The first chapter of your book has to do a lot of heavy lifting, from introducing characters and conflicts, to setting the tone of the book, piquing interest, and making sure readers continue on to chapter two. This is especially tricky in fantasy and science fiction, where the world may be entirely speculative or plot points are centred around unfamiliar magic or technology.

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In the hours writers spend reworking first chapters, it’s easy to lose perspective on what is or isn’t working, which information can be removed or what’s missing. Feedback specific to your first chapter will help you refocus on the essentials.

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Your critique will address the following points:

• Effectiveness of character introductions

• How easily readers are grounded in the setting and time period

• Ease of understanding the magic or technology being introduced

• The rate of new information presented to readers

• Promises and setups 

• Questions presented to readers by the end