It was a Dark and Stormy Night...

[panda]

Arguably the most famous first line ever in fiction.

So how important are first lines to you, to me they're the most important in the book. My biggest pet peeve is when dialogue starts off a book (not saying it's always bad, but it doesn't grab my attention usually).

What are some of your favorite first lines?

How important are first lines to you?

[Mara]

As a reader, they've never been very important to me. Apparently, though, some people actually read the first page of a book to see what it's about, so it's important to publishers, and thus to me as a writer. (Personally, I don't get why anyone would go to the first page of a novel to get what it's about. I'll generally go to the middle when I'm looking for content examples.)

However, I do have one favorite opener, written by Stephen King at the beginning of "The Gunslinger." I might be getting a few words wrong, but the tone is what matters.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

[alleycat]

In honor of James Crumley, who left us almost exactly a year ago . . .

When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon.
-From The Last Good Kiss.

It's nice to have a great opening line (or paragraph) but it's not as important to me whether the opening is a real "grabber" than it not be handled clumsily.

[Pepper]

I don't have a favourite opening per se, because I find that each and every opening is interesting in its own way. I don't think I've ever come across an opening that I didn't like in some way. (EDIT: Good grief, how did I put so many "ay" sounds into that?)

I've just finished reading John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things (which was excellent by the way), and I think his opening sentence sets the tone of the rest of the book. Whimsical but with a dark side.
"Once upon a time- for that is how all stories should begin- there was a boy who lost his mother."

Richard K. Morgan Altered Carbon:
"Coming back from the dead can be rough."

Tad Williams Otherland:
"It started in mud, as many things do."

Charles De Lint Mulengro:
"Janfri Yayal watched his house burn down without expression."

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha
"Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that had happened a long while ago, and I said to you, "That afternoon when I met so-and-so... was the very best afternoon of my life, and also the very worst afternoon."

I don't think every opening should grab you by the throat (though I'm sure most publishers do), but I do think it should set the tone for the book. I think opening a story by simply prattling on and drifting into the story is a failure. I think there should be a statement of some sort that anchors the reader, that lets them know in some way what they're in for.

[virtue_summer]

Opening lines can be great, although I don't think they're the most important as a reader. I'll read past a boring opening line, at least read the entire paragraph or page. That being said, I do have a favorite opening line:

"It was a pleasure to burn."-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

[Telstar]

I think the opening line is important, but the whole first page is more.

[panda]

Yes, presumably it's not just having a killer first line, but if the rest of your story can keep up with it, I'd say you're in good shape.

[Apsu]

I'm not a big one for remembering or focusing on first lines, but the opening to Gravity's Rainbow has always stuck with me.

A screaming comes across the sky. -- Thomas Pynchon

[Wayne K]

The last thing I wanted to do on a beautiful fall day is help someone I hate rob dead people It's mine.

[Wayne K]

You didn't say best, you said favorite :D

[Nakhlasmoke]

I have to admit being slightly burned-out on the HOOK ME WITH YOUR FIRST LINE stuff - mainly because people seem to think that this is good enough, and so we end up with a killer first line, and then everything falls apart. While I agree that a first line that makes the reader question is good, we should pay that same level of attention to all the other lines too.

My personal faves through, are the Gunslinger one mentioned up thread (I've even blogged about it before (http://www.cathellisen.com/?p=934).)

The opening of Gibson's Neuromancer

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel

Banks's Wasp Factory

I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard that my brother had escaped.

and Ballard's Crash

Vaughan died yesterday in his last car-crash.

Of course, with all of them, the rest of the book lived up to the potential hinted at in the first line, so maybe that's why they stand out for me.

[James81]

To me, the first line is pretty important. When I'm looking to buy a book, there are several things I look for.

First of all, the title has to jump out at me and appeal to me. Secondly, the cover design has to be semi-appealing (meaning, I can usually tell what KIND of book--note: not "how good" but WHAT KIND--it's going to be by the design of the cover (this is not as important though, but it IS a factor).

Then, I look at the summary and see if I like the premise of the book.

Finally, I read the first paragraph.

I HAVE put books back on the shelf that looked good, and sounded good, but had a crummy opening paragraph.

The only thing that trumps all that is if someone I trust recommends me a book. Then I don't do any of that.

