Famous First Lines

Famous first lines (such as "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’s Pride and Prejudice) are often used to show writers how to hook your readers from the start.

I like to think of it as hitting the ground running. And it I something I try to do with my flash fiction and short stories.

I know when I’m reading I want that first line to draw me in either by setting up an intriguing setting or a character whom I simply have to know more about. Only one way to do that of course - read on.

Naturally that sets a challenge to me to make sure I’m doing something similar when I’m writing. But then this is why writers do have to be good readers too. You do learn from what you read. Gives us the perfect excuse to get our heads in a book as often as possible - I like this!

Of course the best first line in the world cannot support the whole of the following story on its own - the rest has to be pretty good too - but as a way of drawing readers in, you can’t beat it.

People look at book covers, the blurb, and the first line. If they like all of that, they are more likely to buy the book.

And from a reader’s viewpoint, great first lines stay with you.