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Most novels involve some type of inciting incident - an occurrence or situation that sets the novel's action in motion. Whether or not the inciting incident takes place in the opening sentences of a novel, the beginning of the book should set up the incident that will propel the remainder of the narrative. An inciting incident should establish the main character's initial, "surface-level" problem. That problem will end up setting the stage for the larger issues that the character struggles with throughout the novel. No matter what the final outcome of your novel will be, the main character should struggle and fail to overcome his initial surface problem. If it were a problem he could overcome with ease, there would be no novel beyond that inciting incident. Whatever actions the main character (and the supporting characters) takes to resolve the initial problem should be a flawed action. Whether it's a failure of the character's ethics, or simply a circumstance that is larger than she realizes, she must struggle and set up future problems that will be addressed in the novel. An example of this can be found in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, which starts "As Gregor Samsa awoke from a night of uneasy dreaming, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." The first chapter of a novel should at least introduce the main character, if not other characters as well. However, how you introduce that character (and any supporting characters) can mean the difference between a natural progression of events and a jarring intrusion in the narrative. Don't front-load a character's backstory. If you're giving the character's life history before you've even established the plot, readers will get confused or turned off by the novel. Remember to make your characters believable. Don't try to write a hero who is always absolutely good or a villain who is always absolutely evil - no one in real life can be defined this way, so your characters shouldn't be either. The beginning of a novel serves as a sort of orientation for the reader. It should seize the reader's attention, drop her (either abruptly or gradually) into the setting and mood of the narrative, and/or introduce at least the main character. There are a number of ways to do this, and the choice ultimately lies in your tastes and what you think will best set up your story. Beginning with a description of a scene or a character is a common way to start a novel. But long-winded descriptions can easily bore a reader, especially if she isn't already invested in the novel. Opening with a piece of dialogue is a good way to introduce the main character and show how she interacts with others (which can be very revealing). However, dialogue can be tricky, and opening the book with dialogue could turn off readers who don't like the way the character speaks. Many novels begin "in medias res," a Latin term meaning "in the middle of things." This means starting the book somewhere in the middle of the action that would otherwise take a few chapters to unfold and build up to. Once you've outlined the main character's personality, the inciting incident, and how to orient the reader in your novel, you'll need to put it all together. This is where you stop planning and start actually writing the first sentence of your novel. Don't be afraid to try different approaches. Write your first sentence a few different ways (in medias res, opening with description, etc.) and see what feels most natural for you and most appropriate for your story. Try not to let this step intimidate you. Remember that you will go back and edit, revise, or cut scenes out entirely - but you can only make changes once you've actually put your pen to the page (or started typing out on the keyboard). In fact, your first try at your first sentence probably won't be the one that makes it to your final draft. Your first sentence will likely change as your story and characters develop. Start with a sentence to get you started, and revise it later to give your story more of a hook. It may sound strange that starting a book from the first sentence should require an ending to the first chapter. But some experts advise that it can help you stay on track and find some sense of direction for each chapter, including the very beginning of your novel. Think of each chapter as a journey from point A to point B. Your first sentence, which you now have, is point A. Without a point B in mind, you could end up wandering aimlessly and forget what you intended for that chapter to accomplish. You can always change the last sentence once you get to the end of the chapter. The point is to give yourself some type of concrete end-point to work towards.
Choose an inciting incident. Decide how to introduce the characters. Think about how to orient the reader. Put it all together. Write the last sentence of the first chapter.