|
And so it begins.
Well, sort of.
We all know about
writing a brilliant first chapter, right? Surely by now we
all know that editors and agents often make their yea and
nay within the first few paragraphs — or even sentences — of
your submission.
We all know the
importance of having a catchy first line. The kind of thing
that draws a reader on, but that actually has something to
do with the story. Snappy for snappy’s own sake is merely
pretentious. We’ve all surely heard the conventional wisdom
that states the typical new author’s first chapter can — and
should — be cut right off the top; that most beginning
writers don’t really get around to telling their story until
about the second or third chapter. We all know to begin our
story at a pivotal point. That by the end of the first
chapter we should have a clear idea of what this story is
about.
We also all know that
the first chapter should set the tone, establish our themes,
introduce our POV character and confirm his “voice.” The
first chapter should set up the world in which our main
characters operate. Oh, and it should be short and punchy
and irresistible.
We’ve all heard lots of
advice on the importance of getting the first chapter right.
New and aspiring authors typically write and rewrite that
first chapter till it’s perfect. They polish and perfect
until Chapter One shines like a gem.
And then they move onto
Chapter Two and do everything they carefully avoided in
Chapter One.
I think just about any
new writer with a modicum of talent and common sense can
write a decent first chapter. It is when we get to the
second chapter that we see whether a writer has the chops or
not. This is why proposals to publishers and agents
typically comprise a synopsis or outline and the first three
chapters. Most aspiring writers are knocked clean out of the
running by the end of Chapter Two.
Why? Isn’t Chapter Two
just a bit more of Chapter One?
Yes. As a matter of
fact, it is. And that’s the hard part for many aspiring
writers. The temptation of the novice is to tell the entire
story as soon as possible. The notion of dolling out
information is an anathema. Info dumps abound. Typically,
the novice writer wants to give the entire history of their
painstakingly created world — as well as the entire
background of their much adored main characters (down to the
finger puppets that scared Lord Alberdurand in the royal
nursery back when the world was still wet and fresh and
newly minted) ASAP.
They want the reader to
have all the relevant information right away — and, as much
as possible, they want to control that relevant information.
This is the mark an
inexperienced storyteller. It is, in fact, antithetical to
good storytelling. Good storytelling is simply the sharing
out of bits of tantalizing information and drawing the
reader along, making the reader desperate to know all. But
all should not be known until the end — close to the end —
of the story. This is as true of the secret sorrows in our
main characters’ history as it is of whether they succeed in
their great quest.
Smart and savvy writing
is about the careful divvying out of information. It
requires restraint and imagination. So doing everything in
Chapter Two that you resisted doing in Chapter One, is a bad
idea. Spec fiction writers, in particular, have trouble with
this concept because…heck, they’ve put all that time and
energy and work into creating this amazing world. Naturally
they want to share it all with the reader.
But the story and
characters must never suffer from world building. Think of
it this way. If you’re reading a contemporary story…a
romance or a mystery…do you really want to hear the history
of planet Earth in the second chapter? Wouldn’t it sort of
get in the way of the action and drama if the author
suddenly diverged into the Big Bang theory or discussed the
fate of dinosaurs? Even if those things are interesting in
their own right?
Better to simply show us
more of that fascinating world you’ve created through the
actions and experiences of the characters. In fact, I think
one of the best ways to start out Chapter Two is jump right
into the adventure proposed in the first chapter. While
there is a temptation to use Chapter Two to show our
intrepid heroes preparing for battle or stocking provisions
for their jaunt to the frozen planet — and use that time to
give the political and social history of The World — I
suggest you dive straight in. So our characters are already
well on their way by the second chapter. You should never
slow the story in order to work in background information.
It either falls naturally into the flow or it can probably
be done without.
The same is true of
character development. While it is tempting to have our main
character begin to reflect on his past as he
rides/flies/sails along on his way to adventure, resist
filling in all the blanks. If you do need to fill some
blanks in, do it through realistic and natural dialog. When
people meet, they talk. They share information. That’s
useful to the reader. However, people do not share all their
deepest, darkest secrets in their first five minutes — and
neither should your protagonists.
If you’re doing your job
as a writer correctly, the reader should be eager, even
impatient to know more. They should be quickly turning
pages, puzzling over the hints of mystery and secrets,
thinking about the characters and their story. Reading
requires interaction, it requires engagement on the part of
the reader. This is why you don’t want to give everything
away in the first chapters.
It’s all about pacing
and the rhythm of storytelling. It’s about suspense and
dramatic tension. In the second chapter, the ante rises.
Everything that you crafted so carefully in the first
chapter is repeated…and intensified. Chapter Two is more of
the same — only more so. Writing a great second chapter
requires a bit of sleight of hand. It’s the trick of showing
everything while telling very little.
JOSH LANYON is
the author of numerous novellas and short stories as well as
the critically praised Adrien English mystery series. THE
HELL YOU SAY was shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award and
is the winner of the 2006 USABookNews awards for GLBT
fiction. In 2008, Josh released MAN, OH MAN: WRITING M/M
FICTION FOR KINKS AND CA$H, the definitive guide to writing
for the m/m or gay romance market. Josh lives in Los
Angeles, California, and is currently at work on the fifth
book in the Adrien English series.
Unofficially...I want to
be known for the work — the writing — everything else is
immaterial to me. Nothing makes me more nervous than people
talking about "getting to know the man behind the words,"
because the man is irrelevant. Only the words matter — and
the words are fiction. If they amuse, entertain, enlighten
you, then I've done my job.
Books Available at:
Amazon.com and
Josh
Lanyon's Website
|
