First Sentence?

[Hoag's Object]

I am thinking of working on a draft story, but I can't get hold of a first sentence that seems engaging enough. Does anyone have tips or your method of creating the first sentence? It's the hardest part of writing a story for me.

 

[P Drysdale]

I would lift a few books from your shelf and read some first lines, but the best advice I've heard on first lines is that it should be something that immediately makes the reader as a question that they must read on if they want the answer to. Depends on the category and themes of the story of course, but you might want to start with something that immediately introduces conflict, e.g.

I heard a whisper from behind me, "Don't move or I'll shoot."

If we're talking high fantasy or deep sci fi you might start with something that immediately tells the reader that they're about to enter a world that is vastly different from their own, take Orwell's classic opening line from 1984:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

Immediately the reader is wondering, "Wait...thirteen?"

The sole purpose of the first line is to get the reader to move on to the second line, so if must give them a need for the second line by way of a hook. Hope that helps!

 

[Brian G Turner]

Put a note in brackets, and move onto the next. You're almost certainly going to end up rewriting the first sentence later on anyway, so any kind of placeholder should be fine.

 

[Danny McG]

Marley was dead

 

[Boneman]

It's the best of things and the worst of things, trying to write a first line.... What Brian says, if you're struggling.

 

[Toby Frost]

I'd go back to it at the end, when the rest of the story's done. You'll probably have a better idea of how it ought to start once you've written the end. I once read that Stephen King sometimes writes a long preamble to a story and then just cuts the first page or two when he edits it.

 

[Montero]

Yeah, I'm another one of the re-write your first line last school of thought. Also remember that most opening lines do the job but are not super-memorable in themselves. A few books have much quoted opening lines, most don't. In fact Dickens wrote a lot of books, but only has one quoted opening line. Only one of Austen's opening lines is quoted......
Having said that, I've just come across a new to me special opening line. T Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace "Stephen's god died a little after noon on the longest day of the year."

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

Not being able to think of a first sentence should only keep you from working on that first sentence. Work on the rest of the story. If you know a scene that is sure to be included, write it out. If you know another such scene, write that one out too. Then fill the gap between them. You probably have 50% of your story already, by now. Take that chunk and keep going, all the way to the conclusion. See? Now all you have left to do is the opening, and you're done.

 

[Ursa major]

I've moved this thread to the Writing Discussion sub-forum, as it's about writing, not about Classic SF&F.

 

[-K2-]

It's the best of things and the worst of things, trying to write a first line.... What Brian says, if you're struggling.

Hehe, that's the first thing I went with...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Bob the publisher closed the book. "Pfft, it will never sell. What's next on the pile?"

Marley was dead

That was near my second...

Call me Ishmael... Bob the publisher closed the book. "Pfft, it will never sell. What's next on the pile?"


As far as something 'constructive' to add, I suppose 'I' like many would like to come up with such an impactful first line.
But, they're only such because of what follows. The lines alone are actually just 'ehh' *shrug*...but the rest of the story makes them so they mean something. Don't sweat it (as others have suggested).

What I will say though (just my opinion), in as much as I believe the first line only becomes impactful due to the story, I believe the last line in EVERY chapter, and especially the last, MUST be impactful--and--compel you to read the next chapter/novel. So IMO, first lines mean little, last lines are everything.

Who knows? Regarding my stuff, one day folks might look back and say; Kay was a nose-picker... Now that's a masterpiece of literature.

K2

 

[Ravensirtis]

I tend to use proverbial starts...for example

A wise man once told me that a fall does not define a person but rather their landing
or
My Dad always used to say that you never know what you'll find in a hangar. Personally i think he was talking about something else but the words are true anyway

It kinda then triggers you to think how to link the start into the rest of the start...ie..."take my current predicament for a start......"

Thats how i do it anyway

 

[Phyrebrat]

Put a note in brackets, and move onto the next. You're almost certainly going to end up rewriting the first sentence later on anyway, so any kind of placeholder should be fine.

