What was your novels opening lines?

I write the opening after the rest is finished.

Even after planning the novel out, and knowing where it wii start, it takes me a long while to “find” my MC. I have to really see it clearly, and have a good sense of my character’s thoughts and feelings before I start writing.

IMO It’s best to have the first scene occur just before a defining moment that puts the story in play. This gives you the opportunity to do a little world building and introduce the MC, including some hint of his driving motivation and definitely have a foreshadow of the problems that may lie ahead.

I'm not sure if you really need an 'introduction'. What genre are you writing in, OP?

The first lines of my current WIP almost certainly aren't going to be the first lines of my final draft. Heck, at this point, I'm not even sure the first chapter of my WIP is going to actually be the first chapter or even in the book at all!

If you're having trouble getting started, spend some time reading the first page or so of a lot of best-selling novels. Go to a library or book store or just spend time downloading samples of books and reading. Sometimes when I'm thinking about how I want to start my novel, I go back and re-read the first pages of some of my favorite books to see what it was the author did that grabbed my attention.

Re: Action adventure genre. I pretty much have the scenes in my head before I put them in writing. I generally treat the intro to any given chapter the same as I would to the intro to the book.

Al X. said:

Re: Action adventure genre. I pretty much have the scenes in my head before I put them in writing. I generally treat the intro to any given chapter the same as I would to the intro to the book.

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Same here. The opening of a chapter should force the reader to keep on reading, and the ending of the chapter should force the reader to put off switching off the nightlamp for a few more minutes and instead check out the start of the next chapter.

But whatever the genre, even not action adventure oriented, the opening sentences should definitely illustrate that the writer is in complete control of this book and the readers can relax and let the story carry them along. In other words, the opening of a book or short story by a beginner writer tends to convey "Oh look what a fine job I'm doing at writing this! Almost like the real thing!", while the opening by a pro tells the reader "Relax, I got this. Come on in."

If you're writing a novel, I'd say try not to think of the opening lines as an intro.

You may be interested in this thread, in the Brainstorming Sandbox (password for that section is vista, I think). You'll see the many, many ways people can and have opened their stories, and feedback from others re whether they would/would not read on.

PamelaC said:

If you're having trouble getting started, spend some time reading the first page or so of a lot of best-selling novels. Go to a library or book store or just spend time downloading samples of books and reading.

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This is a great exercise.

Boggle!?!? said:

Just trying to get a better idea for how to write better introductions, and I’m curious how you guys wrote the introductory lines of your books!

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With lots and lots of trial and error.

I don't struggle as much with openers as I used to, but I will say it took me years to get an intuitive sense of where to start the story - years of irrelevant chapters, infodumping, and harsh critiques. Now I kind of get an "Oh! I'll start it there" feeling when I hit on the right moment, but even then my first impulse can be wrong. I often don't see the proper opener until I've written 30K words.

Agree with everyone who says not to worry about it while you're drafting. Sometimes looking at the whole story will give you a much more clear idea of how you want to design that initial hook. Revisions are your friend, as are crit partners, betas, and SYW.

Boggle!?!? said:

How do I find a beta reader?

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There are great resources on this very site, but you need your 50 substantive posts first. You've made a good start!

Since you're asking about openers, I'd start with Share Your Work, and put up the first 1K-2K of the story. It's not unusual for critiques of the first few pages to get you feedback that you'll find applies to the whole MS.

You can request beta readers here, also after 50 posts.

And as a suggestion - critiquing others on SYW is a great way to get involved in the community, and to get your post count up to 50. It'll also teach you more about your own writing than you might expect.

I rewrite them, heavily.

2 years after finishing ms1 and I am still tinkering with the opening. (I did write a different ms in the intervening time tho.)

I've actually had several just come to me, either part-and-parcel with the concept for the novel or as the starting point for the novel. It does take some experience, I think, to home in on exactly how and where to start--I've had plenty of trial-and-error to get to the point where I usually hit the mark on the first try (key word being usually).

angeliz2k said:

I've actually had several just come to me, either part-and-parcel with the concept for the novel or as the starting point for the novel. It does take some experience, I think, to home in on exactly how and where to start--I've had plenty of trial-and-error to get to the point where I usually hit the mark on the first try (key word being usually).

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Much the same with me. I need a solid jumping-off point to write the narrative. Like Tolkien, when he jotted down 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,' I might not even have a story yet when I come up with the opening. I rarely need to mess with those opening lines later, though it is not unheard of.

I am toying with the idea of using a prologue as a hook.
Rather than background information it would be a scene from the middle of the book where the main character is thinking about his predicament.
In my case it concerns a man in a prison explaining how he got there and how he might get out and his thoughts of revenge.
Using a prologue gives you lots of room to include some of the best scenes as a hook.
Chokdee

I found that I couldn't cram a whole lot of info in a first sentence, unless it was really stark, gross or gratuitous. So I concentrated on making the first paragraph the best opening I could. It gave me more leverage and room to make a statement or arouse interest. I would also leave snazzy openers for last, when the book is finished.

What do you mean? I just write it and hope an agent appreciates it.

triceretops said:

I found that I couldn't cram a whole lot of info in a first sentence, unless it was really stark, gross or gratuitous. So I concentrated on making the first paragraph the best opening I could. It gave me more leverage and room to make a statement or arouse interest. I would also leave snazzy openers for last, when the book is finished.

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I never thought that was the point. I try to make the first sentence good enough that the reader would be drawn into the second. Further, I want the reader to be compelled to read the second paragraph after reading the first... same with chapters.

I write them over and over again. Then I erase and start once more.

This is my favorite beginning: "How long?"

Yeah. It breaks rules.

chokdee said:

I am toying with the idea of using a prologue as a hook.
Rather than background information it would be a scene from the middle of the book where the main character is thinking about his predicament.
In my case it concerns a man in a prison explaining how he got there and how he might get out and his thoughts of revenge.
Using a prologue gives you lots of room to include some of the best scenes as a hook.
Chokdee

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I love a good prologue, but they're so often mis-used that many people reject them on sight (I have learned that here on AW). Be careful that you're not using "thinks aloud" as an info-dump from a character we don't know enough about to engage with - that is a pet grievance of many many people who dislike prologues (and has given poor Prologue a terrible name.)

ETA: THis is just something I've heard. It's not specific to you, Chokdee.