[Danthia]

I always work hard on first lines because they set the tone for the book. While an agent is probably not going to stop reading if the first line isn't spectacular, it does give you one more opportunity to wow them. Any chance to do that it worth the effort IMHO because it's already a tough business. Take advantage of every advantage you can find.

When I'm book shopping, if I don't like the first line it puts me off a little, and I'm already expecting the rest of the page to me so-so. If there isn't anything that grabs me on that first page, I put the book back down. If the first line is awesome, but the next para or two is average, I'll give it a little longer to see if it picks back up. Probably not very fair to the book, but I buy so many books I always have a stack of 20 on my to read pile, so I have to be a little choosy or I'd have more than I could read.

The way I see it, it's not that hard to start off with a bang, so why not do it if it gets you one more step closer to keeping the reader?

[Roger J Carlson]

Other than Moby Dick, I don't remember the first line of any book (and I've never actually read Moby Dick). First lines are phenomenally unimportant to me as a reader.

In fact, I hate the first several chapters of any book. I suppose this is because I read fantasy and science fiction, so in most cases, I know what the world of the story is NOT (that is, not this present, real world), but I don't know what it IS. Because of the current emphasis on avoiding info-dumps, I have to piece the world together over a period of pages or chapters. Usually, my initial assumptions are wrong, and it is jarring to reset them.

I actually like the Introduction to The Lord of the Rings because it sets out the world fair and square with no contradictions. I think I am unusual in this.

As a writer, I have to pay attention to first lines and chapters, but my reading style makes this difficult.

[RJK]

The first time I read Robert Parker, was because he wrote about his damn dog on the first page. He made the scene so real and the dog so loveable, I had to read more.

[Tracey Bentley]

This is strictly as a reader standpoint - It's the story I remember, not the first line.

[DrZoidberg]

Not first lines, but first couple of paragraphs. If I'm still bored by page three it's history.

[CaroGirl]

Every sentence is of equal importance, including the first one.

[dpaterso]

I like to read a good first line that lets me know the author can string a sentence together. Bonus points if it also interests me. Not mandatory, but nice.

-Derek

[Matera the Mad]

The killer first line is more myth than reality. That said, there are first lines that kill -- they kill my interest in reading further. A crappily constructed sentence is a red flag telling me that there is more of the same to come. Introducing the MC with a lot of weak piss words like "as" all over the place red-flags it. If it's not too bad, I'll look ahead.

If there is something in a first sentence or first paragraph that simply offends me or is just too uninteresting, I might look ahead for a broader sample. If a first line is too damned clever, obviously overdone to create a killer first line, it makes me wince. But I'll look ahead a bit.

But if my job was to look over a hundred or so a day....

[barbilarry]

Not the first sentence for me when I read something new. I give it at least a couple of chapters before I put it down. With my own work, however? On my present work I have rewritten the opening sentence at least twenty-five times. LOL!
Jane

[maestrowork]

I pay more attention to the first paragraph than the first line. A lot of new writers actually obsess over the first line, so usually the first line was there to shock and awe, and it was out of place from the rest of the chapter, etc. I mean, if you open the book with:

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith returned home from a romantic dinner and found their son dead."

You'd better sustain that kind of high conflict/stakes throughout the whole book because you've just set yourself up for high expectations.

For me, I want something interesting to happen within the first few paragraphs. That's all. I don't particularly care (or remember, really) the first line. For example, I loved the first chapter of Fight Club, but if you ask me what the first line is, I can't tell you. But I remember being hooked immediately by the first chapter.

That's what you should worry about.


Other than that... yeah, EVERY line is important. Make every line work as hard as they should.

[The Lonely One]

A good first line won't be worth remembering, if it has a good first image.

[CaroGirl]

A good first line won't be worth remembering, if it has a good first image.
:Huh: Do you mean unless instead of if?

[maestrowork]

The function of the first line is to make you read the second line. And the second line should make you read the third.... so on, and so forth.

That's all, folks.

[DeskBoundTeaDrinker]

Not first lines, but first couple of paragraphs. If I'm still bored by page three it's history.

Ditto. I read a lot, and cannot remember any first lines (even great ones that I probably savored when I read them) because I plow right over them to get to the work as a whole - but I won't keep going for long if things fall flat, or stay flat.

