thank you so, so much for over 2.000 followers on tiktok 🥳
I can’t believe it, but we hit 2000 followers on Tiktok!! ✨
I honestly can’t wrap my head around how fast this little corner of writing tips has grown. 🤯
When I started, I just wanted to share my little writing tips with other writers, aspiring authors, artists and booklovers. 💭
Now it feels like we’re building a whole community together. 💌So thank you so, so much for every like, every comment and every DM. 💕
YOU make this place what it is. 🥳
Here’s to 2k, and to all the stories and art we’ll create together. ✨ I hope you like this free first chapter checklist as a thank you! 🙈
You can also download the following checklist as free PDF at bottom of this page too. ⬇️
Happy writing, your Katharina 🦋
why the first chapter matters 📖
Your first chapter is your reader’s first impression of your book. 👀
It decides whether they’ll keep reading and buy the book, or put the book back on the shelf. 😧
Within just a few pages, you need to:
- Hook the attention of your reader and make them curious from the first line on 🤗
- Introduce your main characters and world to ground your reader 🌎
- Set the expectations and tone of your story 📝
- Raise questions and tension, so your reader feels compelled to keep reading! ❤️
A weak first chapter loses readers. A strong one keeps them invested in your story.
So today, I give you my first chapter checklist so you can create a compelling and strong first chapter! ⬇️
my first chapter checklist 🌟
☐ a gripping hook from the very first line 🔥
- start with tension, curiosity, or emotion ❤️🔥
- avoid fillers like characters waking up, eating breakfast, or describing the weather, unless it reveals something crucial ❌
- the readers should be asking: “What happens next?”, “Why is this happening?” 😱
☐ establish the pov and narrative voice 🎤
- make it clear whose head we’re in and who’s telling the story 🗣️
- give readers a taste of the narrator’s worldview, personality or quirks. the voice is what makes a story memorable 💬
- consitency matters from the first page. the voice in chapter 1 should match the rest of the book’s tone 📝
☐ introduce the protagonist naturally 👤
- show them in action, not just in description. let readers see the character through their choices and interactions (“show don’t tell”). show your reader what makes your protagonist worth following. ✨
- give us a reason to care about your characters (a flaw, a dream, a struggle …) ❤️
☐ set the stage for the setting 🌿
- establish the time, place and atmosphere (the world) for your story 🌎
- don’t info-dump, reveal details naturally as the protagonist notices them. give enough details to orient the reader, but avoid info-dumping. 📝
- a vivid sensory moment like a sound, smell or little detail, can anchor the reader in your world and make your world more believable from the first page on. so work with sensory details! 👀
☐ plant the stakes early 📈
- what does your protagonist want? what matters to them right now? ❤️
- what could your protagonist lose? 💧
- even if the main conflict hasn’t appeared yet, give a taste of the pressure and motives that defines your characters life. plant the seeds of the central conflict. 🌱
☐ hint or foreshadow the inciting incident 😱
- you could either let something unusual happen right away …
- … or plant a thread of tension that will pay off soon, like a shadowy figure watching, a unopened letter, an unease in the air 💥
- even if it doesn’t happening yet, hint that change is coming! 🌪️
☐ introduce secondary characters lightly 👩🏿🤝👨🏾
- only introduce the ones vital to the opening scene 🌿
- make your secondary characters distinct too, for example through voice, gesture, or a striking character trait 💎
- avoid overwhelming your readers with a lot of names and roles in the first chapter, let details unfold later 🕰️
☐ weave in the theme and trope seeds 🌱
- don’t tell the theme or tropes right away. hint them through small moments. for example, if your book is about identity, maybe your protagonist feels out of place. if it’s about power, show them powerless in some way. 🖋️
☐ deliver the genre and tone promise 🗣️
- readers should know what kind of story they’ve stepped into 📚
- without spoiling, your readers should know right away if your book is fantasy, romance, thriller or horror, because the first chapter sets expectations and often sells the book 🏷️
- you don’t want your book to be cliché for your genre, but you want your reader to know the tone of your book from the first chapter on: is it dark and moody? cozy and soft? action-packed? show it! 🔍
☐ end the first chapter with momentum and curiosity 🕵🏼♀️
- every chapter, but especially the first, should make readers want to turn the page or even buy the book ✅
- for that, you can end your first chapter with a cliffhanger, a shocking revelation, unanswered question, a mystery, a surprising choice or an emotional punch ❤️🔥
- leave your readers no choice but to keep going! 🏃🏻♂️➡️
summary: what makes a first chapter shine? ✅
In summary, a great first chapter
- hooks the attention of your readers immediately (first line matters extremely! ⚠️
- introduces the protagonist and your world without overloading and info-dumping 🌎
- plants the stakes and foreshadows the conflict 🌱
- delivers on genre and tone promises 📚
- and ends with momentum. 🔍
Think of your first chapter like a movie trailer: It doesn’t reveal everything, but it convinces readers that this story is worth their time and money. ✅
Thank you so much for your support! Happy writing, your Katharina 🦋
Download the first chapter checklist as pdf for free! 💾
Katharina Romes 