{"id":619,"date":"2019-11-08T02:31:08","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T02:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/?p=619"},"modified":"2019-11-11T04:14:31","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T04:14:31","slug":"how-to-start-a-chapter-10-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/how-to-start-a-chapter-10-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Chapter: Ten Must-Know Tips for Writers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Did you know that 81% of Americans have thought about publishing a book?<\/a> How come most of them don\u2019t? Perhaps you still haven\u2019t started the first chapter of your book and find that staring at that blank page is an ordeal? Personally, I’ve found that once I know some useful techniques, the words flow much easier; so here are my top tips on how to start a chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 1: Set the Scene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let the reader know where the action is\nhappening. You can go from big to small or the other way around. For example,\nyou can start by describing a town, a house, or even a whole galaxy, and then\nzoom in on the smaller details of where the action is taking place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do the opposite, describe the details of a place in order to form a whole image in the reader\u2019s mind. The dripping of a coffee machine, the clacking of a waitress\u2019s shoes, and the smell of a waffle might conjure up the image of a breakfast joint in the reader\u2019s mind. For this to work, you have to make sure the details you chose are representative of the location and time period. Providing strong sensory detail<\/a> works great with this technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can think about setting the scene on a larger scale by providing a new piece of info about the world at the beginning of each chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 2: Start Where the Action Is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Try to avoid exposition at the beginning of your chapter (especially if it\u2019s the first chapter). Follow the good old \u201cshow, don\u2019t tell<\/a>\u201d rule that you\u2019ve probably heard many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you feel like the reader needs to know a\nlot of information to understand what\u2019s happening, try to weave it into the\naction, or write it out first until you reach the action, then think about how\nyou can switch the order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you get carried away, remember that what makes a good action scene is not the action itself<\/a>, but rather the characters involved and the consequences of said action. For example, if it\u2019s a fight, we need to care about who is going to win and what will happen when they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can take this literally and start your\nchapter with a verb. Try to avoid generic verbs (walk, jump, etc\u2026). Instead,\nuse something that is more specific and interesting (Stroll, leap, etc..). You\ncan choose verbs that are reminiscent of your setting for an added bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action grabs the reader like a hook and makes\nthem want to know more. Exposition? Not so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 3: Consider the Theme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You need to think about what you\u2019re trying to communicate in this chapter. As Robert Mckee describes it in \u201cStory<\/a>\u201d, what is the value you\u2019re trying to convey? It doesn\u2019t need to be a moralistic value, but simply something that can be positively or negatively charged (e.g. love\/hate, freedom\/slavery, hope\/despair).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have a value (or a few), these can\nhelp you move the story forward. If your last chapter ended on a positive\nvalue, the new chapter would benefit from starting with the negative\ncounterpart of said value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, you can take a more traditional approach<\/a> to themes. The idea is to use that theme to craft the opening of your chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 4: Change the Point of View<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your point of view (POV) character makes\nyou feel stuck for any reason, consider switching the POV to another character\nthat may be doing something more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also can demonstrate the different POVs<\/a>\nof characters viewing the same event. Delve deep into how the same action is\nperceived differently and how it affects their life. This opens the door for\ninteresting, new possibilities for your story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 5: Write What You Feel Like\nat the Moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t know how to start but you already\nknow where you\u2019re going, start with any scene you know will be included in the\nstory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write the part you\u2019re most excited about, or\nwhatever part you feel like writing for now. You don\u2019t have to write in the\nsame order the book will be in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have some momentum, you\u2019ll be more\nwilling to work on the more tedious parts. You\u2019ll also have a clearer picture\nof what needs to happen before the part that you wrote. Sometimes you don\u2019t\nneed to add anything at all! The point is that once you have some material\nalready, you can find a well-chosen starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re the type of writer that likes to plan<\/a> their stories, simply refer back to your outline and choose whichever part seems more interesting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 6: Start with a Strong\nEmotion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Emotions lead to action, which leads to conflict. It also helps the reader relate to your character<\/a> and understand how they interact with the world around them (including places, objects, events, or other characters).