HOW TO BOOK

Starting your book, Tip 1

Tip 1:

DON'T: Rush into your book full-speed ahead with a huge information dump.

DO: Make sure you have a good entrance.

Starting a book is the hardest thing you can ever do. I mean, this isn't just any old chapter, man; this is your first impression. Your intro can scare away some readers who have trouble getting through it, and by that you can lose many readers.

The main thing to avoid is info-dumping, where you dump info about your character and/or world all in one spot with little or no plot to lead you through it. This is telling instead of showing, and you want to show; that's how everyone sees this world. There is no narrator to summarize things in life, so it's easier to grasp or relate to a blend of plot and a tiny amount of information. It doesn't help if your first chapter is something like this:

"My name is Caitlyn. I live in the forest because I am a loser whose parents died in an accident involving a peanut, but my friends know that I don't talk about it because I am emotionally scarred and suffer manic depression and I am incredibly good with throwing stars and eat raw cereal and will never find love. The world I live in is inhabited by mutant giraffes who persecute humanity and drove us to live underwater, but I am a rebel and have found their favor. This is a story about how I became a cyborg who roams space fighting evil."

What did I just write? I have no idea, and neither do you, unless you've been diagramming that thoroughly and contemplating it on a philosophical level. That is way too much info in one place.

Also, sometimes when you dump info you can accidentally give away plot points that were going to be twists or surprises. Be careful; your readers are smarter and more analytical than you think, trust me. But I'll go into depth about that later.

Even I am guilty of info-dumping, don't worry; it's not the end of your writing career, and it's not a rare mistake that only you have made. A bit of editing can save your book from this easily. Just remember: avoid info dumps in not only your intro, but everywhere else as well. The intro is just where it's easiest to let pass.

This doesn't mean that you can't have an action filled beginning. It's okay if your book starts off full of movement, so long as you aren't saying irrelevant info about your character that we don't need to know yet, like the throwing stars, dry cereal, and future occupation as a cyborg. Keep it as mostly plot-based movement. Show, don't tell.

This is a good example of an action-filled intro that doesn't rush into the character's details too much:

"I leaned on the door as they bashed at it. Yells filled the night. They had finally found me; I was doomed. I struggled to catch my breath and keep my strength against the siege. Suddenly, the window shattered, a rock landing near my feet amongst the glass. I was faintly aware of screaming before I suddenly woke up."

See how you can see the scenario play out? The character is paranoid, or terrified, or feeling hunted. Don't you want to know why? Don't you want to keep reading to see why?

No? Wow, rude.

Anyways, introduce your book and its characters to your reader in the same way you'd make a friend! Slowly work your way into it. Keep most of the information of what's to come until you feel the time is right to give them a small shock here or there, or spice up a character.