Writing the 1st Chapter
I have to laugh. My daughter is mad at me...again. And I couldn't be happier.
As we all know, writing that first chapter of a new book is most important. You need to grip the reader immediately or risk losing their interest altogether. For me, it is one of the most difficult parts of writing a book, making sure it is just right. And I always spend far more time on that chapter than several other chapters combined.
I have been using my daughter as a guinea pig before proceeding to the next chapter (or after writing the first few chapters). Once I think the 1st chapter is finetuned, I ask her to read it and let me know what she thinks. I did that yesterday with my new book and this morning, she texted me her thoughts.
"It is perfect and gripped me right away. Are you done writing this one so I can read the rest? I want to know what happens."
Again, my answer is, "not yet" (I'm only 30 pages into it). Now, she's angry with me and told me to hurry up and finish it!
Her response hasn't always been 'perfect' after she reads the first chapter, which is why I value her opinion so much. I know her. She's her own person (why I love her so much), so she is not the type of person who would shower me, or anyone else, with undue praise simply to appease.
She is my worst critic, which makes her the very best person to use as a sounding board when writing that darn first chapter.
As we all know, writing that first chapter of a new book is most important. You need to grip the reader immediately or risk losing their interest altogether. For me, it is one of the most difficult parts of writing a book, making sure it is just right. And I always spend far more time on that chapter than several other chapters combined.
I have been using my daughter as a guinea pig before proceeding to the next chapter (or after writing the first few chapters). Once I think the 1st chapter is finetuned, I ask her to read it and let me know what she thinks. I did that yesterday with my new book and this morning, she texted me her thoughts.
"It is perfect and gripped me right away. Are you done writing this one so I can read the rest? I want to know what happens."
Again, my answer is, "not yet" (I'm only 30 pages into it). Now, she's angry with me and told me to hurry up and finish it!
Her response hasn't always been 'perfect' after she reads the first chapter, which is why I value her opinion so much. I know her. She's her own person (why I love her so much), so she is not the type of person who would shower me, or anyone else, with undue praise simply to appease.
She is my worst critic, which makes her the very best person to use as a sounding board when writing that darn first chapter.
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