I’ve rewritten the first chapter to the new novel three times so far. I suspect it will get overhauled at least twice more before the first draft is fully done (although I think I will leave it as it is for the time being). Maybe a few tweaks, but overall I think it’s in a pretty good place.
The issue, of course, is that your first chapter has to be strong enough to kinda sell the book on its own. It tells the reader about your strength as a writer, and gives an overview of what they can expect in the coming pages. Scalzi, one of my favourite authors, is exceptional at first chapters… they tend to be a little funny, a little thoughtful, and very sharp. They give you a great idea of what the book is about, the tone of the book, and whether you’ll enjoy the rest of the work or not (which I almost always do).
My first chapters these days tend to be on the stronger side (not as good as Scalzi, but then again, he’s been doing this for decades), but they’re not as sharp as I would like. The stakes don’t usually get raised until chapter two or three, so you’ll get an idea of tone and pace for the coming story, but you might not know why the protagonists are involved just yet. And I have to work on that.
Anyway, the chapter is about half done at this point (pirates just walked into the bar!), so I think a bit more polish and I can move onto the chase scene through an asteroid.
Gosh it’s fun to write sci-fi.
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!