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In The Beginning - Page 3

© Kim Kay

Setting: By beginning with a brief description of the setting, you are setting the stage and bringing the reader into your world. You have to be careful when beginning with the setting because it can bore the reader if too lengthy or detailed. It must be brief and it helps if the setting sets the tone of the novel. Something like, "It was a dark and stormy night...." can set an ominous tone and cause the reader to wonder what will happen next.

Sex: Sex is definitely an attention grabber. I don't mean a graphic description of an actual sexual act. It can be the promise of sex. “Jessica carefully placed the skimpy black nightie in her overnight bag.” There is a fine line, however, between sexy and sleazy.

The Beginning Chapters

While you want to hook your reader at the outset, the beginning of your novel is more than two paragraphs. The first few chapters are where you will lay the foundation for the rest of the novel, so it is equally important. Several things need to be included in the first chapter or, based on your style, shortly thereafter.

Beginning with the first sentence and continuing throughout the novel, you need to set the tone. Is the story humorous, solemn, ironic, romantic, or poignant? The words you choose and your descriptions of people, places, and events will set the tone. The tone should fit the storyline. For example, you would not use a light and humorous tone in a story about the abduction and murder of a child. The tone needs to set the appropriate mood.

You need to introduce the protagonist, either directly or indirectly. You might want to portray him or her during or just moments before the event that sets the plot in motion. If your main character is a doctor, for instance, he or she could be introduced indirectly by an accident victim being admitted to a hospital and a nurse paging the doctor.

You might decide to also introduce the antagonist in the first chapter or you might wait until the second or third one. One of the goals of the first few chapters is to let the readers know who is the “good guy” and who is the “bad guy.” This does not mean you should have one character who is all good and one who is all bad. All characters should have both positive and negative traits to make them realistic, but it should be clear to the reader who to care about and root for.

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