Fabulous Opening lines.

It’s my opinion a good opening line isn’t essential for your story or novel, but it won’t do it any harm.

My critique group decided to revisit the essentials of writing as a way of everyone learning from the same page and improving our collective efforts at finding the right words for our various projects.

First topic – opening lines.

I realised that when I read a novel I don’t get put off by the opening line hence my opinion that a good opening line is not essential is from my personal experience. However, I love books written in third person in past tense so if the first line has an omniscient POV and is written in the present tense I tend to put it back on the library shelf.

So, what makes a good opening line?

I googled the above question and found some great information.

The Literary Hub presented an article by Allegra Hyde.

Literary Hub

What Makes a Great Opening Line?

A good opening line “should capture your characters voice, it should carry your style, and it should be relevant and meaningful enough to engage your readers and entice them to read onto the next line.” An, “elegantly balanced dose of clarity and curiosity.”

However, it should not be “so heavy that it weighs on you or so literary that it chases away or confuses the reader.”

Allegra also suggests that the opening lines clarity should provide a sense of time, place, character and plot. The curiosity can involve the element of tragedy, conflict, mystery that fuels your story.

Jericho Writers
Jericho Writers

https://jerichowriters.com › good-opening-sentences

Suggest a short clear sentence that grabs the readers attention.

Use verbs correctly and adjectives sparingly.

Use words that add weight.

It doesn’t have to be loud; subtlety can be effective.

After doing this research I decided that for me a good opening line:

• Is a short sentence where every word has weight and substance.
• Intrigues the reader
• Clarifies if the novel is written in first person, third person or omniscient.
• Provides the tone of the book 
• Pulls the reader into the situation
• Infuses them with curiosity about what comes next.

I then found some examples of opening lines I loved:(you can’t beat the classics)

Albert Camus – “Mother died today.”

Jane Austen – “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (apparently the most famous opening line ever)

Charles Dickens – “Marley was dead: to begin with.” (love this one)

So, putting the new knowledge into our own writing I have selected to test out some ideas for my new romantic short story Honeygate.

1. He stood at the back of the hall his face shrouded by a deep hoodie. (Does capture the tone of the story but too descriptive with no hook)
2. Magical, menacing mesmerising. (Fuels the curiosity but doesn’t provide any clarity about who’s talking or the situation)
3. I couldn’t see his face but his gaze stole my well-rehearsed words and left me floundering. (clearly defines the characters point of view, raises curiosity, puts it into a context and suggests the potential conflict between the protagonists)

Just doing this exercise has raised my awareness of the importance of an opening line and given me some directions so I can play around with various types of lines and find the best one.

What I found particularly helpful is that using a first-person POV would work well for this story. My heroine has felt the impact of the hero’s gaze and is discombobulated enough to forget her speech she can have the stage from here on and tell us her story from her perspective.

Hope this makes sense

Cheers Elsie King©2024

The illustration is attributed to an Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.