Why Most First Chapters Fail (And It’s Not Because of Grammar)
Most first chapters don’t fail because of bad writing.
They fail because nothing meaningful is going on.
Here’s what I see repeatedly when reviewing opening pages:
The protagonist has no clear goal.
The conflict is missing or won’t show up until chapter five.
The stakes are implied but aren’t concrete, and readers aren’t able to visualize them.
The scene contains activity but no tension…or worse, meaningless activity (sometimes written beautifully).
Writers often focus on polishing sentences before asking a more important question:
Why should a reader care?
An effective opening establishes at least one of these immediately:
A desire
A threat
A problem
A contradiction
At least one…preferably more.
If your first chapter feels “flat” or boring, the problem usually pertains to a structural issue, not a stylistic one.
Before you rewrite or revise again, ask yourself these questions:
What does my protagonist want right now?
What stands in their way?
What happens if they fail?
If you can’t answer those clearly and show those answers on the first few pages, that’s where you should begin the work on your next round of revisions.
