In which my first rant is about beginnings!
My first rant! I’m so excited. It took me a while to pick a topic because I have so many things I could rant and rave about. However, since this is my first rant and the first rant under the new name (thanks for all the suggestions!) I decided that ranting about beginnings would be more than appropriate.
One thing you need to know is that I love beginnings. I still get chills when I read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. My favorite movie of the original Star Wars trilogy is A New Hope (Episode IV). And when a new doctor or companion is introduced on Doctor Who I get all excited. It doesn’t matter how it starts, “Once upon a time…” Beginnings are my favorite part.
Beginnings are just so important. You can’t have a middle or ending without a beginning. I think that’s why I like them so much especially when it comes to books. That first chapter has to introduce you to the character and world and get you hooked so you’ll keep reading. That’s a lot of work for just one chapter. It’s true that beginnings don’t end with the first chapter but it really gets things going.
With the first chapter being so important it’s not hard to imagine that some books fall short. I don’t think there is anything more annoying than looking forward to a book and then being let down by the first chapter. I think my biggest pet peeve is when a beginning is too boring. This usually happens when the author tries to describe the world or characters too much. It makes the reading slow and puts me off reading the rest the book.
On the flip side, a beginning that doesn’t have enough descriptions just gives me a headache. I go into the rest of the book confused and not sure what’s going on, what the characters are like or what the ‘rules of the world’ are. Again, a confusing paragraph makes me want to shelve the book.
It just makes me want to cry when a book I’ve been looking forward to has a weak beginning. And yes, I know I have high standards and I know not every first chapter is going to give me chills. I combat this personal idiosyncrasy by making myself read to page 50 even if I find the first chapter lacking. And sometimes I find I’m wrong and the book is good. Most times though I stop reading at page 50. Maybe I’m already biased against the book because of the week beginning? Who knows.
All I really know is that if the beginning isn’t strong then I’m less likely to like the book. And yes, most people don’t count the first chapter as the “beginning” but I do. I guess you could say I don’t judge the book by its cover but I do judge it by its first chapter. What about you? Do you judge books by any certain standard? The cover art? The blurb? The writing style? Let me know! It’ll make me feel better to know other people have their own guidelines they judge a book by.
P.S. I just want to say again I’m so excited to be writing rants! You can find my rants every 2nd week of the month.
I teach Special Education and have three demented dogs. Between my students all day and my dogs all night my stress relief is reading. It is the only thing that keeps me from going crazy. Or should I say from going crazier? I read anything but I prefer fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk. I also love urban fantasy and historical romances. If it has dragons and magic, vampires and werewolves, crazy machines and corsets or aliens and spaceships then I’m happy. Mix in a Scotland laird or two every once in a while and I’m ecstatic!
Beginnings are important, but the middle and end are what I wait for, beginnings are a necessary evil that I must conquer in order to get to the action. lol.
Although, I am being a bit unfair because they do make or break a book. I think the opening sentence (line?) in Spider’s Bite – Jennifer estep – is possibly the best first line ever, “My name is Gin, and I kill people.” And boom ! Instantly hooked. :-)
Great rant and a brilliant new name. :-D
Now that I can sample books before I buy, beginnings have become very important to me. I’d say that about 80% of the time, if the beginning isn’t good, I probably won’t like the rest, so if it doesn’t grab me in the sample, I don’t get the book. On the other hand, I’ve also been caught by many books that started strong but then fizzled out 1/2 of the way in.