What makes a first chapter good enough to read the next one?

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Today I finished my first chapter, but I’m afraid it doesn’t have a good cliffhanger (Or that you wonder what would happen next) I was wondering what makes a first chapter so good that you want to read the next one? Please let me now Thank you :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Make sure to give important information about the story.
Give it a good cliffhanger, make something big happen, intrigue the readers.
I’m pretty sure there are more threads on here about the first chapter, you just have to find it :thinking:

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Yeah, same as what @/Dragon said.

Provide good information, but not too much, so the reader has a clear idea of what is happening. You do have to end on a good cliffhanger so the reader is dying to know what happens next. Oh! And, personally, I like when the authors try to engage with the readers, and have questions. Like testing a lil bit. Then, if they get the question wrong or something, you could explain what the answer is. I mean, I like this. Only because then it makes me into the story more. But I don’t know about some other people :thinking:

I also love it when choices matter. Like anything you pick can affect the story and it can go in all directions, depending on what you choose. Most stories in my favorites a choices matter.

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For me, these 3 things are the most important:

  1. A main character who makes me care. You can make me care about the MC by making them relatable, funny, or placing them in a difficult situation.
  2. An interesting premise. Start off the story with a big event that pushes the story into action. Maybe this event is a huge job promotion, the loss of a family member/friend, a new mission for a group of friends, or meeting someone new.
  3. A cliffhanger that leaves me with a bunch of unanswered question. Cutting the story off right in the middle of a dramatic scene can help build up suspense. Just make sure the ending doesn’t feel too rushed or abrupt.
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for me i think some of the most important things that will keep readers coming back are

  1. aesthetic of the story - is it pleasing to look at? are the speechbubbles and characters spotted correctly? ik some readers have pet peeves with bad directing so it’s just something to look out for. along with that i would say grammatical/spelling errors are a quick turn off for some so be extra careful and proofread.
  2. plot - is it interesting? do i want to know how the characters change and how possible problems are solved? is it something i’ve seen millions of times before in other stories? try not to be too cliché and branch out. don’t make too many problems though because then it can be too chaotic.
  3. characters - are they likable? is there diversity? is the main character someone i want to spend the story playing as? are they surface level people? always make sure to develop your characters and make them relatable. let them have quirks and abnormal likings and special things about them that make them them. give them inside jokes and real relationships that aren’t based solely on looks (: also about diversity make sure you are not falsely representing any groups that you might not be familiar with; take your time to research and maybe reach out to people of that group for help!
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I agree with what everyone has said, in addition to that, I also feel that clear world building is important too (you don’t need to give everything away right at the start though). I just tend to feel uncertain about the story when I have no idea what’s going on, where the story is taking place and how the world around them is like, or when too many things are being thrown at me and it’s hard to make an understanding of it all. That also disallows me to soak up the plot.
I also get confused when the story takes place in different time periods without letting me know which is past and which is present. So, I definitely think smooth and obvious transitions or clear and concise reader messages are important.

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I would say don’t give unnecessary info to the readers cause that just makes us confused. To me the first impression matters so much!! Start your story in an interesting way so you can showcase what the future of it will look like (if that makes sense :tired_face:)

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Hello thank you so much for your tips! But if you end every chapter with a cliffhanger, isn’t it going to be too much?

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I understand that everyone is going to want the biggest cliffhanger and that it’s going to be a lot of pressure to provide your readers with the best. But I don’t think you need to do that if you can’t. I believe you could still keep your readers’ attention if you give hints of something major that’s about to happen, or if you’ve already started the story off with a huge event- like an explosion.

You can end the chapter on a tiny cliffhanger if you already have suspense building up throughout the chapter, if that makes sense.

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According to me:

  1. I like it when we meet both the MC and the LI in the first episode itself - they don’t have to necessarily have an interaction, but I like it when I can get a glimpse into their lives.

  2. The first episode is supposed to be the pilot where the characters and their lives are introduced. Many make the mistake of “telling” and not “showing”. If it’s said that the MC’s life hasn’t been easy - show glimpses of some difficult moments.

  3. Readers have nothing to lose while reading the first episode because it’s pass-free but writers lose out on a bunch of reads if the reader chooses to exit halfway. Things like bad grammar and spelling, bad direction and overall bad reader experience are a turn-off in stories. So, all the above things should be good, if not accurate. A proofreader or an experienced writer can be of help in this section.

  4. Lastly, I like stories that get to the point. No authors trying to make the reader laugh in the beginning by making the MC and the author’s character fight. Most of the times, it causes me to stop reading or lose interest.

These are just my opinions and what I think of when I’m reading the first episode of any story!

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I personally like a cliffhanger every episode.

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