Bad first chapters

Hey!

What instantly turns you away from a book?

I find that getting your first chapter right can sometimes make or break your novel. It is where the reader will first decide whether they want to continue – some even say that it comes from the first page.

✅The criteria of a first chapter

Is there such a thing as a list of what you need to include? I believe there shouldn't be something so definitive as that, even though others I have spoken to say otherwise. There are general ideas and beats you can follow, such as introducing a focal character and themes. But should there even be a checklist? That makes writing sound quantifiable, which we all know it isn't. We only try to make rules for writing to convince ourselves that there is structure to it all.

Yes, we should introduce a character, preferably our protagonist. But the rules I was given by a lecturer don't align with what I believe. They went on to argue that we should have a 'mini version of the story in the first chapter.'

There are points to that, but I think it is rather vague. There are takeaways from it, such as maybe subtly demonstrating the character's wants and needs in a small-scale way, but the 'mini story' doesn't make much sense. That almost argues that it needs to be somewhat self-contained which I don't think works all the time.

Is there a criteria for what you should include in the first chapter? And, should there even be one at all if there is?

That's all from me today,
Fin :)