Within the first few pages, readers decide whether they'll keep turning the pages or put the manuscript down. A strong opening doesn't need explosions or dramatic twists, it needs a reason to care.
As a beta reader, one of the first things I ask is: Would I want to keep reading? If the answer is yes, the story is already on the right track.
What's the most important element of a great opening chapter; the hook, the characters, or the conflict?
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That's tough, Grace Whitmore. I think the hook. Characters and conflict are really important, but I think writers can focus more on them later. Writers need a hook right away (the opening page/pages).
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I feel like conflict is part of the hook so the two aren’t mutually exclusive, same with character. So the answer is the hook, whatever that means for the story.
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If you have a great opening chapter with great characters and a hook that makes the reader keep turning the page, I believe that is an important element. So, two out of the three. Plus, a great hook leads to the up-and-coming conflict.
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I'm still trying to figure that out. On draft three of a manuscript I adapted from a screenplay that wasn't landing for me just right. So decided to just write the story in prose. Here is the opening as it stands now:
Manson was a Mason.
At least for a brief period in 1968, as he toured the U.S. seeking to spread his seed, his message, and his vision for an America remade in HIS image. His creation. As such, he needed his Messiah. His Chosen. He had a plan. Or at least Paul Watkins did and it was during an especially productive acid trip that Paul had suggested the Masons as a group that could be useful to the cause and Charlie’s Mission.
Over many months, hundreds of hours and tons of tabs they had conceived, conceptualized and constructed a plan that had multiple layers, a timeline that was to be unveiled over decades and an outcome that was sure to announce a New World Order, a world in which Charlie was the revered and idolized. The Way.
‘Jesus, for a new generation!’ he had stated enthusiastically many times when indoctrinating his clan.
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The hook. The characters and conflict naturally follow in at depth progressively afterwards. I think forcing exposure of character depth and deep conflict right at the start may turn out unnatural as such ruining the believability of the hook; now that's another reader turnoff I guess!
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Wow, I love this...let's interacting guys
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They don’t call successful books ‘page-turners’ for no reason.