First Chapters Part 1: How to Begin Your Story

[@lisagodsey1876]

Favorite line so far, “Why would I care about the magic system if I don’t know if I care about the character?” Great thought and question.

[@xerosolar307]

In video games it's noticeable when the tutorial/first level (or the "first chapter" of the game) is carefully planned and when it's not. Ideally, it's one of the last things done so the tutorial can include what the entire game requires the player to know from the get-go. So, I think it's fine not knowing what the first chapter will be even if there's progress in the rest of the story, maybe the prologue should be the last thing we write... Anyway, great video, I know you will go big if you keep it up like this, content quality is fantastic!!

[@moonangel97]

Thanks so much! And I totally agree. Sometimes it's best to just skip your first chapter entirely until you have the rest of the story fleshed out.

[@DarkDefender1024]

Moon Angel: "you guys should read read read!" Me: It's so cool that Moon Angel does all the work for me.

[@moonangel97]

🤣 Glad I could be of service!

[@demonkingswarn]

atleast it got the red pyramid and the lost hero in that book collection even if it didn't got the lightning thief

[@Andrewtr6]

Hmmm, I gotta be honest, I don't know how to describe the tone of my fantasy story. It can be fun, lighthearted, silly, even wholesome at times but then have moments or even storylines that are beak, sad, horrific, and tragic. My story is meant to be a comic series so it's hard to pin down one overall tone. While I take inspiration from works like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, I've also been inspired by various anime which gets away with a lot that we over here in the west wouldn't consider appropriate for children. I don't plan to kill characters off left and right like Game of Thrones, but death is a possibility, and it can be graphic. It's a fantasy story with monsters so the world is dangerous which my characters learn even though they're only 12. I considered using a prologue to introduce the danger of my world, but I didn't want to jump right into that. I like having a buildup even if the readers are already expecting it. For setting, I have this well worked out for the main setting of the story. I have an idea in mind for the first chapter but it's still subject to change. The one thing I was actually avoiding is talking about the magic. At first, I wasn't sure how to introduce the magic in the very beginning of the story. Since my first issue basically makes up chapter one and two of the story, I was thinking about saving magic for chapter two and not mentioning it in one. However, magic isn't a surprise to my MC. In fact, she grew up around magic, but before the start of the story she experienced a traumatic event connected to magic. I am the type of writer that prefers to show important things in memorable way, instead of telling them. The first time the readers see the magic should stay with them. However, I might be able to get away with this since the magic will be introduced in the same issue. I know my main character pretty well. I have her backstory and important character traits including flaws. As I said, my character starts the story traumatized. Only a few months ago, she saw her sister get killed right in front of her and she blames herself because this happened because she didn't listen. Not only is she still grieving, but she feels guilty. Now she's being sent away for her own safety. All I know for sure is that I want the first chapter to reflect her state of mind. The setting opens in a brightly lit room and my MC is wearing a winter coat which she zips up signaling that it's winter and cold in this room. It is night also. Visually, the colors will be toned down. How I see it, the character is getting a chance to start over so, when she gets to where she's going, there's a shift in this setting. Again, my character is only 12 so this is a lot for her.

[@K0r0k0_17]

Hey Moon, your videos are very quiet compared to all other sounds my computer makes ^^'

[@EnordAreven]

Interesting 🤔 Interesting 🧐 Books really can say so much, with so little 😅