First Chapter MISTAKES New Fantasy Writers Make (Avoid These Cliches)!!

In this video, we'll discuss the common first chapter mistakes new fantasy writers make and how to avoid losing your readers' interest before you've even begun. If you're a new fantasy writer, this video is a must-watch to help you start your novel on the right foot!

[writerducky]

One of the best writing advice I've gotten is from a filmmaker in a workshop on making 5-minute films: something has to change. Whether it's a character reaching their goal or not, their mood, the tone, something in the environment, our perception of the situation, or any other number of things -- something must change.

[llywyllngryffyn]

Tips for a Great Opening: Imagery, without being too descriptive, sprinkle some words that help the reader paint a mental picture. Action, some kind of action makes that image memorable. Evoke emotion, that is what glues those images and actions into your psyche, the feelings they evoke. The emotions can be good, bad, or both, but remember that you are also setting the tone here, so make sure it is consistent with the tone you want your story to take.

[gothicwriter]

Great stuff. I like the idea of the story question at the beginning; 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' 'It was a pleasure to burn.' 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.' And we can't ignore 'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit.' All the great stories start off with a great line and/or the story question.

[Steve_Stowers]

As a reader thinking over my own reading experience, I'm not sure about #1. It's really tricky: a moment of significant change or conflict hits harder and I care more about it if I first have a sense of what's normal for the character(s) or their world. But, as noted, taking time at the beginning to establish that "normal" can risk losing the reader.

[Welther]

What are the BIGGEST mistakes for YouTube headlines (Avoid THESE Cliches!) Here is WHY!!

[SleepParty]

I agree with not wasting time and showing off your skills in the first chapter to instantly hook readers, but I also agree with taking your time. A lot of times a quick-to-the-point story is amazing, but those that take their time to get there usually reward you greatly. Take Quentin Tarantino for example. A lot of his writing and directing is slow as hell, taking his sweet ass time. And his stories become so memorable, so unforgettable, turning into fan faves. He breaks a lot of rules when it comes to writing stories. And it works.

[murphcallahan]

Good advice all the way through! I saved this to watch a second time (or more). I do believe in hooking the reader immediately. I agree, over-describing is one of the worst mistakes new writers make.

[dakforest]

This is an excellent list. I wasn't expecting your capstone item, so well done. :)

One of my favorite openings is to the first Indiana Jones movie, when we get a mini-adventure with the protagonist, that encapsulates for the viewer what the larger story is going to be about.

It's an idea I incorporate into all my opening chapters now. What is this story about, in miniature? While we're at it, who is the protagonist? (Don't waste time with something that happened a thousand years ago. Who is your protagonist, right now?) What's the magic system like? (Let's see it in action and get the general flavor of it.) Etc. Don't give away everything, and give only as much exposition as is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for your reader to follow along with the scene. You can get into greater detail later, when you've earned the privilege of doing so.

I've just completed two first chapters for two wildly different projects, and I've found once you get this technique down, it just works.

[nevbo]

So glad I found your channel! It feels like there’s a ton of ways to mess up telling a great story. I’m definitely going to rifle through all your videos!

[dylan-j-gerrits]

Some of the best books I have ever read make these mistakes.

[Illisil]

A much better title for this vid would have been "Seven Deadly sins of book openings"

[brindlebucker]

I think this was a good video. I am really sceptical of author tube. It's so often an echo chamber. But you list some good points and do a good job of summarising them. Framing the story question is an important one. You have but to trawl through reddit's writing subs to see threads like, 'My first 3 chapters are devoted to world building, how do I...?' Important to remember to 'Get this f--king show on the road!' from the very first sentence.

