Have you ever picked up a book, opened it, read the first line and got sucked in? I'm sure you have. It's a really good feeling, almost a relief, when we read that line and know that book will be a page turner. Now we are the writer and we have to come up with that all important first line. On this side of the coin we are not feeling relief but rather we are feeling tense. Is the first line strong enough? Does it grab your attention? These are questions we often ask when writing.
I was just talking to a friend who shared the fact that she revised and edited the first fifty pages approximately thirty times! That's how important the opening is for our novels. How do you know you have a strong, catchy opening line? To be honest, I'm not sure. It really depends on the topic of your story, your pace and your writing style. Right now you may be thinking "Brian that really doesn't help me." If that is indeed what you are thinking then you would be right. I may not be able to tell you how to write a strong, catchy opening line but I can do the next best thing. I can give you examples.
I stumbled across a little literary quiz today about the opening lines from the classics. I enjoyed many of them and learned a lot from simply reading them. Let’s have a look at a few.
"I am an invisible man." from - 'Invisible Man,' by Ralph Ellison
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since." from -'The Great Gatsby,' by F. Scott Fitzgerald (This is a really good one.)
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." from 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' by J. K. Rowling
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." from '1984,' by George Orwell (This one is my favorite.)
These are some great opening lines. Do you notice anything about them that they have in common? In my opinion, they make you think in some way. After I read each one I have a question that begins with who, what, when, or why. Take for example the opening line from '1984' - "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." What? How does a clock strike thirteen? See what I mean?
What can we take from this? Like these examples, if we leave the reader with a question floating around that is asking who, what, when, where or why then we are on the right path. The other aspect I find interesting is that none of these opening statements are long and wordy. They get to the point and deliver the desired result.
What's the best opening line you have read and what was the title of the book?
11 comments:
I hope it's ok to post a couple Brian.
"When men are gathered together alone, they discuss sex." Dark Angel by Sally Beauman.
"From the river, it looked as if two suns were setting over London." The Shakespeare Secret by J.L. Carrell.
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"In the middle of my marriage, when I was above all Hugh's wife and Dee's mother, one of those unambiguous women with no desire to disturb the universe, I fell in love with a Benedictine monk." The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Okay...it may not be the catchiest, but it sure got my attention.
Ang
There are some very good ones Brian and I will search my house full of bookcases to find a few over the day but here is one off the top of my head hat is not so much brilliant but certainly gets your interest.
'If the young talib bodyguard had known that making the cellphone call would kill him, he would not have done it.' Frederick Forsyth, The Afgan.
Made me want to read the second line, which was also very good, but of course we are not doing second lines here.
BJR
I remember that opening from the Mermaids chair, you're right was a good one, the rest of the book wasn't up to the opening line though, not one of my favorites but a good opener.
TC I agree with you about the rest of the book. Boy...was hooked at first now I'm just bobbing around chapter 21...how'd I make it THAT far is beyond me.
Barb - I have no problem with posting a couple and you picked good ones.
Ang - Interesting opening. I can see how this would grab attention. Your comments lead me to think the book drops off after that. Any idea why it does?
Bernard - This is a good one. I bet everybody who reads that line is thinking 'no kidding.'
TC - You bring up a good point. We must follow through on that strong opening sentence.
Great post Brian, and definitely something that plagues me constantly. I don't know if it's the questions a first line asks or if it's just how much impact it has on the reader that makes a great first line. Probably you're right, that spurring questions in the reader's mind is a big part of it. I can't quote any great opening lines, but I like the ones others have put up here.
Eric - You are not alone in that boat. Openings are still problematic for me too. I'm sure there are a lot of new authors who would agree with us. But we can do it and we can deliver strong openings with a little practice.
Brian. To follow up on "The Mermaid Chair". The first few chapters are okay then it gets into a lot of blahblahblah type storyline (if that makes any sense whatsoever). Now that I'm on chapter 21 it seems to be picking back up. It's like the story stalls. I have to admit though, I've watched the movie twice. And the same scenes that bore me in the movie are the same chapters that bore me when reading. Maybe it's just me.
Ang
Favorite opening ever: Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die.
~Palahniuk, Fight Club
Good Blog.
Cicily - That is a good one. Thank you.
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