[James81]

I actually think that the all-time greatest first line ever was:

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; 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 directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I actually think that the all-time greatest first line ever was:

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; 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 directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.


God, how I loathed this book.

I have tried and tried to read it, and fallen asleep before page ten every time. :D

So yeah, just shows how different people find very different things gripping.

[James81]

God, how I loathed this book.

I have tried and tried to read it, and fallen asleep before page ten every time. :D

So yeah, just shows how different people find very different things gripping.

I never read the book. I have it at the house collecting dust, but never got into it.

But that first line is utterly fantastic.

[maestrowork]

I actually think that the all-time greatest first line ever was:

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; 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 directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way.

But is the rest of the book any good? That's what I want to know.

"Famous" or memorable first lines are just bragging right or some guy somewhere suddenly thinks, "Oh, I should have a compilation...." Dickens probably couldn't care less when he wrote it.

[Libbie]

First lines aren't nearly so important to me as first chapters.

[Lady Ice]

If they can't show you they're good in the first line, the book will never be anything more than okay. The first line is your glimpse of a blind date. You just know whether it will be true love, last for a bit, or never going to happen.

Some great first lines:
'Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to find he had been turned into a giant cockaroach' (The Metamorphosis)

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' (A Tale of Two Cities)

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had." (The Great Gatsby)

And the amazingly accurate:
'The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there' (The Go-Between)

[panda]

If they can't show you they're good in the first line, the book will never be anything more than okay. The first line is your glimpse of a blind date. You just know whether it will be true love, last for a bit, or never going to happen.



I agree. It is very much like first impressions of someone. You sum up what that person will be like in the first 5 seconds. You have already formed an opinion, you have already made a judgment. Fair? No, but that's how quickly our minds work. Same with books. If it doesn't have a great first line, I'll stick around and read a few more to sort out if it's any good, but why waste time on a book that doesn't even try to hold your interest when there are hundreds of other books that do.

[maestrowork]

I agree. It is very much like first impressions of someone. You sum up what that person will be like in the first 5 seconds. You have already formed an opinion, you have already made a judgment. Fair? No, but that's how quickly our minds work. Same with books. If it doesn't have a great first line, I'll stick around and read a few more to sort out if it's any good, but why waste time on a book that doesn't even try to hold your interest when there are hundreds of other books that do.

I'll give a book with an interesting premise at least three paragraphs. First line alone is too strict -- even my attention span is not that bad. In fact, I kind of detest books that try TOO HARD to impress with a first line (unless the rest holds up). But if they lose me within three paragraphs, I'll put the book back.

[Lady Ice]

But a writer's attitude should never be 'I'll settle for a middling first line and then start going sort of 3 pages or more in because of course they'll want to read my genius novel'

[maestrowork]

But a writer's attitude should never be 'I'll settle for a middling first line and then start going sort of 3 pages or more in because of course they'll want to read my genius novel'

No one said that. The first line is important, so is the second, third... To say, "I can just settle for a middling first line" is a sign of lazy writing.

Still, to obsess over the "awesomeness" of a first line is a waste of energy, IMHO. Focus on telling a great story instead, from the very FIRST word to the LAST.

[DeleyanLee]

The function of the first line is to make you read the second line. And the second line should make you read the third.... so on, and so forth.

That's all, folks.

QFT

The challenge of the first line that I see is to make it interesting--to ask some sort of story question in it that the reader will want to continue reading the next sentence to get the answer, and the next one and the next one, with answers and questions mixed (and sometimes in the same set of words) until I just can't put the book down.

If the first line doesn't ask me any story questions, doesn't make me wonder about something and want to know more about, then I'll be less interested as I read through that paragraph. If nothing catches my interest quickly, then I won't continue reading off that page.

I don't think it's something to stress over as a writer since, frankly, every question should either be asking, informing or answering story questions and sometimes any combo at the same time.

[Lady Ice]

No one said that. The first line is important, so is the second, third... To say, "I can just settle for a middling first line" is a sign of lazy writing.

Still, to obsess over the "awesomeness" of a first line is a waste of energy, IMHO. Focus on telling a great story instead, from the very FIRST word to the LAST.

