by Erica Vetsch, @EricaVetsch
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. That’s true in life and especially true in the world of fiction.
As a writer today, you have a limited amount of time to grab a reader’s attention. For some it’s a single page. For some it’s a single chapter. Some readers might give you a wee bit longer, but for the most part, the clock is ticking from the second they crack the cover. In eras past, you might have been able to start slowly, set the story world, gradually introduce characters, and bring your reader along incrementally, but not so now. Today’s readers want you to start in medias res, right in the thick of the action. They want to know they’re getting a good story right from the start, or they’ll jump ship for something that will grab their attention and hold it.
No writer wants their readers putting their book down out of boredom, so how can we grab readers right away and keep them interested?
It starts with a great first line.
The first line carries a lot of responsibility! So much so, that it can be paralyzing when it’s time to write one. With so much pressure to create impact, how can we craft a great first line that accomplishes everything we need it to do? There is no one right answer, but here are five tips, with examples, you can use to get your book off to a blisteringly good start:
- Throw in something unexpected to make the reader ask a question:
Example: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
When was the last time you heard of a clock striking thirteen? Immediately, you know this book is going to be full of surprises. You’re drawn into the story to find out what sort of universe has such unusual timekeeping. You’re made uneasy right away, and you have to read on to satisfy your curiosity and make sense of the story world Orwell has dropped you into.
- Make the reader think:
Example: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877; trans. Constance Garnett)
There is a lot of depth to the opening line of Anna Karenina because Leo Tolstoy uses a universal truth to which every person can relate. We either remember our own unhappy family or some unhappiness in our past that was unique to us. And it also makes us ask, what family in this story is unhappy, and how is that unhappiness unique to them? Will they get a happily-ever-after? We want to read on to figure out these story questions.
- Use Humor:
Example: There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. —C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
I laugh every time I read this. Who is this kid, why did his parents saddle him with such a moniker, an how and why does he almost deserve to bear it? By using humor, Lewis invites the reader to share the joke, and he lets you know you’re in good hands for the rest of the story. We want to meet Eustace Scrubb and judge for ourselves if he deserves his unusual name.
- Hint at things to come:
Example: I don’t think my stepfather much minded dying. That he almost took me with him wasn’t really his fault. Dick Francis, To the Hilt (2004)
This is one of my all-time favorite first lines, from one of my all-time favorite books. Francis sets up the entire story in this opening. (Technically, it’s two sentences, but they’re so great, I used it as an example anyway.) Things you know right up front: The story is in first person, someone dies, someone almost dies. That’s enough to hook most readers right away. Questions arise. Why doesn’t his stepfather mind dying? How did events unfold that meant the narrator almost died, too? Our curiosity is piqued, and we must forge on to get to know this narrator better.
- Set the tone for the entire book:
Example: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice(1813)
This is one of the most famous lines in literature, a classic. And it sets the tone for the entire book. The period, the objectives, the sense of adventure and fun that are about to unfold are all packed into this one opening line. We want to read on to see if this universal truth is so very universal.
You’ll note that none of these is a lengthy discourse about the setting of the story, or even about the weather (with the exception of Orwell’s, which is brief and sets up the odd ending to his first line.) In most cases, you don’t even know the name of the protagonist, let alone how old they are, what their hair color is, or what they want. None of these examples is dialogue, though dialogue can be a useful way to open a book, as long as you keep in mind that dialogue is war, not information-sharing.
You’ll also note, that while each first line is vastly different from the rest, they have one striking thing in common: They make the reader want to read on. Mission accomplished!
Writing a great first line is an art form, and it will take some practice. Read a lot of great first lines, read some bad ones, too! See what grabs your attention and see how you can use the basic framework to create your own attention-grabbing opening sentence.
One last tip about how to write a great first line…don’t write it first. If you don’t have a great first line in mind when you start a story, that’s okay! Put in a place holder like “WRITE THE WORLD’S GREATEST FIRST LINE HERE” and then move on with your story. Sometimes you don’t know what the first line should be until you get to the end. Sometimes you can’t frame just the right opening until you know your characters better. Just know that you can go back and rework, rewrite, or reinvent your first line later using some of the tips above.
My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss, TX
Fashion artist Priscilla Hutchens has a grudge against the army that has ruined her family and taken the people she holds most dear. When her twin niece and nephew are left orphaned at Fort Bliss, Texas, she swoops down on Fort Bliss to gain custody of them immediately.
There is just one thing standing in the way—Post surgeon Major Elliot Ryder, who is also the twins uncle, also claims the children and thinks he knows what is best for them.
Priscilla and Elliot will cross swords, but each will have to lay down arms if they are to find a lasting peace on which to form the family both are longing for. Who will win the battle? Or will a truce be called for the sake of love and family?
ERICA VETSCH can’t get enough of history, whether it’s reading, writing, or visiting historical sites. She’s currently writing another historical romance and plotting which history museum to conquer next! You can find her online at www.ericavetsch.com and on her Facebook Page where she spends WAY TOO MUCH TIME! www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/