astridmayewrites

[astridmayewrites]

First chapter tips

I’m totally writing this for myself but if it helps you - be my guest. 

1. The most important thing is to remember that your first chapter is still a chapter so treat it like one. 

Think what a chapter in your story is. Is it a single image, a one scene or a whole arc with beginning middle and end, or something different. Your first chapter should be no different than any other. 

So, my chapter is like a short story, and I like to have one big event that all the little events center around, it forces my character to act and change and it develops her relationship with one other character. 

2. But it’s also different because it’s the first thing that your reader sees. Make a good impression. 

Your first chapter should mirror the entire story in at least one aspect. Figure out what is your thing, which makes your story memorable and unique. Is it the poetic style, a sarcastic character with a strong voice or interesting setting? Start with that. 

Think also about a theme of your story. Are you writing about tragic lovers, or loneliness, or the inevitable doom caused by capitalism. Give your reader a taste of that. 

Back to the example. My thing is fairytale-esque atmosphere with lots of gore, and I write about complicated familial relationship in a royal setting. 

3. Don’t focus on the first line… yet. 

The thing is, your first line can be great but if it’s not at all connected to the rest of the chapter your reader will feel cheated. Lingering on the first line for hours is also not good for you, you must write the whole chapter, not only this one line. 

Forget about the first line. Write the whole chapter then come back to it. 

4.  Start where the story starts. 

If you don’t know where to even begin think about your entire story. What is the latest event that your reader needs to see to fully understand your story. 

If you are familiar with the story structure you can think of the first chapter as the necessary information for the inciting incident. 

You don’t have to fit the entire set up before the inciting incident. You can sprinkle it through next few chapters. Introduce the characters and information important to the inciting incident, so that your readers understand what is happening and move on. 

My story’s big event is the invasion of dragons on the city and a terrible winter it caused but you don’t really need to see it happening to understand the story. It’s enough that I mention the consequences of this invasion. The inciting incident is mc losing someone so I should introduce them and show how close they are. The main story is mc dealing with consequences of something that she did so I should start with her doing that, or a bit earlier to set up the stakes so my reader understands why she did it. 

5. Remember the scene elements: conflict, obvious immediate impact on the plot and emotional shift.

Every chapter, especially the first one should be interesting. Take care of this by ensuring that something happens in it that your readers will find interesting. 

Conflict will prevent your mc from getting what they want too easily - this is plot. Make sure that what they do has an impact on the whole plot - this is a chain of cause and effect. Finally make it affect your character emotionally. If your character doesn’t care about what’s happening, then why your reader should?

6. My first chapter. 

Now that I wrote all these helpful tips down maybe I can trick my brain into listening to its own advice. 

The chapter will center around the big party in the king’s castle. I’ll establish what rules her father made and her general personality. Then my other character will cause a situation where mc will have to break one of the rules and figure out how to avoid the consequences. She’ll work with this other character and change her attitude towards him thus developing their relationship. 

It has conflict - mc avoiding the consequences of her action; impact on the plot - she may not be connected to the thing she did, but it still happened, and it will cause further conflict; and emotional shift - now my mc and this other character are friends. It includes royal setting, familial situations, and fairytale atmosphere - dealing with the dragon while the worst winter ever is happening.

[astridmayewrites]

This has most certainly been written about dozens of times before but something something isn’t it so beautiful how sunflowers always look towards the sun; how even on cloudy days they’re searching for the light; something something maybe the colour yellow equates to happiness because we were always meant to love the touch of sunlight

[astridmayewrites]

i received my first contract from a publishing house today

MY FIRST STORY IS GETTING TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED

*cue to me screaming & dancing for ten hours

It's a short story but hey - 10 year old me who thought being a writer is nothing but a fantasy is so proud right now

#AHHHHHHHH #writeblr #writblr #writing #writing update

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Reader: omg I’m so excited to read what happens next

Panster: me too

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amazing how much writing i get done when i actually write. who could have foreseen this

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i’m drawing icarus and apollo waltzing for my illustration class and my professor told me to make the dip more dramatic because “the sun god should not support icarus in his fall” like you fool. you absolute buffoon. you think apollo didn’t support icarus? you think apollo didn’t shine down on icarus every day, even in that accursed tower, offering him what little warmth could be found in such a prison? you think daedalus would’ve founded a temple to the sun god if he was malicious in his compliance in icarus’ death? icarus wouldn’t have flown so close if the sun wasn’t so welcoming, so loving, so captivating. if the sun was cold and uncaring, icarus would not have burned. it was not apollo’s fault icarus fell. he could not curb his warmth, just like how icarus could not curb his curiosity. apollo loved icarus as much as icarus loved him, and that is why their story is so tragic. apollo was not a malicious force in icarus’ death, the fates were, and that was out of both of their controls. do not slander his name like this.

[astridmayewrites]

It's not an "abandoned" WIP, I didn't intentionally leave it in the forest to die and forget about it, it is a lost wip who wandered into the forest despite my pleas not to. I sit at the edge of the forest every day and hear it calling for help but there is nothing I can do. It is a haunting wip

[astridmayewrites]

I could not be more bored of women characters who are dangerous in a competent, sexy, luminous makeup and blow-dried hairstyle kind of way. I am so tired of all these dry-clean-only girlbosses strutting their way into stories. “Oh she’s so beautiful AND so good at martial arts and so clever and seductive” No! Get that outta here!! Give me more women who are dangerous in a real grungy way, like rusted metal with a sharp edge. Girls who make you glad you’ve had your tetanus shot. Girls who cut their own hair and get bad tattoos. Girls who are as charming as a wet feral cat. Girls who might be clever enough to Play The Game but would rather flip over the chess board and punch you in the throat. I demand more horrible unpleasant women!! Thank you.

[astridmayewrites]

People always correct me when I say fishes even though I’m right

#i work in aquaculture and i didnt know this lmao

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Haili VanDerEems

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what the fuck is an open relationship. die for me or go fuck yourself

#lol

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I really can't get over Twitter people being like 'it's time to bring back tumblr' as if it were dead.

Like opening their long abandoned dumpster and finding a vast racoon society thriving.

[astridmayewrites]

women with swords and tattoos have an absolute chokehold on my life

[astridmayewrites]

"Are you more artistic or scientific" science is art and art is science bitch