If the first line is wonderful and the rest is dull, then obviously that's silly. But the point is that no one is going to read the story unless you get stuck in there. Throw them into the book or at least put them teetering on the brink.

[panda]

I'll give a book with an interesting premise at least three paragraphs. First line alone is too strict -- even my attention span is not that bad.

I admit, mine is pretty short lol.

[maestrowork]

If the first line is wonderful and the rest is dull, then obviously that's silly. But the point is that no one is going to read the story unless you get stuck in there. Throw them into the book or at least put them teetering on the brink.

You're not really saying anything others have not said already. :) No one said first sentence wasn't important. So is your second second. Third... the whole book, really. So why obsess over ONE single sentence, I ask?

In fact, I also read from a random page in the middle of a book before I decide to buy/read further. If that sentence/paragraph on that random page doesn't interest me, I'll put the book back, too. My point is, make every sentence, paragraph, chapter, scene... count. An "awesomest" first sentence is simply not the highest priority IMO. If it serves to its purpose (i.e. keep you reading the second, third... sentences), then it's a good first sentence.

[sydney]

Hm... I think if a first line really grabs me, that's great. But I don't really weigh everything on a first line. Maybe first couple of paragraphs.

My first line sucks lol I think my first page is all right though.

Anyway! My favorite first line, ever:


I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Ruler of Hell, Lord of the Flies, Father of Lies, Apostate Supreme, Tempter of Mankind, Old Serpent, Prince of This World, Seducer, Accuser, Tormentor, Blasphemer, and without a doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx) have decided - oo-la-la! - to tell all.


I bought I, Lucifer after reading this first line (and a page or two--couldn't resist!) and it was a great, funny read. The rest of the book is just as snarky. Duncan is very snarky and very stylish.

[maestrowork]

I bought I, Lucifer after reading this first line (and a page or two--couldn't resist!) and it was a great, funny read. The rest of the book is just as snarky. Duncan is very snarky and very stylish.

I think that's an interesting point, actually. The first sentence may not be the be all and end all, but it should set the tone for the rest of the book, and there'd better be a match. I think when we look back on every one of these "greatest" first lines, we'd realize it doesn't just stand on its own, but it sets up what has yet to come, and the rest of the book is as good or better than that first line.

[Lauretta]

Usually first lines do not impress me that much. I try not to fall in the "if the first line is good then the book is great" trap. Sometimes it is true, sometimes it's not.
I always keep reading a bit more, at least 3 or 4 pages before deciding it is worth buying it or not.

[panda]

My first line sucks lol I think my first page is all right though.



I didn't think the story was bad at all. ;)

[sydney]

I didn't think the story was bad at all. ;)

*squeeze* :D

[Telstar]

I'll give a book with an interesting premise at least three paragraphs. First line alone is too strict -- even my attention span is not that bad. In fact, I kind of detest books that try TOO HARD to impress with a first line (unless the rest holds up). But if they lose me within three paragraphs, I'll put the book back.

I first read the 4th of cover for the synopsis (which sometimes does not match to the actual novel, but let's skip this pitiful case).
If i like the plot and I don't see any stupid character name, i move on to the first page.
If there's a prologue, i try to read it. 99% of the cases it sucks, so I move to the actual first chapter.
First 2-3 paragraphs of chapter 1 have to hook me, like Maestro said.

[Stijn Hommes]

If all first lines were hard-hitting throatgrabbing lines, then things would turn cheesy really fast. I want to be grabbed, but the first line doesn't have to do the job. The first chapter can do the same job just by being intriguing.

[Lady Ice]

Even if the first line isn't vitally important, it's a bad idea to get into the mindset that people don't really care about that. Some people do the page 50 test- that doesn't mean that you can talk about whatever for 49 pages.

Lolita has a killer first paragraph. The first line's really something you'd want to tweak once you've finished the book (to see if it's still relevant).

Great first lines hook because they give you the atmosphere of the book instantly.

[Kitara]

"The last thing I wanted to do on a beautiful fall day is help someone I hate rob dead people "

That's quite good Wayne K... I read it and thought that sounds like an interesting story

~Peace
Kit

[Darzian]

I'll give a book with an interesting premise at least three paragraphs. First line alone is too strict -- even my attention span is not that bad. In fact, I kind of detest books that try TOO HARD to impress with a first line (unless the rest holds up). But if they lose me within three paragraphs, I'll put the book back.

