Famous First Words

In a recent interview in The Atlantic, Stephen King describes how important to him is the first sentence of a novel, not only in capturing the reader's attention but also in identifying the "voice" of the novel. He suggests that a novel's voice--like a singer's--is as distinctive as a fingerprint: "With really good books, a powerful sense of voice is established in the first line." He believes that the opening line is equally important to the writer because it is also his way into the novel. King states: "When I'm starting a book ... I'll try to write a paragraph. An opening paragraph. And over a period of weeks and months and even years, I'll word and reword it until I'm happy with what I've got. If I can get that first paragraph right, I'll know I can do the book." The full text of the interview can be found at http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainm....

During the interview, King suggested offhandedly that the interviewer might want to do a survey among writers to determine their favorite first lines. For the results, please see http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainm....

How important is the first line of a novel to you? Will it determine whether you continue with a novel, or are you wary of its value, knowing that it will try to hook you as a reader? Food for thought...