Novel Study – The First Two Chapters

The lead of a story usually does five things:

  1. catches the reader’s interest
  2. introduces the main character
  3. introduces (or hints at) the conflict
  4. establishes the setting
  5. establishes the point of view or perspective

Because a novel is much longer than a short story, the lead of a novel is its first chapter, and the author usually does all of the above in that opening chapter.

Challenge 1:

After reading the first chapter of your novel, identify all the “things” that the author accomplishes in the chapter.  Cite examples and page references to support your answers.

 

The second chapter often, introduces “complications.”  A complication is a difficulty that is added to an existing situation and makes it harder to solve.  The second chapter of a novel often includes complications that create amore problems for its characters.

 

Challenge 2:

After reading the second chapter of your novel identify the complications that the author introduces in that chapter.
 
  Literary terms:
   
main character:
 The person or creature or force the story is about.
   
lead:   
 The beginning piece of writing (in a short story, the lead may be the first sentence or two, the first paragraph, or the first two or three paragraphs)
   
conflict:    
 The problem in a story that its character(s) will face.
   
setting:  
 The where, when, and social condition of a story.
   
point of view:
 Who is telling the story – a character or a narrator?
   
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