First Line Last Line

There is a lot of hype around the importance of both the first line and last line of a story. These two lines from the entirety of the story, so I have to agree that the hype is warranted.

A first line done well creates a promise. It can set tone, character, world. You don’t necessarily have to follow through on that promise, but that has to be a conscious choice and you need a damn good, plot-relevant reason.

The desire for the “perfect” opening line, however, can be debilitating. All the hype can be harmful if it keeps you from the rest of the story. “Perfect” lines bracketing a mediocre story do not magically transform that story into everything you dreamed it could be. They are art forms in their own right, but still only accents to the story as a whole.

My writer-brain often seizes on opening lines, but they’re rarely so clever and fantastic as I initially imagined them to be. I don’t think I’ve ever kept one of those opening lines in its original form. The more I write, the better those first lines have become, but I still struggle with them.

Last lines? I know of writers who have their last lines before they write the novel. I am not one of those.

I struggle with endings – knowing how much is enough for resolution, but not so much that the reader wonders why it’s still going. I’ve never been in a position of knowing the last line. Until now.

Currently, I am a quarter of the way through the rough draft of a novel. I’m doing that thing no no-name author should do and working on a series. Of seven books. The current project is the third book, and I know the last line.

It came to me last week, and the more I considered it, the more perfect it became. Not only is it a decent resolution for the things I know that will be happening in this book, but it directly feeds into the beginning of the next. Of course, this is subject to change as I actually write the rest of the book, or when I come back for revision, but for now, this feeling of knowing the end is rather amazing.

So, yes: your first and last lines are important, and it’s a relief to know what they are. But what comes between is most important, so don’t let yourself stress over them. That’s what revision is for.

Do you have any favorite opening or ending lines? I’d love to read them. Please share in the comments!

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