I'd go back to it at the end, when the rest of the story's done. You'll probably have a better idea of how it ought to start once you've written the end. I once read that Stephen King sometimes writes a long preamble to a story and then just cuts the first page or two when he edits it.

^this. Even if you come up with a killer first line, when you've finished your MS your outstanding first line may be redundant.

pH

 

[sknox]

Just to pile on the advice pile: make a list of your ten favorite books. Don't agonize, just a quick list.

Now, for how many of those can you recall the first line? QED. Also FTR, neither 1984, Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, nor Pride & Prejudice are in my top ten.

 

[Parson]

Indeed, sometimes a memorable first line is all that a book has, and that's a shame.

I read a book some years back with a killer first line, but I don't believe I remember a thing else from the book. The first line?

"In ten years the p_ _ _ _ will be obsolete." --- It made me go, "What?"

The insight? First lines are first lines, they are not the book.

 

[The Big Peat]

a) Great first lines are, beyond their immediate grab factor, generally about pinpointing the most interesting thing about the opening scene/arc. If you can't spot it straight away, then you can't, and you're best advised to just keep writing and try and figure it out once the words are down. I completely and totally sympathise with the desire to get things you like first time, but when you can't, you have to find another way

b) If you're still looking for inspiration, start look at other people's and look for ideas and ways of it you can steal. Here's a few useful links showing some popular opening lines:

The First Two Paragraphs: how does yours compare?

After years looking at the critiques board, it has become clear to me that you can tell an awful lot about a piece of writing by the first two paragraphs. Too many people obsess about how they think a reader needs to enjoy a couple of chapters to get into it, learn to like their characters, and...

www.sffchronicles.com

Exceptional openings in fiction

There are a lot of books I've enjoyed, but there are a very few that strike me immediately from the first page, beyond the first sentence. I've been thinking about this a lot, for some time, so thought I'd start a topic where others can share what they thought were superior openings in stories...

www.sffchronicles.com

Best Fantasy First Lines on My TBR (#WyrdAndWonder) — The Bookwyrm's Den

Today I want to give some love to books that I haven’t read yet (but obviously should have, if I weren’t such a slacker). By now, it shouldn’t surprise you in the least bit that my TBR is just full of different flavors of fantasy … but yes, fantasy, nonetheless. I am super extra pro […]

thebookwyrmsden.com

Top Ten Tuesday: fantastic beginnings

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s all about books, lists and sharing the love we have of both with our bookish friend…

onemore.org

c) Looking at them, I feel like good starting lines tend to either go for the introduction of an immediate complication (hanging, thrown out of school, running over badgers, dead bodies) OR statement of character (I'm the bitch queen, four weirdos walk into a bar, call me Ishmael) OR an eye catching statement about the world (in need of a wife, world began with a big bang). Or combinations. And aim for something visual (although not heavily detailed). And as many as possible.

d) If you really just need a start of some type, go with the character introducing themselves, or "It all started with", or "There was an explosion". That'll get the story moving and you can come back and edit later

 

[Steve Harrison]

It's easy to get obsessed about coming up with a great opening line, but really, unless you are writing a three sentence story, its importance is overrated. I doubt there are many readers who toss aside a novel or short story because the first sentence was not a killer.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

I read a book some years back with a killer first line, but I don't believe I remember a thing else from the book. The first line?

"In ten years the p_ _ _ _ will be obsolete." --- It made me go, "What?"

Palindrome? Pantaloons? Pelicans? Praline? Primadonna? PowerPoint? Platypus? Preterition? Pumpernickel? Passe-partout? Poltroons? Palomino?

 

[Parson]

Nope, none of those.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

Nope, none of those.

Pilaster? Pomegranate? Paradiddle? Plumage? Parabola? Pentecostals? Presumptuousness? Pomeranian? Pastoral? Pentacles? Pinafore? Psychopomp?

 

[Parson]

Pentecostals

Well this isn't too far off. They both have a spiritual uplift.