How to Become a Better Writer: A Wattpad Guide

EXERCISE #8: Tackling Your First Chapter

CHALLENGE

This exercise is based on an inquiry raised in one of the Wattpad club threads. This particular Wattpader was challenged with developing the opening chapter focused on a school project  for health class, where two people are partnered for a month to demonstrate life skills by taking care of a baby doll. 

The Wattpader was conflicted between beginning this chapter with dialogue or the pairing of the two students. Suggestions poured in ranging anywhere from describing the scene first to opening with dialogue to picking the pairings.

EXAMPLE APPROACH

I like the idea of beginning this chapter by describing the scene or setting. However, I suggest when doing so, that we start it in the middle of the action to grab the reader.

For example:

A whine escaped the life-like form of sculpted vinyl, startling both me and my partner, [enter name]. Our school health project of co-parenting was already proving to be a real challenge.

"What's wrong with it?" I said frantically.

"I don't know?"

"Make it stop already!"

[Enter partner's name] griped, "I just said I don't why it's crying. Maybe it's hungry or something."

It was certainly worth a shot. As soon as I nudged the warm bottle into her mouth, instant calm. [Enter partner's name] and I had only been on this project just two days and we both were freaking out. Neither of us knew the first thing about raising kids. At sixteen, we were just kids ourselves. Still, this would count for thirty percent of your grade, so we had better learn quickly.

And so on and so forth

You get the picture. As I've stated in Tip #9, we shouldn't rely on dialogue to carry this introductory chapter. In my example, the dialogue is serving a purpose—to demonstrate just how challenging the project is by showing discord between the two partners.