Agreed. One line alone is way too strict. I've read good novels that had standard openings. If I judged on the first few lines alone, I'd miss out on a lot of novels that I'd otherwise enjoy.

[Darzian]

Btw, we've got some "first line" threads running through the various sub forums where members try to come up with 'hooky' first lines. It's very interesting (and entertaining) to read through.

[ThePaperGypsy]

They are extremely important to me. Generally, when the first line is cliche, I get very angsty and have to struggle with putting the book down. Therefore, I try to be very careful with writing first lines.

A couple of my favorite first lines from novels are:
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - George Orwell
"I am an invisible man." - Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
"It was a pleasure to burn." - Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

[Aschenbach]

I have read books I love and books I hate. I wouldn't be able to quote you first lines to save my life. Who remembers first lines? It is characters, stories, and images that stick in people's minds. The tapestry matters, not individual threads.

Agents are probably responsible for spreading this demented short sightedness amongst writers. "If I don't get hooked in 0.25 seconds the MS is garbage!"

[Lady Ice]

It doesn't matter whether people should or shouldn't choose a book based on its first line; a lot do. It's like including no romance whatsoever in a book; some people won't read it because of it.

Also, we seem to be arguing over what counts as a good line. Here's why Wayne K's line is a good first line:
"The last thing I wanted to do on a beautiful fall day is help someone I hate rob dead people "

1- We know the setting. It's a nice background for action. Something's gonna happen.
2- A negative tone coming in. Who is this person they hate? Why? A good contrast with the pretty setting.
3- Robbing's a crime. We've got some law-breaking guy here. When'll he get found out?
4- Dead people. That's even worse. We've got the ultimate contrast. And it's a funny line.

[Charissa]

Funnny... I first read Harry Potter ages ago, and after reading the first few pages I couldn't stand it ... it was rambling on about some 'Privet Drive' and the 'Dursleys' with no mention of any 'Harry Potter'. So I tossed it away, eventually picking it up again a year later and reading all seven books 5 times over...

[maestrowork]

I
Also, we seem to be arguing over what counts as a good line. Here's why Wayne K's line is a good first line

Not to use Wayne as a discussion point, but... it may be a great first line, but what follows better matches that line. I want to see how exactly this beautiful fall day, the protagonist with a negative attitude, and the robbery will play out in the FIRST chapter, not the third or fifth. And the dead people, too. I want to know who they are NOW. So, like I said upthread, if you begin the story with such a catchy first line, you''d better follow up real good within the immediate chapter or, at the most, two. If you're going to create intrigue, you must be prepared to answer the questions soon, before the readers call you bluff.

To me, that's the more important thing than a great first line. What it means is that if you start off with a great first line, and you follow through, then you're going to have a great first chapter... and a great first chapter will hopefully lead to a great second chapter, and so on and so forth. Now, that's a very, very, very good thing.

However, the reverse is true, too. If you have a great first line, then your first chapter fizzles out. What you will have a heightened expectation followed by a disappointing first chapter, and maybe even a disappointing second chapter, and never mind the third, because your potential readers won't be reading it.

[Charissa]

... if you begin the story with such a catchy first line, you''d better follow up real good within the immediate chapter or, at the most, two...

The only first line from any book that I've ever remembered is from 'To Kill a Mockingbird': When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Do we all agree that this is a good book? Because 28 chapters later we eventually find out how Jem broke his arm...

I've learnt not to judge a book by its first sentence.

[maestrowork]

Well, do we remember that first line because it is a classic, or does that first line really stand on its own to be a great line? If you didn't know anything about To Kill a Mockingbird, how would you feel about reading about a boy breaking his arm and then not finding out how until 28 chapters later? And in this case, I would actually say the first line is a mini "frame" -- it frames the central story by foreshadowing what happened near the end (also, the book was published 50 years ago -- things might have been a bit different).

Anyway, that just goes to show anything is possible if it's done well. But if we're not going to judge a book by its first line, then why are we obsessing over it?