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of simply describing where the\ncharacter is or what is happening to them, get into the character\u2019s mind and\nthink about how this makes them feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feelings motivate your character to take\naction, which is what drives the plot forward. When their feelings and actions\nclash with other entities, you get conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that the reader takes on the emotions of your POV character. As a result, if the character feels strongly about something, so shall the reader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 7: Play with Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flashbacks get a bad rep<\/a>, but it doesn\u2019t have to be this way. If something interesting happened in your character\u2019s past, you can share it in flashback form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that your flashback is relevant to\nthe plot occurring in the present day, in the sense that it helps move your\nnarrative forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if the reader is barely interested\nin the present day, playing with the timeline will make them lose interest even\nmore. Make sure you have a solid foundation for the present-day story before\ntrying anything of this sort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, if the chapter starts with a flashback, the end of the chapter is a good enough signal to end the flashback in the reader\u2019s mind. So you can begin a new chapter<\/a> in the present day again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 8: Show Character<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Begin the chapter by introducing a significant\ncharacter detail, especially if you\u2019re going to use that information in the\ncourse of the same chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does your princess character take down a\nvillain with hand-to-hand combat? The beginning of your chapter is a good place\nto mention that she studied martial arts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to avoiding the reader\u2019s potential confusion, people just love to know about characters. The beginning of your chapter is the best way to let that carefully crafted personality<\/a> shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your reader can tolerate a lot of things, but\nthey won\u2019t keep reading if they don\u2019t care about the characters. Elaborating on\nyour character\u2019s plot-relevant personality traits will keep your readers\nengaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 9: Introduce a New Character<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A new character<\/a> may be all you need to take the plot in a new direction. You could create a new character entirely or give more spotlight to an existing minor character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, the newly introduced character\nshould help you show a new side of the protagonist. Maybe they represent a case\nstudy of what the protagonist would be like if they didn\u2019t complete their\ncharacter arc, or maybe they simply mirror a hidden aspect of the protagonist\u2019s\npersonality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if this is the first chapter,\nyou\u2019ll most likely begin by introducing your main character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 10: Killer Dialogue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dialogue<\/a> in storytelling is not meant to be realistic. Rather, it\u2019s meant to show the personality and emotions of your character. It\u2019s also a great way to establish how characters interact with each other. Characters benefit greatly from having their unique voice, as this can remind the reader of their background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, dialogue can also tell you a lot about the setting. By using specific slang or dialects, you can communicate information about where the character came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing: dialogue should always be in service to the plot<\/a>. If it doesn\u2019t advance or resolve the conflict in some way, then maybe it shouldn\u2019t be said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus: How NOT to Start a Chapter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much like there are good practices on how to start a chapter, there are some common pitfalls that you may want to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exposition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Long, tiring explanations will bore the reader immensely if there is no action, emotion, or character development. Why should we care?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really need to explain something, weave it into the story<\/a> or save it for later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waking Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tempting to think of a chapter in the\nsame way you would think of a typical day: it starts when you wake up and ends\nwhen you go to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, most stories don\u2019t work if they\u2019re\nsimply a reproduction of daily life. Try to write about the snapshots or\nhighlights, the small events that make up a whole lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Treat each chapter as a short story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Consider the theme, the setting, the actions, and your character\u2019s sensory and emotional states. Start with whichever takes priority out of these, in the sense that the reader needs to know about it first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you still feel stuck at every new chapter, don\u2019t think about chapters at all. Write continuously until you finish the first draft, then you can go back and divide what you\u2019ve written into chapters (and make changes as needed). Remember: good books are not written, they are rewritten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did you think of these tips? Have you tried some of them already? Let me know how it turned out in the comments, and don\u2019t forget to share if you found it useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo by <\/em>Jan Kah\u00e1nek<\/em><\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does beginning each new chapter terrify you? Check out one writer’s guide on how to start a chapter when putting together your novel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":631,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions\/631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}