[ladahieno]

Actually, here's a good advice am sure most writers and wannabe writers know but - never start in the beginning, always work from the middle towards the beginning

Edit: Point 4 counterargument - literally the Illiad and any ancient epic poem

[Sisanf]

Fantastic video. It refreshing to watch some genuinely fresh advice; I really resonated with number 7

[zyberkom]

Right, so... In this video the focus has been almost exclusively on the introduction, and how to grab the reader's attention. In all but one point in this video - namely the one about technical errors - I disagree. Let me start with the first point.
Beginning the story "in medias res" as it were, can work no doubt, but not all stories benefit from this approach (i.e. setting-driven stories); Most stories I would argue, benefits from laying the proverbial foundation before anything else, establishing a baseline from which understanding can be built and in many cases removing the very idea of later plot contrivances or Deus ex Machina type scenarios.
While clichés are ubiquitous in every genre, working within them rather than against them can very often be to the author and reader's benefit; The author can weave in subtle yet potent threads of nuance which is impossible if one starts the story in an odd or unusual place, the reader is also greeted in a nice and pleasant manner without the need to pay attention to every last detail of the story from second one.
Conflict or tension can be excellent motivators for driving the plot or narrative, however, if there is no resolution or time for the characters to breathe it can be exhausting; It is vital to every character based story to have both highs AND lows, pitting the character against an obstacle is reasonable and expected, but after the obstacle is overcome the character/world needs to have a new baseline established before new obstacles can be faced. (Personal Note: I believe the notion of constant tension to be "moviefication" of books, and utterly unnecessary in the medium of litterray storytelling.)
Introduction of a lot of characters and concepts might not be the right fit for single POV stories, but in stories with a large cast or setting-based stories it can work if done with care; Letting the reader know there are many elements in the story, only to zoom in bit by bit to all the mentioned elements, and while the balance can be hard to hit, it is a useful part of a storyteller's toolkit.
(This is perhaps where I disagree the heaviest, and is most personal.) Keeping description relevant is of course essential to any story, but discarding every bit of detail not directly tied to tension is reductive to the concept of "Mood" or "atmosphere", it is here the writer can stretch the creative muscles and express something more than just action; (Personal) I believe this mentality of cutting to the core of everything is stifling for the art of storytelling, especially as someone who loves it when authors wax poetic or lyrical on one or other thing in a story, and doubly so as I enjoy writing so called "purple prose" with flowery and vivid descriptions.
The point about Reader Psychology can be brought into a wider discussion, but pertinent to my disagreement here is this: What readers want is subjective beyond belief, and both subsequent points can be rolled into a single point from before; The introduction of a book is not a "trailer" for the story, as it is not a Movie, and if we are to keep up with this comparison; Not every movie is an action one, some can be documentaries, others short art films, others still can be quiet philosophical pieces. Audiences are not monolithic in their wants, and the publishing industry really has to stop forcing all but a narrow subset of literature out of the limelight.

Hope this serves as an understandable critique on the points made in this video. I am as both reader and writer glad to provide my thoughts.

[Me_And_My_Monkee]

FACTS.
It's just funny how people be like:"owh yeah, first 100 pages is quite boring and slow, but in 2nd book it really starting cool action, and final plot twist in the 9th book is stunning "...

[leafwhite]

I must be the greatest writer that ever existed because all of this was obvious

[evilevan]

This is excellent content. Underrated channel. You have a new subscribers, sir.

[letteracura]

Great tips, thank you and best wishes! :)

[Andrewtr]

My story starts after the first inciting incident. I want to take the approach where what lead to the situation the character is in is revealed later in the story after it gets some setup. The focus of my story is magic. The premise is basically "Harry Potter but set in another realm". More specifically, my character is sent to another realm to learn magic.

The story starts on Earth as my MC waits at what is basically the Kingscross Station of my story. This chapter is meant to be juxtaposed with the following chapter when she enters the otherworld-- the setting jumps from a cold winter night to a sunny spring morning. This is meant to reflect my characters mindset and how this is a new chapter for her.

Since my story is about magic, i want to introduce it in some way in this opening chapter, i just haven't decided how yet. I'm also worried there won't be enough of a hook introduced here.