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Position:Home>Books & Authors> Good opening line?Question: Good opening line!? I've been trying to find the perfect open line for my new story!. The opening scene is about a murder taking place, and the novel is trying to figure out who did the murder!.
I think the opening line I'm going to use is this: "It was a dark and stormy night over the quaint sea side town of Clicheton!." What do you think!? It's good right!? All help welcome! I really want to do this right!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Between you and me and the lamppost, it's a bit long in the tooth but from the word go, I figure that dog will hunt, and it sure beats a jab in the eye with sharp stick!. That's all she wrote! Somebody stop me!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It's a good start, but you'll have to find a killer second line to back it up!. I propose the following: "Jessica flipped her long blonde hair out of her eyes just as lightning streaked across the sky, revealing the outline of a man in a trenchcoat at the side of the deserted road!." Too ominous!? Maybe there should be a moment where her heart leaps up into her throat (which I've always thought was a bit grisly) as well!?Www@QuestionHome@Com "It was a dark and stormy night" is very cliche!. But being that the town is Clicheton, maybe that's the effect you seek!. If not, here are some ideas!.!.!. Explain with your senses the night!. Does the rain fall like sheets, with large, angry drops, or lightly sprinkling!? Is there thunder or lightning!? Is the lightning helping to light the crime scene!? What is the darkness like!? Pitch black!? Eggplant purple!?Www@QuestionHome@Com I think that line seems like you are trying too hard to be funny!. Maybe you could just start out describing the scene of the murder, kinda having the readers guess what is going on!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Hahaha!. That is funny!.!.!. But if it is supposed to be a serious book then I probably wouldn't recommend using it!. Sort of gives people the wrong impression, you know!?Www@QuestionHome@Com It's fantastic, Snoopy!. (:Www@QuestionHome@Com Meh, its good, but i think you'd want to go for great, I'd use something else!.Www@QuestionHome@Com CLICHE!!!!!! dont use such a cliched phraseWww@QuestionHome@Com I give it 4/10!. It’s acceptable, but it doesn’t grab me!. Having read some of your Q&A, you’re probably on a wind up but as I’ve typed out my quotes, I’m going to post anyway!. Someone might find it interesting!. Consider a few random opening lines from established authors: ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit!.’ JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit ‘A mile above Oz, the Witch balanced on the wind’s forward edge, as if she were a green fleck of the land itself, flung up and sent wheeling away by the turbulent air!.’ Gregory Maguire, Wicked ‘Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening Hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen!.’ Phillip Pullman, Northern Lights ‘Somebody must have made a false accusation against Josef K!., for her was arrested one morning without having done anything wrong!.’ Franz Kafka, The Trial ‘We slept in what had once been the gymnasium!.’ Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale ‘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, Pride and Prejudice ‘Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible to have ignored the circumfusion of those mean dwellings that swarmed like an epidemic around its outer walls!.’ Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan ‘I was born in the city of Bombay … once upon a time!.’ Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children The one thing all of these very different openings have in common is that they are interesting, they draw the reader in!. Some force him to ask questions like Tolkien, Pullman and Kafka!. Others paint a vivid picture like Maguire and Peake!. Rushdie starts a conversation with us while Austen gives us a pithy nugget of philosophy!. These were just the first few books that came to hand, there was no special selection!. Do something to grab the reader’s attention!. Drop him into the action, make an interesting remark, puzzle him… Persiphone_Hellecat often quoted Nakabov’s Lolita, the opening to which is spell-binding!. ‘Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins!. My sin, my soul!. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip to tap, at three, on the teeth!. Lo!. Lee!. Ta!.’ [You can read the rest of the Nakabov’s first paragraph on Amazon: http://www!.amazon!.co!.uk/gp/product/01402!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |