First impressions count and the opening to your story has to excite the reader. Personally, I always advise starting with an action scene or jumping right into the story because this will throw the reader straight into everything. This rapid and abrupt start makes them immediately feel engaged in the story, and it is a lot more interesting than reading a book that starts with 'It was a Wednesday morning, I woke up and rolled out of bed...'

The opening to your story should be some of your best writing, with no mistakes or anything that could deter people from reading further. Make sure that you've proofread and edited it more than once, and ask yourself if you would find this opening interesting.

The first chapter of your book almost sets the scene for the rest of the book, and let's the reader know immediately how the book will be written and what your level of writing is. Don't half-ass it, because that will result in a lot of readers stop reading straight away.

Opening chapters should give some context about the book, and presumably some information about the protagonist. Don't overcomplicate things by trying to explain their detailed and agonisingly difficult-to- understand past, just introduce the main character and their personality, and maybe some of the minor characters if it works. You don't want to bombard the reader with new information, but at the same time they need some context.

So remember, make it exciting and stand out, while giving some basic information.