Does the first chapter of your novel make promises it can’t keep?

Chapter One: it’s where every story begins. It sets the reader’s expectations of what they are about to read and often makes promises that it must keep in order to satisfy the reader. It’s a big job, and not every chapter is cut out to do it. It’s common in the revise and refine stage of the novel writing process to realize that the chapter you thought would come first just isn’t ready to do all that heavy lifting. You might evaluate your novel manuscript and find yourself asking, “Where does this story actually begin?” Does your story begin with your current chapter one? Or do you need to write a whole new first chapter?

The first chapter of a novel makes a number of promises to its readers, setting up expectations for the rest of the story. These promises may include:

1. A promise of genre: The first chapter should give readers an idea of what genre the novel falls into, whether it’s romance, mystery, science fiction, or another category.
2. A promise of tone: The tone of the first chapter can give readers an indication of what to expect from the rest of the book, whether it’s serious, humorous, dark, or lighthearted.
3. A promise of style: The writing style used in the first chapter can give readers an idea of how the author writes and what they value in their storytelling.
4. A promise of character: The first chapter should introduce the protagonist and give readers a sense of who they are, what they want, and what challenges they’ll face.
5. A promise of conflict: The first chapter should also establish the main conflict or problem that the protagonist will face, creating tension and anticipation for the reader.
6. A promise of setting: The setting of the first chapter can give readers a sense of where the story takes place and what kind of world the characters inhabit.

By making these promises, the first chapter of a novel sets up readers’ expectations for the rest of the story, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement that can keep them engaged and invested in the plot.

Broken promises: Novels that couldn’t keep their Chapter One promises

• One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall breaks the promise of style. Most of the book is brilliantly written in traditional narrative form. However, the final section devolves into pages and pages of social media posts, news interviews, and epistolatory writing. I was begging for an alternate ending by the time I finished reading it.
• I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells breaks so many promises, I literally threw my copy across the room before I DNFed it. It starts out as a psychological thriller that I found extremely riveting. Then about halfway through the book, it suddenly turns into some sort of fantasy/alien/horror story (I’m not sure because I quit reading as soon as the story I thought I was reading was ruined for me!).

When a novel breaks the promises made in the first chapter, it often subverts reader expectations by taking the plot, tone, or characters in unexpected directions. These novels start off one way, making readers believe they are in for a certain type of story, but later shift significantly, challenging those initial impressions. Breaking the promises made in the first chapter of a novel can be a powerful narrative device, but it comes with both rewards and risks.

The decision to break or subvert initial expectations can create tension and surprise, but it can also alienate readers if not handled carefully. It’s up to you as the writer to weigh these risks and rewards to determine whether your novel’s first chapter can get away with breaking its promises. Stayed tuned for a future post on the pros and cons of breaking those first chapter promises!

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Now that Jack has been forced to reflect on everything he has to lose, he resolves to do better. He’s determined to spend more time at home with his family and repair the relationships that have suffered over the years while he’s been so focused on work. But as Callie’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Jack realizes he has a lot more room to improve than he realized – and it might be too late to save his daughter after all.