There's nothing like a dynamic opening line in a novel. How many books have you kept reading simply from their clever or intriguing first line? Sure, a perfect first line isn't going to redeem a bad book, but a first line is really like a fish hook. Once you catch someone on the other end, it's a whole lot easier to reel them into the story.Here are a few of my favorite first lines.
"She ran, tree limbs and brambles scratching, grabbing, tripping, and slapping her as if they were bony hands, reaching for her out of the darkness."
--The Oath by Frank Peretti
"Valkerie woke up screaming."
--Oxygen by Randy Ingermanson & John B. Olson
"The pickup had been tailing me for at least the last thirty miles."
--On the Run by Lorena McCourtney
"Josee found the canister while seeking firewood in the thicket."
--Dark to Mortal Eyes by Eric Wilson
"'If I eat any more popcorn, I'm going to hurl.'"
--The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
"The dead man's mother lives on Castlewood Street, in a battered gray house guarded by a mean echo of 'No Trespassing' signs."
--The Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello
"Even in high school I didn't mind sleeping on the ground."
--Forsaken by James David Jordan
Your turn! What's your favorite first line? What makes it memorable to you? How about the first line of the novel you're writing? Feel free to share in the comments.
I always liked Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night" :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of my current, favorite first lines is from Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian.
ReplyDelete"The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car."
Here's a killer opening sentence from our friend Edward Bullwer-Lytton:
ReplyDeleteIt was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteA few of my favorite opening lines are:
"There once was a boy by the name of Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
C.S. Lewis ~ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not."
Paul Auster ~ City of Glass
"I write this sitting in the kitchen sink."
Dodie Smith ~ I Capture the Castle
Ohhh... I love first sentences! One that's always stayed in my mind is the opening sentence of Letter Perfect by Cathy Marie Hakes.
ReplyDelete"Exactly how much damage can one tiny fishbone do?"
I love how unexpected it is! ;)
Such a fun post, CJ!! Writing the first sentence is the hardest part of writing a book, I think.
ReplyDeleteChristina, hilarious quote! I love it!
Christiana, I had to laugh at the C.S. Lewis quote - that one is one of my favorites too! :)
Thanks so much everyone for your comments!
ReplyDelete