Good question! So, first off, starting a chapter versus starting a book is going to be a bit different in terms of what you need to do–but, the process is similar. Let’s start with talking about beginning a book. STARTING A BOOK: Before choosing what scene to start a book on, you should probably take a look at how the whole plot is going to play out on at least a basic level. You should know the main conflict and how the story is going to end. Keeping those things in mind will make it easier to determine where your story needs to start. **(If you don’t want to do the step I’m about to list, though I recommend it, skip down where I pick back up with the asterisks.)Optional step: If you want to go a little more in-depth, something I personally do is to create a series of timelines for each of my characters. I start the timeline at when they were born, and fill in significant details that happen to them before, during, and (sometimes) after the story. I stack the timelines for each character vertically on a piece of paper (so that they run parallel to each other). This will show you the trajectory of each individual character’s story, and get you thinking about how and why they might be meeting and interacting. **So now that you’ve either got at least your conflict and end in mind, and possibly some character timelines if you followed the optional step, you can decide where to start your book. The best place to start any book is as close to where the action starts as possible. You can reveal things prior to that later through dialogue/flashbacks/etc. This will improve your story’s momentum and will make readers more interested from the very beginning. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to start in the middle of some big fight scene, just that you shouldn’t start months before anything interesting is going to happen. Your story shouldn’t be long for the sake of it. If it’s long because you truly need that word count to achieve the story you’ve got in mind, that’s fantastic! But otherwise, start your book as close to the first important event as possible. The beginning of the book should: - Set the tone- Catch the reader’s attention- HOLD the reader’s attention- Establish expository details about the character(s) and setting- Introduce the story (your conflict doesn’t need to be obvious to the reader yet, BUT you should give them a taste of the plot, at least). STARTING A CHAPTER: Not unlike the beginning of a book, the beginning of a chapter needs to set the tone for everything that follows it. Each chapter serves an important, unique role in furthering the story, but don’t think of chapters like disjointed pieces in your story. Instead of like slices of pie, think of your chapters like links in a chain. They are individual units, but they all connect in some way. One of the main differences in starting a chapter is that you already have (at least some) of the book behind you, unless it’s the very first chapter–in which case you should just refer to the advice about starting a book. This sounds obvious, but it’s important. Here’s why:When you begin a chapter, you need to keep the previous chapters in mind–especially the one that came directly before the one you’re starting. You should, like you did at the beginning of the book, cut as close to the action as you can. But don’t confuse that with making your book ALL action. Everything should move the plot forward, yes, but don’t try to bog your plot down with constant, high-stakes adventure. If everything that happens is the most exciting, most awful, or most horrifying thing to ever happen to your character, then your reader becomes desensitized. Writing is all about balance. You could start a chapter with sensory details, with dialogue, or with action. Whatever you do, the best way to move forward with a new chapter is to consider how the reader might have been feeling, thinking, or wondering at the end of the last chapter. You can give them what they want to know right away, move in a new direction to build suspense, or even take the opportunity to move forward or backward in time where the story calls for it. Remember that some readers like to read chapter by chapter. The beginning of each chapter should be what makes them say “One more chapter,” instead of putting down your book. And if they absolutely HAVE to put your book down and come back fresh at another time, the beginning of a chapter should be what pulls them back into the story after they were away. – I hope that helps! I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting, but this is what I could think of off of the top of my head! Good luck, and keep writing!
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