[Lady Ice]

Not to use Wayne as a discussion point, but... it may be a great first line, but what follows better matches that line. I want to see how exactly this beautiful fall day, the protagonist with a negative attitude, and the robbery will play out in the FIRST chapter, not the third or fifth. And the dead people, too. I want to know who they are NOW. So, like I said upthread, if you begin the story with such a catchy first line, you''d better follow up real good within the immediate chapter or, at the most, two. If you're going to create intrigue, you must be prepared to answer the questions soon, before the readers call you bluff.

To me, that's the more important thing than a great first line. What it means is that if you start off with a great first line, and you follow through, then you're going to have a great first chapter... and a great first chapter will hopefully lead to a great second chapter, and so on and so forth. Now, that's a very, very, very good thing.

I think you'd hold on if the rest of what you read looked intriguing. If the entire first line was solved in the first chapter, it'd be a bit boring.
The line is good because it is catchy and presumably relevant.

It's like a conversation. Say you're telling a story about your brother who got knocked out by a baseball. You wouldn't start with:
'One day, I had a brother.'

You'd start with something interesting, urgent:
'Did I tell you about the time my brother got knocked out?'

If the writer shows no urgency, why should the reader show any urgency in reading it? Why shouldn't they just put it on the 'read later' pile?

And good first lines have nothing to do with when they were written. The beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird is just a boring line.

And you're judging the book before you even open it. You're guessing what it's going to be like from the title and the blurb and the genre. We assume you're reading it because you think you're going to like it (unless it's for educational purposes). If the opening seems weak but we think the book'll be great, we might overlook it. But if we think we may not like the book or we're trying to be critical, a weak/average opening just confirms that.

[panda]

It's like a conversation. Say you're telling a story about your brother who got knocked out by a baseball. You wouldn't start with:
'One day, I had a brother.'



lol :)


And you're judging the book before you even open it.

Yes, from the cover. I'm so judgmental, I judge from the cover lol, forget the first line.

There is something of the magpie in all of us I think we are attracted to shiny, first lines and pretty shiny book covers.

[Strange Days]

.

I think opening of "Espedair Street" is much stronger than the one of "Wasp Factory", as far as Banks goes... What can be possibly better than "Two days ago I decided to kill myself..." ?

[Strange Days]

Generally speaking- there are plenty of great books with so-so first lines - or even pages. However: the generic browsing reader walks into the store glances at the shelves of his/her favourite genre, opens a few folianths... and picks the one with the most captivating first line!

[maestrowork]

I
You'd start with something interesting, urgent:
'Did I tell you about the time my brother got knocked out?'


Yeah, but if you proceeded to spend two hours telling a story and then at the end of the two hours finally said, "that's how my brother got knocked out," I would knock you out myself.


If the writer shows no urgency, why should the reader show any urgency in reading it? Why shouldn't they just put it on the 'read later' pile?


But that's EXACTLY my point. You tell me something remotely urgent that piqued my interest, but then you don't follow through with it, then why should I care?

We are not saying different things. I'm saying, if you want me to continue to read on, don't rely only on a great opening line. The first chapter has to be stellar -- in fact, the whole book should be stellar, which is the case with To Kill a Mockingbird.


If the opening seems weak but we think the book'll be great, we might overlook it. But if we think we may not like the book or we're trying to be critical, a weak/average opening just confirms that.

Personally, I don't look through a book if the backcover blurb doesn't interest me. And if it does, I'm not going to be deterred by a first line that may not be awe-inspiring. In fact, I can't remember most first lines. But I remember the first CHAPTER -- that's what kept me reading.

I think some readers are too impatient, and some writers believe you must write a first line that knocks the ball out of the park or else you won't be able to keep the readers -- and that's not true. And you certainly don't have to foreshadow something 200 pages later right on the first line, even if Harper Lee did it.

[The Thing]

For me personally I think it has a lot to do with the context in which that first line exists:

For short stories in a Dark Fantasy / Horror setting in which the author has maybe fifteen pages or so to tell his story as well as fleshing out an alternative world then not just every line, but every word must advance the tale. I love it when an author hits the ground running and doesn't let up 'till the end.

For novels, especially long ones like King's Duma Key, then a killer opening line is not so important. I'm happy to let the momentum build up slowly.

[sydney]

Two More Cents

I just got back from B&N and you know what? I'm starting to think first lines are rather important.

