Don't judge a book by its cover; judge it by its first line.
Readers have limited attention spans. There are too many options—too many wonderful books to fall into—to waste time reading a book that isn't catching your attention from the start.
I've written before about the importance of "sticking the landing" of your story, but the beginning of your story is perhaps even more important: it is, after all, the first thing your reader will see and judge. It is what entices the reader to keep going, or what convinces them to put the book back on the shelf.
Let's look at some great openers and examine what makes them work:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Right off the bat, this line introduces you to the wry humor of Pride and Prejudice and gives you a pretty good idea of what the story is about. Without reading anything else, you know this story will involve a rich bachelor and the women who might become his wife.
You heard it here first: Pride and Prejudice is The Bachelor set in the Regency era.
The first arrow hit a child. That was the opening line. The Book That Wouldn't Burn, Mark Lawrence
Those two sentences comprise the entirety of the prologue. Right away, you might be feeling horror at the thought of a child being injured. Maybe you're tense or curious. I guarantee you are feeling something, and you will probably turn the page to find out what happened.
Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
You, the reader, are instructed to do something—how many of you had a picture of a ruin pop into your head after reading that? I know I did. And I know I want to read on to learn about this strange ruin.
Ayoola summons me with these words—Korede, I killed him. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite
Forgive the pun, but that opening is killer. This book is a meal that wastes no time getting to the meat.
Dean Brockman had no idea he was a douchebag. Clusterfuck, Carlton Mellick III
Instantly sets the tone. A book that lacks a sense of humor will avoid the phrase "douchebag." This book boldly uses it in its opening line. What does that tell you?
But Don't Overthink It
Really, don't. Write whatever opening line you can think of, and return to it later, perhaps during the editing process.
Why? Because it's quite likely that the beginning of your story will change.
And because you don't want to spend fifteen minutes staring at a blank page, trying to think of the perfect opening. That is a sure-fire way to send yourself into screaming madness.
Some of us don't need any help with that.
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