Dr Gitsham Creative Writing Elective Lesson Four: Openings www.paulgitsham.com @dcijoneswriter © Paul Gitsham 2013 – Free for non-commercial use

The opening line is the most important line in the book Or at least that’s what publishers think It’s the line that grabs a reader’s attention and makes them read on Without a good opening line a reader may put the book back on the shelf

But what it must always do is make the reader want more A good opening line can do many things: It can tease It can entice It can set up the premise of the story It can even misdirect But what it must always do is make the reader want more

The sheet has examples of some of the best opening lines in novels as identified by the editors of American Book Review. On your tables, look at the list. Choose your three favourites. What do you like about them? What do you think the story is going to be about. Would you read on? Extension – are there any others that particularly grabbed your attention?

Writing activity Write your own opening line. Make it as exciting and intriguing as possible. Don’t worry about the story behind it, we are only interested in that opening line

Continuing that opening A good first line is essential. But it isn’t enough. The momentum from that opening must be carried through the next paragraph.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley A squat grey building of only thirty-four stories. What is intriguing about this opening sentence? Over the main entrance the words, Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, Community, Identity, Stability.  How is the opening sentence’s momentum carried through this first paragraph?

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie All children, except one, grow up. What is intriguing about this opening sentence? They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end. 

Give your opening line to another person Writing Activity Give your opening line to another person That person should then use it as a starting line for their own work. Try and compose at least a paragraph. You don’t need to know where it is going. If you can do more than that, great!

And finally, just for fun… some of the worst openings, as short-listed by the Bulwer-Lytton Prize, which invites writers to come up with the worst opening lines that they can think of.