I opened up like fifty YA books (not joking--the workers were looking at me weird) at B&N and a lot of them sucked. Most of them sucked. I always read at least a paragraph and sometimes even a page because I want to be able to find a book I like, you know? The more I read the more disappointed I was and it was just really... depressing. Why? Because I had eighty dollars burning in my Hello Kitty purse and there wasn't a book I wanted to buy.

Yes, there were some books that seemed interesting, but I jotted down their titles so I could get them from the library.

What's my point? You need a great first line/paragraph. Yeah, some people might not care, but I think you have nothing to loose. Except maybe a couple of hours spent thinking up a great opener.

I know some books open poorly but end up being fantastic. But from a buyers point of view, what do you want me to do? I mean, if you have a great blurb, that might save you. But why take the chance? JUST AMAZE WITH YOUR OPENING!

Okay. I'm going to eat my melting Pinkberry, watch Dexter and Mad Men, and then think of a great opener.

[panda]

I know some books open poorly but end up being fantastic. But from a buyers point of view, what do you want me to do? I mean, if you have a great blurb, that might save you. But why take the chance? JUST AMAZE WITH YOUR OPENING!


Exactly, if I go to the car lot to buy a car, and go on a test drive and it stalls out--guess what I won't be buying that car lol. There's no reason not to make your beginning good. You should set the bar high and every line after should be a mission for you to jump over it. You shouldn't just settle for ok, when you can be better than ok. Writing and keeping your reader interested is a constant challenge and you shouldn't throw in the towel with the first line. :)

[maestrowork]

I opened up like fifty YA books (not joking--the workers were looking at me weird) at B&N and a lot of them sucked.

And yet these books are published, on the shelves, and people are buying them. Also, you didn't think about that before this thread, so why did you suddenly notice their first lines sucked? Do normal readers who are not writers care?

Back to my original point: make EVERY line count, and stop obsessing over that single line.

[K. Andrew Smith]

I generally don't remember first lines that well. My favorite, however, is definitely from The Gunslinger by Stephen King:

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

I'm not entirely sure why I like it so much, but to me it's very evocative. It pricks my imagination.

[maestrowork]

Let's talk about one of the most famous first lines:

Call me Ishmael.


So why is it a good, memorable line? Nothing happens in that line. No action. No conflict. No big explosions. Didn't promise any salacious tale to follow.

To me, it's because it makes you ask question, and because of the tone/voice of the narrator. It's so authoritative. And who is Ishmael? Why does he want us to call him that? Is it his real name? Why did he address us that way? What does he want?

It makes us ask question and become curious. Thus it's a good line.

And hopefully what follows is just as good, if not better.

[The Lonely One]

:Huh: Do you mean unless instead of if?

I meant...a good visceral first connection with a reader is more useful than a first analytical impression.

Some writers worry too much about how to word a first sentence rather than what that first sentence implied.

I'm happy with a first sentence that slips into your subconscious because of the sudden imagery.

I think fiction should be sudden in the reader's mind from first line to last.

[Adam]

As long as the first page grabs me, I'm happy. ;)

[sydney]

And yet these books are published, on the shelves, and people are buying them. Also, you didn't think about that before this thread, so why did you suddenly notice their first lines sucked? Do normal readers who are not writers care?

Back to my original point: make EVERY line count, and stop obsessing over that single line.

Just because something is published doesn't make it good. Not to mention that a good number of these books will probably disappear into obscurity.

But I think you make a good point about my sudden noticing. I haven't read that many YA books recently, but in the past, I devoured them. Still, I think I read because I loved reading, and not necessarily because a book was good.

A big point of my previous post was the ability to sell and you're right--I'm thinking as a writer, not a reader, even though I'm trying to separate the two. But either way, I believe if you have a great beginning, both writers and readers will pick your book up.

And on that note, I don't mean to say you should obsess. I just mean that you should want your book to be the best it can be.

[maestrowork]

And on that note, I don't mean to say you should obsess. I just mean that you should want your book to be the best it can be.

Of course we all should. I'm just saying there are pitfalls for trying so hard to come up with a killer first line, especially when the rest of the book doesn't measure up. So it's something to think about when you're slaving away trying to write that killer first line. And the fact that a lot of books (good or bad -- it's a matter of taste and judgment) are published without a killer first line means it may not be as important as we think.

