something exciting and post it on the Internet. I’m cheering for you!