Noah
Noah asked Al Stewart:

What's your take on "the importance of a novel’s opening line"? http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/07/why-stephen-king-spends-months-and-even-years-writing-opening-sentences/278043/

Al Stewart Hi Noah, number one fan, thank you for asking this important question.
I think the first line is important but not sink or swim.
It need not be a story unto itself.
The first page, however, is vital, and it is amazing how much you as a reader know by the end of page one.
Are you a Stephen King fan, Mr Noah ? Me too.

A fantastic way to start any piece of writing is with a quote, song, or poem. It makes the reader go " Wow."

The other thing is, As a writer, it would be easy to become fixated on the first line and never progress further....

I hope this answers your question :)
Al Stewart
155 followers

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