Obviously, if you've written a line like "Call me Ishmael" then congratulations! Well done. But if you haven't, don't sweat it. The function of the first line is to make the readers read the second, and so on and so forth. If you can do that, you've done well already.

[Apsu]

Call me Ishmael.

It also makes me question whether the speaker is sincere. I almost feel like I'm being set up for a scam when I read that line.

[panda]

It also makes me question whether the speaker is sincere. I almost feel like I'm being set up for a scam when I read that line.

Strange also he uses understood (you)

I hate Moby Dick btw, it was like he sat down and thought to himself (I am writing a classic which will be forced on generations of schoolchildren, mwuahaha) I don't know it's like I could read his pretension through his prose lol. (IMHO) ;)

[Lady Ice]

He does have a whale fetish and I found it hilarious at the age of 13 that Ishmael and Queequeg shared a bed.

Book are a bit like songs. They have a tempo. Not every line can be a 'wow' line because that diminishes the effect of other 'wow' lines. So surely you want your first line to be a wow line?

Let's say our writer is a stripper. Do we want our stripper- with no guarantee that he'll/she'll actually strip- to sit around, watch TV, etc for an hour? We could just buy in another one- they're wasting our money. Or do we want them to just take all their clothes off and then get bored and just sit there? Or wouldn't we rather they were seductive, held out for a little bit, but promised a good time?

They'll have to live up to it anyway, great first line or middling first line.

[maestrowork]

You want to entice them enough to see the rest of the show. That's all the first glimpse should do. Any time the guy walks away, you've failed. But you don't want to give them the money shot right off the bat, do you?

[panda]

Why has this thread turned to strippers lol. :D

[motormind]

My favorite first sentence is: "Be warned that the book you're about to read is plagued with words". I totally forgot though who the author is.

And I generally open books half-way and read a few paragraphs. If I like what I see I start from the beginning.

[Lady Ice]

You want to entice them enough to see the rest of the show. That's all the first glimpse should do. Any time the guy walks away, you've failed. But you don't want to give them the money shot right off the bat, do you?

You don't have to do that but you want to build up some tension, so to speak...to capture the reader. They want it but you won't give it to them...yet.

[maestrowork]

You don't have to do that but you want to build up some tension, so to speak...to capture the reader. They want it but you won't give it to them...yet.

But how you do it is up to the performer. You can't say, "well, show me X and Y first"... there really is no rule. The only thing is if it's enticing enough, they will stay. If it makes them want to read the second sentence, and then the third... then your first sentence has done its job.

But what is "enticing" is up for interpretation. Is an explosion enticing? Is a statement of Mrs. Dalloway deciding to buy flowers herself enticing? Is a narrator asking the readers to call him Ishmael enticing?

There's no one-size-fits-all answer here. And many books don't open with memorable, killer first sentences, but they still string you along to read the whole thing -- that's the thing we need to realize. That's why storytelling is an art; so is stripping. ;)

[M.Austin]

I almost re-write my beginning lines every time I read them. How I begin determines how I end. I tie the two together; so the beginning is almost invaluable.

[HelloKiddo]

I'm beginning to hate first-line hooks. I prefer a simple opening that is thoughtful and fits the tone of the story.

"Mother died today.Or maybe it was yesterday...etc."~the Stranger by Albert Camus. I like this opening.

[maestrowork]

"The play--for which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crOpe paper--was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch." - Atonement, Ian McEwan

The first line tells us so much about the character already, and a looming "disaster" waiting to happen.

[Exir]

I prefer "quiet" first lines which intrigue me without advertising its hooky-ness.

In fact, if there's anything that I dislike, it is first lines that are there for no purpose other than to act as a hook. Especially if you start with something really dramatic... and then backtrack to explain how we got there. Nothing jolts me out more.

[finnisempty]

When I write which is mainly poetry the first line sets the tone.

[sydney]

"Mother died today.Or maybe it was yesterday...etc."~the Stranger by Albert Camus. I like this opening.

I love this--it's simple but intriguing.

I don't think your first line/s have to be shocking or full of a million details or anything. Just interesting. I know that's subjective, but still.