tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post5067878623875894909..comments2023-09-29T06:29:58.353-04:00Comments on Pensive Sarcasm: The First ChapterMC Howehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12135224394821535801noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-9882443800210906082010-06-14T14:33:55.922-04:002010-06-14T14:33:55.922-04:00Oh yeah I know what you mean. Re wrote it seriousl...Oh yeah I know what you mean. Re wrote it seriously twenty times. Well, I lost count actually. I still hate it. <br /><br />My most recent attempt: switched the second chapter (which I love) to the first chapter. (it worked because I have two point of view characters I switch back and forth from through the whole book)<br /><br />Only problem is, I still HATE my second chapter. <br /><br />But it's progress :)Margo Berendsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03476308235642890474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-65710035437003779192010-06-08T11:20:39.162-04:002010-06-08T11:20:39.162-04:00I had so much trouble with my first chapters in th...I had so much trouble with my first chapters in the first 2 books I wrote. I rewrote the first chapter of my MG novel (the one that eventually got me my agent) about 100 times. No joke. And I still don't LOVE it. But it's been weird because for the last 2 projects I've worked on the first chapters have come easily. It's the endings that have been a pain. So, you never know.Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00861022355718378425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-57400965414423492202010-06-08T02:03:01.995-04:002010-06-08T02:03:01.995-04:00Yes yes yes yes and yes. I have written that mofo...Yes yes yes yes and yes. I have written that mofo so many times that...well, I got no clever metaphor, but suffice to say i'll never be satsified with it.Travenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05160810997837674165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-22330299889092105592010-06-08T01:06:52.254-04:002010-06-08T01:06:52.254-04:00Thanks everybody. I printed out chapters 1&2 ...Thanks everybody. I printed out chapters 1&2 and have them with me on the road for a few days, along with my red pen. We'll see if anything comes of it.MC Howehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12135224394821535801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-28438037918692825462010-06-08T00:48:46.784-04:002010-06-08T00:48:46.784-04:00Totally, I've rewritten mine at least 6-7 time...Totally, I've rewritten mine at least 6-7 times. It's so hard, cause it's the first thing the reader reads. You want it to be sooo good, so there's so much pressure.<br /><br />Don't worry, I bet it's great ;o)erica m. chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14773306703153110737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-76014100199434863272010-06-07T17:51:15.428-04:002010-06-07T17:51:15.428-04:00I loved my first chapter, but it turned out it was...I loved my first chapter, but it turned out it wasn’t the right starting point so I had to rewrite it.Southpawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539290964546504171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-3686374809029567692010-06-07T16:03:27.554-04:002010-06-07T16:03:27.554-04:00I lost count of the number of times I rewrote my o...I lost count of the number of times I rewrote my opening 3 chapters, but when I finally hit the nail on the head -- or thought I did -- I could tell. Maybe it's not that you don't LIKE it, maybe there's something you sense is still not quite working. Better to think of it that way and believe you'll nail it down eventually. Otherwise you just beat up on yourself. <br /><br />Of course, there will come a point when you'll have to accept that you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. <br /><br />Good luck with the beta reading! I hope you get some useful feedback.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17704845146768729518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-67014312247880776732010-06-07T14:11:16.038-04:002010-06-07T14:11:16.038-04:00To me, it's sort of a complex balance between ...To me, it's sort of a complex balance between starting with action and providing enough details to keep the reader from becoming confused. I say, just keep writing and see what happens. Ideas may come to you and you could potentially do some foreshadowing.A.M.http://www.survivebeingsingle.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-88250795461606056372010-06-07T13:52:14.241-04:002010-06-07T13:52:14.241-04:00I still hate my first chapter. I think there's...I still hate my first chapter. I think there's too much pressure for it to be "perfect"- you can't have too much backstory, you need to hook the reader, blah blah blah. I stopped agonizing over mine because all of the feedback I've gotten on it has been conflicted. You can't please everyone when it comes to opening pages.Karahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15180833967091158106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790495147597408531.post-59636855468334702862010-06-07T12:44:25.969-04:002010-06-07T12:44:25.969-04:00Well, I like my chapters, but I keep tweaking them...Well, I like my chapters, but I keep tweaking them anyhow just because I keep imagining what agents might think is wrong with them. For instance, today I combined what was an early chapter with a later chapter. I did it so that I wouldn't be introducing too many characters all at once, which my imagination told me was a problem for agents. Heh, I'm probably just messing things up and should have left better off alone.Ted Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09022309459554237650noreply@blogger.com