I just found out that my first episode has to be at least 400 lines before I can publish it. The point of the first episode was supposed to be like an introduction and everything was finished! I now have to figure out how to fix my chapters and I feel ready to cry HELP!!! ME!!!
Maybe add CC in it, it should add lines
How many lines is it?
Iāll be honest- if I come across a story where the first episode is a super short āintroductionā, chances are I wonāt even bother continuing
Canāt you start your story in episode one as well?
Itās about 250 lines.
Itās part of the story, it was just more of a āget to know the main characterā sort of chapter. Itās just annoying because had I known about that, I would have put alot more into the first episode instead of continuing it in the next episode. It wonāt be that hard, itās just annoying Though, I appreciate you opinion. Thatās good feedback.
Itās better to add some story into your first chapter and not just have it as an introduction. Your first chapter is the pass-free chapter, so itās your chance to sell your story to the readers. If they donāt like it, theyāre not going to spend passes on the other chapters!
Yeah, thatās true. I hadnāt been thinking of it like that.
In fact, Iād say your first chapter has to be your best chapter. A lot of authorās notes say āthis first chapter is bad but it gets better, I promiseā, but we as readers canāt be sure of that. Even if itās not the best thing ever because you improve your writing style later, make it interesting so that it really sells the best aspects of your writing.
Since you havenāt published yet, you still have time to restructure your first few episodes. I understand that itās annoying but I definitely think it will pay off in the long run. Like @ShanniiWrites said, the first chapter is your chance to sell your story. If your episode is only 250 lines, that might be two minutes (at best) and I think a lot of readers will feel like they donāt have any reason to continue reading.
As for getting to know the main character- personally, I prefer to be introduced to the character naturally. No āThis is so-and-soā or āHi Iām so-and-so. Iām 18. Blah blah.ā That could just be me however, generally I donāt really feel that introductions are necessary. Think of a TV show- we āmeetā the characters straight away, but itās rarely through an introduction. (Sorry for rambling but unnecessary character introductions are one of the things that will make me quit reading a story lol. Thatās just my opinion, though.)
Definitely the case! The best writers can introduce you to characters without a massive exposition dump at the beginning. I want to discover a character with the plot!
No, donāt be sorry. I honestly cannot say how glad I am you guys are taking the time to give me feedback. Itās really, really nice. Iāve pub;lished written out stories before and no one ever takes the time to give me feedback so itās honeslty really nice and helpful. Thank you guys so much!!!
It wasnāt the type of introduction that lists name and age, it was more of a prologue, but I get it, and it totally makes sense.
Just for reference, the scene Iām writing for my current story is 900 lines longā¦ and thatās with only 2 choices! Make sure youāre dedicating lines to background charactersā actions and also making sure that your conversations are natural and donāt feel rushed. Naturally, people beat around the bush quite a bit, so it always feels really weird and stilted when a conversation does everything you want it to do in 3 lines.
Conversations lead from one thing to another quite naturally (I recommend taking note of all the different things you talk about in a conversation to get you from topic A to topic Z as a little writing exercise), so itās much better to make them last a little longer.
Iām more than happy to give feedback/my opinion lol.
Hmmā¦ if itās a short prologue and youāre happy with it, maybe you could then have the intro/title screens come in after that and then officially start the first episode? That way you can still separate your introduction from your first real episode, but it will be much longer. (I hope that makes sense lol.)
My guideline for a good first chapter is something like this
- Prologue
- Cut to present
- Present-day normal conversations to set up friends, family members and a sense of normality. We want to know whatās normal to the MC without you forcing it down our throats, so show the MC going to work or school. Show them doing the things they love.
- A little character development
- Bring a plot twist at the end. Make sure that by the end of Chapter One, the reader is already introduced to some sort of conflict, even if itās a small one. Cliffhangers will keep your readers hooked!
Thank you all so much for your help! I think Iāll try putting the first three chapters and see how that works. They basically cover everything you just mentioned in three different sections @ShanniiWrites. Seriously, though, you guys have really helped. Of course, I now have two more chapters before I could even consider publishing But itās better than having no one even read it.
If you need help with the second chapter, Iād say have the MC tackle the conflict you set up in Chapter 1. I donāt think they should solve it even by the end of the second chapter, but in the first chapter, all youāve done is set up what the conflict is. The second chapter could be dedicated to how the conflict affects the MC! Thatās super interesting and gives us way more characterisation than most other things would.
After combining them, I am now at 1393 lines Again, thanks
OMG itās so much better!!! I like it a lot better all together. Iāll probably make a few more cosmetic changes and stuff, but oh my gosh itās a lot better
Thank you @ShanniiWrites
Thank you @EliseC
You both were big helps!!
Yay! Iām glad to hear that itās coming together
Itās definitely worth spending more time on your story to make sure itās something you can be proud of
Iām glad you like it! Keep me in the loop when it comes out!