Marie asked Jasper Fforde:

Why the first chapter of a book is so important? Do you spend time to work it?

Jasper Fforde First chapter important? First line is vital! When I'm talking about writing to students, I can easily fill over half an hour with this one subject alone. The first line is what pulls us in. It will have foreshadowing, it will be intriguing, and it will also let the reader know that they are in good hands. The first line draws you into the first paragraph, the first paragraph to the first chapter, the first chapter to the rest of the book. I do an excercise with students which is simply about writing first lines - without any notion of what the story might be about. I also find that in new writers, it is often a good idea to remove the first chapter completely and see if it all still makes sense. My first book, 'The Eyre Affair' had an entire first chapter, 'setting the scene' as I thought. I removed it to make the story more intriguing to potential agents/publishers, and when I was picked up for publication, I asked if I should put it back. They said no - and what's more, didn't even read it. I think this was because I was 'infodumping' Thursday's strange world, and the best way to describe a new world is slowly - and let the reader do much of the work by using subtle pointers.

The start of my books are always the most polished as they are the ones I have gone over most. The end of the book, by definition, is the one that has least work - unless you write the end first, which I rarely do. I make it all up as I go along - if you're reading one of my books and can't see where it's going you're in good company - neither do I!

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