It is the worst of lines, it is the best of lines. That all important first line can determine whether anyone reads on.
Staring at a blank sheet of paper (or text document) can be terrifying. You have to get it right. Too many creative impulses get nullified at not knowing where to start.
If you're reading this line, then my first one did its job.
Understanding the purpose of the first line, and seeing how other authors have combated it, will help you construct your own. Good luck!
It's slightly more than just the opening bit of a glorious tale. In fact, it needn't have anything really to add to the story at all!
The first line has one job only. That is to make readers want to read the next line. From there, they will be finishing the paragraph, then the page, then the whole story.
Forget about scene-setting. That is sooo the next paragraph. Your first line doesn't even have to make too much sense in isolation, as long as it is barbed with hooks. Interesting things. Things to make the average mind wonder, and seek to find an answer.
I just did it to you. Look at how I opened this section - 'The first line has one job only'. Did you immediately ask 'what job?' or else query my assertion? That's great! You read on to find out.
The first line lures. It advertizes. It acts like a billboard enticement. Come and see my wares! Enter in here folks! Wonders! Greatness! Things to astound your imagination!
At least it does in theory. Your readers will be the judge on how well you deliver in the long run. But if you get that first line right, then at least you will have readers ready to judge.
Some humorous slogans to emblazon across an author's chest.
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If a writer has stood the test of time, then their words must be worth reading.
Grab your favorite novel or short story. Open it to the first page and look at how it began. What hooks were laid in those initial words? Enough to make you read on, I'll warrant.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity...
Perhaps one of the most powerful first lines ever came from Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities. How did you feel reading it? What questions did you ask? What did you want to find out? The line has so many hooks that it runs like a barbed wire fence.
What was the best of times? What was the worst of times? How can you have both the best and worst times at the same time? Which was the age of wisdom? What was so foolish about the age? Hold on! Did he just say that this age was both wise and foolish? Are we even talking about the same age?
Moreover, Dickens made the scale of this thing bigger and bigger with each new statement. It started off as 'times', then 'age', before we're suddenly into an epoch. This feels too large not to know about!
... it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way...
Ok, this is now sounding like an absolute calamity. It's an emergency of life and death proportions. We'd better find out what's going on.
Thus Dickens hooked us into A Tale of Two Cities.
The internet is full of these lists, though the best explanations come from your own mind. What was it about this line that made YOU read on?
Now you've seen how the greats do it, how will you do it?
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a writer in possession of a good story, must be in want of an opening line. So what did you come up with?
Some authors ramble, piling on the hooks and building up the tension to an unbearable level, like Dickens. Others are more succinct, relying upon a single barb to snag a reader's curious mind. It's practically a throw-away line, but one designed to pique an interest.
The most versatile lines of all inspire the writer as much as they attract readers. If you prompt the questions, then you must be ready to answer them. That, in turn, becomes your novel.
Happy writing!
Original characters can make or break fan fiction. Discover tips and tricks for writing people who complement the canon.
Things can be written in many different ways. The words that you choose will create a mood that subtly works on your reader, like background music in a movie.
When the end of a chapter creates a natural break, how do you convince readers to keep on reading to the end?
The canon personae are already established. Your original characters need your help. Your imagination breathes life into both.
What are your favorite first lines?
JoHarringtonJul 12, 2012
Thank you for your comment.
kaazoomJul 12, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 29, 2012
JasmineJun 28, 2012
Great article, Jo! I'll keep these tips in mind when I start working on my novel!
JoHarringtonJun 25, 2012
SannelJun 25, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 15, 2012
That t-shirt amused me too!
BrendaReevesJun 15, 2012
I had an English professor who wrote the first line of every chapter before he wrote anything else.
I love that T-shirt in the middle, Jo.
BrendaReevesJun 15, 2012
I had an English professor who wrote the first line of every chapter before he wrote anything else.
I love that T-shirt in the middle, Jo.
JoHarringtonJun 13, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 12, 2012
And yay! My first line was a good one. Well, 'my' to a given value of 'mine'.
WiseFoolJun 12, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 11, 2012
Oh! That's happened to me so many times! I get the killer line and never remember it verbatim later on! I've learned to write it down.
I love opening lines where you're not quite sure what is going on. The 'wtf?!' instinct makes me read on.
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
EmberJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
This advice is going to sound pat and cliched, but that's because it works - just write. Don't fret on writing. Just write. The rest will sort itself out.
EmberJun 10, 2012
I want to write a book about my dad, actually, but I've got to figure out how to actually write first LOL
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
LucasJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
If you're having fun writing it, then that will translate to your readers.
Mind you, this is just the way that I do it. It might not be the same for everyone!
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
Ah, we're two of the same here then. In that case, I recommend not spending weeks over the first page. Just charge on and write! Unless, of course, you're the type who enjoys getting it absolutely perfect.
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012
Anyway I'm not going to be publishing my book even when it's completed at least not for a few years as it's a real pain doing so here in India. If I do publish it on Kindle and smashwords or just about anywhere else, I'll need to get some documents and stuff.
JoHarringtonJun 10, 2012
I love writing for its cathartic properties. I write for the enjoyment of writing. How about you?
lobobrandonJun 10, 2012