Five Ways To Create An Irresistible First Chapter

With the enormous amount of stories vying for attention these days, you have precious little time to hook potential readers. The first chapter must open with a bang, hit the ground running, take no prisoners, grab 'em by the throat, leave 'em begging for mercy yet praying for more.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed?

You needn't be. Readers are just like you and me. They never tire of discovering new stories. They just want to discover them more quickly. So, here in the first chapter, focus on how you're going to pique curiosity from the very first line.

1. Drop in on a conversation. Readers don't always need to see the beginning, middle and ending of an encounter. Orient them well, yes, (Where are we? Who's talking?) but then go straight to the good stuff! (What are they talking about?) If the conversation is gripping and relevant to the story, readers will gladly stay in the dark for a while just to hear what's said next. 

2. Defy your fictional world. Place your characters in a situation that immediately begs the question: What is wrong with this picture? If objects move when they shouldn't, if humans don't move when they should, if anything weird is afoot, readers will stick around to find out why.  

3. Reveal a unique motivation. Study human nature, and you soon realize we're highly predictable creatures. Century after century, generation after generation, we do and say the same things for the same reasons. If your protagonist is driven by something other than love, lust, greed, fear, power or envy, put it out there on the first page. Why is he doing this? Readers will want to know more.

4. Block a bodily function. These days we take for granted our modern conveniences. But if your protag is trying to accomplish something while deprived of food, drink, sleep, medicine or a bathroom, survival mode kicks in. Readers will not only relate to the deprivation, they will beg to have it alleviated. Will she ever get to the bathroom?

5. Set a time limit. The ol' ticking clock. Always an irresistible story element because it creates a sense of urgency. Tension is through the roof! If your protag is working against a deadline, readers won't want to miss a second. Will he or won't he succeed?

You'll notice these five active suggestions force readers to ask questions. And naturally they want answers, so they keep turning pages. Thus they are engaged. In your story!

Now that you've mastered the first chapter, don't forget you risk losing many of your readers as soon as their questions are answered. All those distractions out there, remember? So don't stop creating more questions, piquing more curiosity in every chapter that follows.

Then, you'll have an irresistible story.