First chapters in YA.

I absolutely, always write the first chapter first. Unless I have that starting point I just cannot write the rest of the story. Others don't seem to have this problem, though, and you may be one of them.

That said, I think you just have to get your first chapter out (this actually applies to the entire first draft). Don't worry about hooks or set up too much -- remember, you can always edit later -- just write it. Judging by what you've said 'I know what I want in there...But the words just won't come out' you're just thinking too hard. Write out your idea and don't feel pressured to make it perfect, or even good, the first time around.

As for the way I go about writing first chapters? Well, I don't have much trouble writing the first chapter since I usually have a strong idea in my head for the start of my story -- it's the middle and the end that get me. I like to introduce my MC and something that will prove the catalyst for some action as well as cause tension. But that's just me.

Good luck with your first chapter and the rest of your story!

Unlike inkspatters, I hate writing the first chapter, first.

The thing is, when I've got my initial idea down, it's just a hazy little, "Oooh, I want to write a story about this!" I start in the middle, at the scene I want to get done first, and then I branch out in both directions--toward the beginning and the end. (I never outline, either.)
The first chapter I save until I'm comfortable with my final, finished idea, and I write a chapter that basically introduces the reader to the MC's situation and voice. I only wish I could have learned this about myself sooner--would have saved myself from going through 11 drafts of my first chapter. Different strokes for different folks, but this method works for me. I'll have do some revising later, but I've got my theme, voice, style, etc. down by heart.

I guess this is the trick: it introduces the MC's situation. So if your main theme, is, say, an orphaned boy wizard destined for Great Things (a la Harry Potter), then you start with the adoption (placing Harry on a doorstep), because the theme of family, love, etc. is carried through the whole book (and the series).

First chapter essentials:
a. not too wordy; we don't need your MC's complete biography in one chapter
b. be snappy,
c. enough and only enough to hook the reader for the time being, so they will read the second chapter, the third, and finally, your whole book.

I have a vague idea what the whole story will be about. I write the first chapter which introduces the MC etc and leads to the main chaotic event as quickly as possible. I know I'll have to seed it with some ideas of what my MC can do (black belt karate, rides horses etc). In my first book I had to make the reader accept the MC as a normal, ordinary person so the shock of 'the event' was more aweful.

So I know what my first chapter needs to do. I write it and get on with the rest of the story. I know that there will be changes later. In one case I was able to delete the whole of the first chapter because I'd started in the wrong place and was wasting the readers time, prolonging the time before the action started.

That's why I'd advise you to just write it down and get on with writing the story.

Mumut said:

I have a vague idea what the whole story will be about. I write the first chapter which introduces the MC etc and leads to the main chaotic event as quickly as possible. I know I'll have to seed it with some ideas of what my MC can do (black belt karate, rides horses etc). In my first book I had to make the reader accept the MC as a normal, ordinary person so the shock of 'the event' was more aweful.

So I know what my first chapter needs to do. I write it and get on with the rest of the story. I know that there will be changes later. In one case I was able to delete the whole of the first chapter because I'd started in the wrong place and was wasting the readers time, prolonging the time before the action started.

That's why I'd advise you to just write it down and get on with writing the story.

Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do. I started a story in November and I'm still editing it. But I've gone through at least a dozen first chapters. Looking for proper pacing, making sure to start where the story starts, cutting backstory and using conflict.

I would honestly just write something down and forget it while you finish the rest of the story if it's not already done. There will be no way to avoid editing the first chapter, so don't worry about making it perfect. Just put something you can edit down and come back.

:-D

I love writing first chapters, and often use them to pinpoint key elements of the book, to settle into the voice and to figure out who the characters are. I'd just write it, knowing that it might have to be cut, but the same theory applies to every scene in the book (any scene might have to be cut) so focus on the story itself rather than the chapters.

How do you guys get started with your first chapter?
I like to do a rough summary and outline of my stories before I start writing. It's just the major set pieces and events, because I like the stories to develop organically, but I've found having hard plot goals helps keep the story on track. Then I think up a great opening scene that will launch this story, and a killer first line. I've found that for me, if I can start off well, it makes the whole novel easier, though that might be different for other writers.

What do you tend to have in there?
Something interesting going on to hook the reader from line one, an introduction of the protag, their world, the problem their facing, and something that goes wrong that will ultimately lead them into the novel's core conflict. I also like to show my protag in situations that let the reader see the kind of person they are and hopefully like them and care about the trouble I've put them into. The opening scene also relates to the core conflict in some way, even if it's small.

How do you write it?
I work on my opening line until I have something really grabby, then I just keep writing until I get to my chapter end complication. I write it the same as any other chapter, though it often takes me a little longer to get started because of that first line thing.

When, first?
Do you mean, do I write the first chapter first? Yes. I always write chronologically. I have a good friend who writes out of sequence and I have no clue how she does it But it works for her.

How do you make it so you want to read more?
Give readers a hook at the start to make them curious about the story, give them a character they like and/or find intriguing, a problem or story question they want to see answered or solved, and stakes that make it all matter. Readers won't wait around long for the story to start. You have to get them into the good stuff right away and make them want to know what happens next. Same as the rest of the story actually.

Do you guys ever find it hard?
Sometimes. I've started plenty of novels and only gotten a few chapters in before I knew something wasn't working. When I find myself unable to get the opening right, that's usually a strong indication that my protag doesn't have a strong enough goal and high enough stakes. What they're doing doesn't matter, so there's nothing driving the plot forward. Where I have a solid goal and stakes, the chapters usually write pretty easily, because I know what my protag is trying to do, what's trying to story her, and what she'll do about it.