Added First Chapters

Sometimes I get an idea stuck in my head for a book. When this happens, I’ve found the best thing I can do is write the first chapter of the book. I suppose I could just write the idea down, but that always ends up being dry; it fails to capture the essence of the idea.

Writing the first chapter forces me to get out much more than the idea. It helps me establish the protagonist, the prose, the environment, and much more. It takes longer, but by the time I’m writing a first chapter, chances are likely I’ve had this idea in my head for a while.

I need to get it out. Otherwise, it’s a distraction from my primary writing.

It’s also a good way to experiment. My current project has been in process for a couple years now. There’s momentum to it, for good and bad. Returning to it is like putting on an old pair of shoes; they just fit right. But I’ve also established certain expectations, ones I can’t break.

I can’t just go off the rails to try a new thing. But writing a first chapter allows me to dip my toes into a new idea, a new world, a new way of writing, even a new genre.

This doesn’t mean any of these chapters will become books. I hope so, cause I think I’d enjoy writing them. But for now, I’m focused on my main project and will be doing that for quite some time.

I’ve added a new section to the site for these chapters. You can find them here: First Chapters, but they’ll also appear in my general blog list.