Tips On Writing The First Chapter And Beyond
People all over the world have talked about writing a book, but often wonder where they should begin.
- Do you start with developing a character?
- Do you start with discovering the conflict or setting?
- Do you write an outline?
The questions just pile up until you are overwhelmed and do not know where to begin.
Different writers and authors have different styles and techniques in which they write, begin and end a book they are writing. So, here are a few tips on writing you can use to help you write your book you have been dreaming of writing for years.
Pull the Reader in with Your Opening
The opening of your first chapter should be one that pulls readers into the book and leaves them wanting more. This first sentence needs to reach through the pages and grab readers. By doing this you engage your readers right off the bat and get them so engrossed in the book they do not want to put it down. You want readers to feel they are part of the book.
Starting with a question is also good way to get readers involved in the book. The question has to be one that has substance and purpose. Make the question that seems or is philosophical. The question must make the reader think about it throughout the entire time they are reading the book. The reader gets to answer the question in his own way and time.
Another thing that you can do when following writing the first chapter and beyond is have a great opening is start out as closely as possible to the end of the story. This will require every single word to count, meaning quality not quantity. You will guarantee that readers will be grabbed from the very first sentence of your very first chapter.
Write from an Outline
Some of the greatest writers make outlines. You remember outlines; those annoying things teachers used to make us do for our research papers. Well, the same thing that we hated then can help you now.
Make an outline of the first chapter and each chapter after that. The outline is not set in stone; therefore you can rearrange some as you go. This will give you a destination of where you want to go and when you need to go there.
The outline can be in any style you like. It is up to you as the writer to determine how in depth you make the outline. Just remember that the more details you put in an outline, the more vivid the book will already be to you the writer.
Know Your Characters
Characters are what make great books. If you have characters that intrigue, you have readers asking questions. When readers ask questions they want to learn more about your characters and the book in general.
With characters it is always good to investigate and get to know them as the writer. Characters often will take over and evolve on their own. Characters will also stop dead in their tracks and go no where because they are not going in the right direction.
There is no right or wrong way when it comes to writing a book. Most writers work and write with many different methods. So the best tip of all is to find the best way that works for you. If you have to try out several different tips to get to your comfort zone then go for it. It is like learning, we all learn differently and we definitely all write differently.
