Books That Make You Go, “Oh!”
By Brenda A. Ferber
Starting Off on the Right Foot
Graceling
By Kristin Cashore
(Harcourt, 2008)
Have you read Graceling yet? If not, run, do not walk, to your nearest bookstore or library and read this spellbinding story. Even if you don’t like fantasy (I normally don’t), you will love this book. Maybe because it’s not just a fantasy. It’s also an adventure story, a romance, and a coming-of-age novel all rolled into one. The language is beautiful, the plot is riveting, and the characters are unforgettable.
Katsa, the strong-willed heroine of the book, is a Graceling, a rare individual with an extreme skill. In the seven kingdoms where the story takes place, Gracelings possess many different kinds of skills (predicting storms, cooking, storytelling, etc.), but Katsa’s Grace is killing, and she is used by King Randa as his personal henchman. When she meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa begins a journey which will lead her to new truths about her own Grace as well as several secrets, one so dangerous it threatens all seven kingdoms.
There is much to love about Graceling, but as always, I’m going to focus this column on one thing. So let’s see what we can learn about constructing a first chapter. After all, there is nothing more important than chapter one. Without a tremendous first chapter, you’ll never snag an agent or publisher, and you certainly won’t capture any readers! In these beginning pages, you have to introduce your main characters; set up your story, theme, and setting; hint at what is to come; and raise the right amount of questions. It’s not an easy task, but of course Kristin Cashore makes it look easy with chapter one of Graceling.
Graceling’s first chapter contains four sections. In the opening scene, Katsa rescues a prisoner from a dungeon, or more specifically, she disables the guards so this rescue can happen. The second section is a memory of how Katsa’s killing Grace first announced itself and how she learned to control it. In the third section, Katsa meets a mysterious Graced fighter. And the chapter ends as Katsa and her comrades race to safety with the rescued prisoner. Quite a lot of excitement! Let’s examine how Cashore crafted these scenes to create an enticing and effective chapter one.
1. Introduce your main characters. Readers judge characters based on actions, thoughts, and dialogue. The first thing we learn about Katsa is that she is a skilled fighter. She takes out four guards “before amazement had even registered in their eyes.” We then learn she is a Graceling, not because the author tells us so, but because a guard says, “‘I know a Graceling when I see one….Let me see the colors of your eyes, boy. I’ll cut them out. Don’t think I won’t.’” We may not be sure what a Graceling is yet, but we certainly understand it’s both powerful and dangerous to be one. We quickly learn that Katsa has a strong moral code and that she won’t kill if it’s not absolutely necessary. That’s why she doesn’t kill any guards but merely knocks them unconscious. We see Katsa’s kindness when she carefully and gently takes out an old guard. These three things—her skills as a fighter, her moral code, and her kindness—are the three main traits that drive the entire novel. Cashore chose these scenes with care to let the reader root for the heroine. You’ll note that she doesn’t tell us much. She shows us who Katsa is through carefully chosen action, thoughts, and dialogue.
The other important characters are introduced in this first chapter as well, and we see them all in action. Raffin is Katsa’s cousin and longtime friend. He has created the pills Katsa uses to keep the guards unconscious long enough for them to escape. Giddon helps pick a lock in the rescue. Oll has helped train Katsa and has created the maps of the dungeons. And of course, there is the mysterious Graced fighter. He plays an important role in the story, and it was smart of Cashore to introduce him right away.
2. Set up your story, theme, and setting. Story can be thought of as an external quest plus an internal quest. The external quest of Graceling is set in motion with the rescue of the prisoner. Who this man is, why he is in the dungeon, and why he needs to be rescued are questions that drive the plot. The internal quest has to do with Katsa’s growth. We see this in terms of Katsa being opposed to killing. If she is Graced with killing, how can she not want to kill? Will she learn to accept herself or understand herself better? If this is a coming-of-age novel, she had better!
There are several themes introduced in this chapter. The theme of power comes into play with King Randa using Katsa as his thug. The theme of trust is examined when Katsa must decide what to do with the Graced fighter she meets. The theme of feminine strength shows up right away when the guards assume Katsa is male. All these themes are developed throughout the book. If not, they would have no place in this chapter.
An important note about setting: Many beginning authors are tempted to set up the world in which the story takes place with loads of description and explanation. Don’t fall into that trap, even if you are writing a fantasy or historical story. Follow Cashore’s example and give us a few quick strokes. We know we are in a land of dungeons, princes, kings, and Gracelings. We have a map to reference if we are really confused. But we also can wait for chapter two when Cashore gives us more information about the setting. Chapter one should be about character and story first and foremost.
3. Raise the right amount of questions. The main goal of chapter one is to make sure your reader wants to read chapter two. To ensure that, you need to raise just the right amount of questions. Pique the reader’s curiosity and interest, but don’t confuse the reader too much. It’s a delicate balance, one that Cashore masters in Graceling. By the end of chapter one, we want to know if the prisoner will survive and if Katsa will be discovered. We are curious about the mysterious Graced fighter, and we wonder if Katsa was right to let him live. We want to know more about where this story is taking place and why there needs to be a secret Council. And we especially want to know how a Graced killer with a strong moral code will ever learn to accept and love herself. We’d have to be crazy not to turn to chapter two!
So, how can you learn from Graceling? Take a look at your first chapter. How do you introduce your characters? Did you choose the best action, thoughts, and dialogue to capture your reader’s attention? How do you set up your story, theme, and setting? Is it clear that there are internal and external quests at work? Are there interesting themes to ponder? Have you raised the right amount of questions? Will your reader be curious or confused?
Invest whatever time and energy it takes to make your first chapter as powerful as possible, because this effort will certainly pay off when it comes to selling your manuscript and, eventually, your book!
Have you read a book that made you go, “oh”? If so, drop me an e-mail at brenda@brendaferber.com and tell me about it.
Brenda A. Ferber is the author of middle-grade novels Julia’s Kitchen and Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire. Both were published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her first picture book, The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine’s Day Ever, is forthcoming from Dial. Learn more about Brenda by reading her blog, Fresh Baked Bits, at http://www.brendaferber.com/blog.html or by visiting her website at http://www.brendaferber.com.
The Wednesday Wars
