: Tips on engaging the audience in the first chapter? What are some tips you would recommend to immediately attract a reader, or make the story interesting enough to continue reading? I want to

@RJPawlick285

Posted in: #Audience #CreativeWriting #NonFiction

What are some tips you would recommend to immediately attract a reader, or make the story interesting enough to continue reading?

I want to know if there are any specific techniques or ways that you can create interest in a multitude of different situations so it wouldn't matter if the world is shrouded in mystery and unexplained, or 'info-dumped', although the techniques can relate to these specifics if needed.

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@Murray165

@Murray165

There are multiple ways to engage the reader. Your first page should be the "hook", the essence of what to expect of your book. But how to do it, it really depends on the nature of your book, because you first page should be highly relevant to the rest of the story.

If you consider interesting and unusual characters the strongest part of your book, introduce them right away.

If your book has high-octane action, start with the action sequence.

If your book is about human relationships, start with description of thought and feelings of your character.

If your book is about a mystery, you can show this mystery right away or, at first, present another small, "teaser" mystery.

If your book contains philosophy and deep thoughts, give reader a small, but interesting problem to chew on.

Think if your book can benefit from a prologue.

Next is my personal opinion which can be wrong. Many books start with slow-pacing descriptions of the opening scene. Don't do that unless you are absolutely sure. It's overly common and works well only if the prose is really good.

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@Debbie451

@Debbie451

Create engaging characters and put them in situations with high stakes.

The characters in your first chapter (or prologue) don't even have to be main characters. They don't even have to survive to the next chapter. But we have to care about them, and we have to want to find out what happens next.

This also counts for villains: If you create a villain who commits a terrible act in the first chapter, we'll keep reading to make sure the villain gets punished.

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