Librado Wright enjoys reading and is a big fan of literature as a means to help him explore the depths of his imagination and become enraptured with the world that an author has created. He has noticed that the novels that are most capable of gripping his attention tend to start with excellent first chapters and he points to all of the below as things that will keep him reading past the first few pages.
A Strong Character
The events in any novel are driven by the actions of the characters in them, so a good first chapter should introduce a strong character from the off and give the audience a reason to get invested in them. Those that don’t have to work extra hard to keep the reader’s attention, which isn’t impossible but only really works when done by an exceptionally skilled writer.
Avoid Overwriting
Some novelists want to make it clear to the reader that they know how to use a lot of big words, but oftentimes this just leads to the impression that the first chapter was created entirely by reading a thesaurus. The book should focus on the story more so than the language, though intelligent wordplay that has an actual point it always a good thing.
A Mini-Plot
While the first chapter of a story should act as the introduction to the overall plot, Librado Wright believes that a good chapter will also contain a mini-plot that engages the reader and gives them a reason to keep paying attention.
A Strong Character
The events in any novel are driven by the actions of the characters in them, so a good first chapter should introduce a strong character from the off and give the audience a reason to get invested in them. Those that don’t have to work extra hard to keep the reader’s attention, which isn’t impossible but only really works when done by an exceptionally skilled writer.
Avoid Overwriting
Some novelists want to make it clear to the reader that they know how to use a lot of big words, but oftentimes this just leads to the impression that the first chapter was created entirely by reading a thesaurus. The book should focus on the story more so than the language, though intelligent wordplay that has an actual point it always a good thing.
A Mini-Plot
While the first chapter of a story should act as the introduction to the overall plot, Librado Wright believes that a good chapter will also contain a mini-plot that engages the reader and gives them a reason to keep paying attention.