First Chapter Checklist
Protagonist’s desire is clear. All characters should have a goal, dreams, and motivations. What is standing in the way of the protagonist achieving their goal(s)? This is what creates conflict.
The story is making a point. What is the point of your story? Why are you writing it? What are you trying to say to readers? What is your message and your theme? Get deep. Show that in your work by giving your story purpose.
Logic and believability are at play. This includes the world of your story and everything in it, whether your story is set in reality or a fantasy/science fiction world. Everything should be believable and logic should play a factor in everything along the way.
Scene(s) represent an arc. Scenes, chapters, characters, and the story as a whole all contain an arc or multiple arcs.
Cause-and-effect trajectory. Whenever an event happens, make sure to back it up.
Make sure the story reflects the genre you’re writing for. A reader should be able to turn to the first page of your book and know whether they are stepping into a fantasy, sci-fi, romance, paranormal, etc. world. It should be evident from presentation (and I don’t mean rely on the book cover and blurb).
