First Chapter of my novel.

[Maud Fitch]

Pretty short chapter.

Recently I read James Patterson's book "You've Been Warned" and I found his short chapters very disconcerting. I'm talking one page, maybe one and a half pages, sometimes almost a reasonable amount then cut short. Can't remember the exact amount of chapters but it was more than double the average novel.

[Gfilm]

I like the concept and the drama of it but it lacks putting your reader there, which is what the aim is.

What is it?

who is it?

where is it?

why are the readers caring?

The hook in a novel needs to be made in the first 3 pages (better if the first) but most will read 3, sometimes 5 if they are patient.

The atmosphere and setting needs to be defined so that they can care.

Now if you made this as a prologue...and then stopped abruptly...


Then the second page is chapter one and you start with...Just random example.

And then Sally closed the coffin, sighing to herself.

Oh what have I done again, she thought. I should never have done this. Is this what it means to exist, not exist, make someone not exist...is this world anything...is my world really nothing?

______

Just random verbiage here, just trying to show there needs to be some meat with that appetizer! Great start though. Bring out the meat