That Perfect First Line

Without a doubt, first lines are one of the hardest parts of writing. After all, the first line is often the one that attracts us to the story. Witty, comical, thought-provoking, or cryptic first lines can catch a reader's interest and convince them to keep going. An old adage once said that "if you can get them to read one sentence, you can get them to read the next, and if you can keep it going, you can get them to read the entire book."

But most people know that crafting that first line is extremely difficult, especially when the blank page has often been called the enemy of writers. So, how do we go about crafting that first line?

What You'll Need

• Paper and pen or a writing software
• An idea of your first scene (the more specific, the better)

Not many supplies, but you'll understand why shortly.

Step One: Outline Your First Scene

If you really want to help yourself come up with that first line, your best bet is to outline the first scene of your story, even the entire first chapter if you want to. It doesn't have to be detailed by any means; I outline a chapter with a single sentence. But you need something to go off of so you won't just be hitting the page with no idea of where you're going.

Also, knowing what the first scene is going to be will help you figure out how to draw readers into it.

Step Two: Write Multiple First Lines

It is extremely unlikely you'll be happy with the very first thing you come up with, but luckily, no one has to see it but you. Keep coming up with lines. Just write down all the first lines you can think of. It doesn't matter how compelling or wonderful they are right now because this is just simple draft work, after all. Don't limit yourself, but make sure the lines can in some way lead to the scene you are about to present.

Step Three: Review the Lines You Have Written

This is far simpler than Step Two. All you need to do is go down your list and decide which first lines you like the most and which you like the least. Use your own experience with reading to determine which you like. Which ones seem boring? Which ones seem flat? Which ones don't really give you the impression you want readers to have of your story? Once you have a smaller list of first lines, you will have an easier time choosing one you like the most.

Bonus Step: Find a Friend to Read Your Lines

If you're still having trouble choosing, find someone who knows your writing or doesn’t know your writing; you can contact online friends or real life friends. Just find someone who is willing to sit down, read over your lines, and give you some constructive criticism about the lines. After all, what other people might find inciting or interesting might not match your tastes, so getting as much feedback is possible is important.

Tips

• Dialogue can work well for first lines if you use it correctly, such as to draw attention to another character or as the start of a conversation. It can even be a character talking to him or herself. Dialogue can even give you more room to work with, since someone speaking is instantly going to make your reader wander who it is.
• Don't info dump as part of your first line; you have an entire chapter to explain where your characters are and why, you don't need to do it at the beginning of the chapter. In fact, weaving that in throughout the chapter tends to work better than simply being like: "We were at the movie theater because school let out early." You can have your characters talking about the movie they're excited to see. You can have someone out of school asking them why they aren't in school. Something among those lines can pass along the same message without the dump.
• Don't saturate your first line with an excessive use of expletives; a certain amount is expected of anything contemporary, but having five or six in the first line of your book can be exceedingly jarring even to people who use five or six expletives when they speak normally.
• Keep in mind grammar and spelling rules. If you have typos in the first line of your work, you're more likely to experience people not reading the story because they've already hit a sign of a lack of editing.

With these steps and tips at hand, give it a shot at crafting your own first line.