How to Self-Edit the First Chapter of your Book (Part One)

Editing is such a broad word. Some people feel that running their work through a grammar-checker or correcting typos means the editorial job is done. On the other hand, some authors won’t publish without beta readers, alpha readers, or a content editor taking a big-picture look at their words.

Whatever your perspective is on editing, I want to share five tips for editing the first chapter of your book. Why the first chapter? In my experience, most books lose their target readers within the first 3-5 pages. Whether an agent passes on your sample pages or a reader checks your “Look Inside” preview on Amazon, hooking the reader and keeping the reader are two separate problems! With a strong opening chapter, you can set yourself up for success by succeeding where others fail: hooking the reader!

You can certainly apply some of these concepts to the middle of your book. But because the middle of the book functions in a very different way structurally from the beginning, I’ll recommend more tips for the middle of the book in a separate post.

Now let’s take a deep dive into your first chapter. Here’s the TLDR version. I’ll go into more detail below for each step.

1. Does your opening line intrigue the reader?

2. Have you introduced one of the protagonists within the first few lines/first paragraph?

3. Have you given us a deep stake or clear emotional anchor on the first page?

4. Have you established a clear theme in the opening chapter?

5. Do you conclude the chapter with a clear story beat and exit hook?

1. Does your opening line intrigue the reader?

Opening lines need big shoulders, friends. The opening line can make or break a book. The first few words you convey to the reader should be more than just a interesting place to start. Consider the impact of your opening line. Does it provoke an emotion in the reader? Does it make you want to know more? Does it lead to a “what/why/how” question?

The opening line is the unsung hero of your novel. It has to be more enticing than a plate of delicious-smelling, mouth-watering food. It has to be more clever than a stand-up comic merged with a true crime podcaster, and it has to be authentic for your genre.

Are you writing a rom-com? Guess what… I expect that opening line to be funny! Horror authors, please, give me tension, fear, or a sense of foreboding. Thriller authors know this struggle well. The opening line likely takes place during the “before” or “early aftermath” of the action.

If you’re not sure whether your opening line packs a punch, ask yourself if your opening line carries the weight your reader will expect. Does the opening line fit the expectations of the genre/sub-genre I’m writing in? Consider the opening line of Titan, a Gargoyle Daddy Dom Romance by Jillian Graves:

Fat rivulets of rain flood the grooves of my granite back and drip off the tips of my claws and horns.

Wow. I don’t know how she could improve on that!! I see the gargoyle (granite back, claws, horns) and with a subtle detail like the fat rivulets of rain, I’m already picturing the scene and setting. This opening line passes the expectation test with flying (sorry, pun intended here) colors.

Michelle Zauner’s brilliant bestselling memoir Crying in H Mart opens with this line:

Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart.

Too on the nose? I don’t think so. We were hooked by the title, by the cover with its vibrant illustration of noodles. We know the book is a memoir, so give the people what they want. Explain the title. Set the mood. Be clear and direct in the hook.

In The Affair, a Jack reacher novel by Lee Child, the opening line is long, but wow is it a robust hook:

The Pentagon is the world’s largest office building, six and a half million square feet, thirty thousand people, more than seventeen miles of corridors, but it was built with just three street doors, each one opening into a guarded pedestrian lobby.

I don’t know about you, but I feel claustrophobic and almost panicked at that first line. The enormity of the building is so specific, I feel its size in my core. And then…very few ways out. The time and place are a feature of this opening, not a specific POV character, but I’m immediately plunged into the world with sufficient detail for this to feel like an “insider’s view.” That means I don’t yet see my protagonist, but I believe that person is in the know and is not far away. I’m willing to wait for the voice attached to this observation. And I have to admit I already feel uncomfortable and excited about what’s coming.

In the now-infamous first line of Trial of the Sun Queen (epic romantasy), main character Lor opens the book with this iconic statement:

That bitch took my soap.

Given the title and the genre, this opening line sets up just about everything you need to know about this character in just five words! What comes next? Who wouldn’t read on to find out!

2. Have you introduced one of the protagonists within the first few lines/first paragraph?

After you’ve assessed your opening line, consider how quickly you bring your main characters onto the page. Ideally, you’ll want to not just hook your readers with that first line, but you’ll want to deliver a reason for them to keep reading. Caring about a main character, distrusting a narrator, and feeling immersed in a situation are all aspects of storytelling that take time. But how much time is too much time? Where is the line between setup and stagnation?

You can see from the opening lines above how several strong books have first lines that function as effective hooks. Moving quickly into the story means that you shouldn’t spend pages and pages on setup. Can you challenge yourself to bring the story into focus quickly? Can you introduce at least one main character in the first paragraph if not the first few lines? There are many exceptions to books that do this well, but those are exceptions. Take a look at these examples:

A.M. Shine’s horror novel The Watchers opens with a prologue. The point of view is labelled John and the opening line is: The forest was bright on the darkest day. How soon do we meet our POV character John? In the very same opening paragraph, fifth line down. John’s the one making the observation about the forest. John is the one who sets the terrifying stage and who gives us the shocking stakes—all by the end of the first page!

Tessa Bailey’s novella Same Time Next Year is written in first person point of view. Our main character Britta speaks her first line of dialogue in the first line of the book. No word is wasted as we see our main character working her job at a sports bar where hockey players hang out. How quickly do we see the object of her affection? Not ten pages or several chapters in. We meet Sumner exactly three and a half pages in.

Giving the reader a reason to read starts with a great opening line. Once you’ve hooked a reader, keep them there by giving them a reason to care, to feel, to be immersed in the story. Giving us a main character on the page as quickly as possible is a strategy that will ensure you have active scenes and effective pacing. Next week I’ll dive deep into the rest of the tips on this list. Check back for the rest since this is long but (I hope) valuable topic!