The First Chapter Is Crucial - The Prologue

1] The beginning of your prologue :: A prologue is an episode that pertains to your story but doesn't include the main character (or includes the character well before the story begins). It might not be the 1st chapter actually, but it can be a legitimate opening; if it works though. It could someone who finds a dead body while strolling through the park. This discovery leads to a crime story. The prologue is what makes people stay on the pages for the rest of the book.
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2] The hero beginning :: With the hero or detective involved right from the word go can set the rest of the book. This becomes very crucial in preparing and writing the prologue. This is usually my style of beginning. If the books are non fiction, that is different in some ways. The prologue can offer the intro to whatever you are writing about.
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3] Bringing the story to life - Unlike a movie where the director can convey through visuals, speech and sound, while writing a detective novel the writer must depend on his writing capability to express the scene, feelings, pain, happiness, suspense or anger. The writer cannot show these expressions but has to describe them in a manner that the reader feels he can see them and not miss the visual impact of a cinema. For a non fiction book it could be the topic you are writing about, getting in directly from the word go and get into that topic. The prologue becomes the magnet to keep readers or push them away.
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That's it for now. Enjoy this short article about the first chapter/pages of your novel writing. Be blessed. Nelson...