This is the main theme of chapter one. I want the reader to have a very strong sense of who the main character is, so I devoted the first chapter to exploring his personality through his own personal thoughts and his interactions with others. For this reason I chose a first-person perspective. I’ve fiddled with it before in other stories and it’s not easy, but I feel that the intimacy it can create between reader and character will be key here. I chose a protagonist that was both well-educated and relatively high in the social hierarchy. I feel this gives him a unique vantage point on his society which he could then convey to the reader.

Aside from introducing my protagonist, the first chapter also serves the purpose of shedding some light on the setting. I tried to do this in very natural way and without using giant blocks of exposition. I really hate reading those myself and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Of course there has to be some exposition, so my goal is to introduce it smoothly so as not to disrupt the flow of the story. What we see in chapter one is a very broad view of when, where and how the character lives. My plan is to expand on this much more in the following chapters. Well, that’s Chapter one in a a nutshell. Enjoy the sample and I’ll see you again on the completion of Chapter Two.

Sample: I barely took notice of the attendant as I stormed past her through the service quarters. I did, however notice the stern-faced woman awaiting me out in the hall. The long white coat she wore was a sharp contrast against her dark skin framed by even darker hair. She stepped closer and I could plainly read the accusation in her sharp, brown eyes. I could almost feel the burning anger drain out of me and guilt begin to well up in its place. “Kristina,” I said , forcing a smile.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t find you here,” she said solemnly, “but when you weren’t in your quarters or the lab…” She bit her lip. This was going to get awkward fast.

“I decided to present my project to the Seer early.” I explained, gesturing behind me.

She frowned at that. “How did it go?”

“About as I expected. She’s going to fight it all the way.”

“You really shouldn’t antagonize her. I thought that’s why you were going to wait and present it first at Council. It’s not finished yet, is it?”

I shook my head. “It’s a complicated process, but we’re about ready to test the basic program. Why don’t you come along and take a look?” I offered her my arm, but she didn’t move.

Dr. Kristina Haynes had worked hard to become head of the colony medical department and she took her work to heart. I admired that about her, but she lacked the emotional detachment of a truly scientific mind. This shortcoming often made maintaining our arrangement somewhat tricky.

“The treatment didn’t really work at all.” It wasn’t a question. “That’s why you went to see Seer Willbanks, isn’t it?”

“Kristina, I…”

“So you lied to me.” She drew in a long, slow breath, something she did when she was feeling especially emotional. I could see the tears welling in her eyes. Perfect. If she started crying it would mean at least twenty minutes of consoling before I could back to work. There had been too many delays already. I decided to try a different approach.

“Get a hold of yourself, Doctor Haynes,” I snapped and was gratified to see her eyes widen in surprise. Good, I had her attention. “You’re a professional and it’s time you started acting like one. If I stretched the truth it was for your benefit, not mine. If you would think with your head for a moment you’d see that I was only trying to spare your feelings. I don’t expect gratitude exactly, but-”

I should have seen the slap coming, but I didn’t and before I had a chance to gather my wits, she was striding away down the corridor. She disappeared around the bend and I gingerly touched the stinging welt on my face. I suddenly felt very tired and the day had only just begun.