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An Unfound Door, First Three Chapters
Sep. 19th, 2024 08:36 amAlthough I haven't quite finished the final chapter, I'm going back to the beginning of An Unfound Door to start the second-pass editing.
I didn't keep any sort of progress record, but I seem to remember that I got the idea for this novel in late August 2022. I wrote the first eight chapters in a flash between September and October 2022 before running out of steam. I then wrote five more chapters in October and November of 2023 before returning to the novel in earnest in April of this year.
In other words, it's been something of a fractured process. I was therefore worried that the early chapters would have no bearing on the more recent chapters.
Thankfully, everything that needs to be in the first three chapters is there. The two main characters have distinct voices and personalities, and their motivations are clear. The setting and background conflicts are introduced with enough detail to be interesting but still mysterious. All of the important characters are briefly mentioned by name, and their relationship to the two primary characters is clear. Two of the main fantasy elements of the story that will become much more important later are also briefly mentioned, albeit subtly. The foreshadowing doesn't draw attention to itself. The language is evocative without being flowery, and the two main characters have good chemistry. Also, if I do say so myself, the opening hook is original and compelling.
At 7,500 words, these three chapters present a self-contained narrative arc that will make a strong first thirty pages. Obviously it's not up to me to determine whether this project is viable, but hopefully it checks all the boxes that an agent would be looking for in the initial inquiry package.
I didn't keep any sort of progress record, but I seem to remember that I got the idea for this novel in late August 2022. I wrote the first eight chapters in a flash between September and October 2022 before running out of steam. I then wrote five more chapters in October and November of 2023 before returning to the novel in earnest in April of this year.
In other words, it's been something of a fractured process. I was therefore worried that the early chapters would have no bearing on the more recent chapters.
Thankfully, everything that needs to be in the first three chapters is there. The two main characters have distinct voices and personalities, and their motivations are clear. The setting and background conflicts are introduced with enough detail to be interesting but still mysterious. All of the important characters are briefly mentioned by name, and their relationship to the two primary characters is clear. Two of the main fantasy elements of the story that will become much more important later are also briefly mentioned, albeit subtly. The foreshadowing doesn't draw attention to itself. The language is evocative without being flowery, and the two main characters have good chemistry. Also, if I do say so myself, the opening hook is original and compelling.
At 7,500 words, these three chapters present a self-contained narrative arc that will make a strong first thirty pages. Obviously it's not up to me to determine whether this project is viable, but hopefully it checks all the boxes that an agent would be looking for in the initial inquiry package.
