forum First lines anyone???
Started by @americanqueen
tune

people_alt 46 followers

@saor_illust school

Oh! it really depends on what kind of story it is… maybe i could come up with one for you! lol but i'd need to get a sense of what the story was about tho

Deleted user

I usually start with something humoristic, like a sarcastic thought from the MC. Or something that sums up the situation in only one sentence. Just to like, introduce the reader to what is happening right now.

@Starfast group

Some advice that I live by is to start with something that will make your reader ask questions, which is a good way to hook your readers.

For example, the book I just finished reading starts with "Out here, darkness meant death." Which is a great way to start IMO, because it raises all kinds of questions. Why is the dark so bad? Where is "here?" Why is the MC still out if it's so dangerous?

In my own writing though, I kinda prefer a statement that's kind of funny, unexpected or just makes the reader go, "Wait, what?" My favourite one so far is "I'm in party hell."

@katthekonqueror

I know a lot of people who struggle with first lines find it helpful to have something already on the page. Maybe write a summary of the story, or put a quote or something motivational before you get started on the actual story. Or you could start your story off with something cliche and change it to a more unique hook on your next draft. It might be easier to figure out how to open the story when you have the tone hammered out already.

Nickle

What I do, is I make a statement that eludes to some secret the character has, or something. Then I make a new paragraph and act as if I never said anything about the secret, and describe a scene. Then maybe three paragraphs later I go back to the first sentence. For instance, my character isn't allowed in the woods near his home. I start the story with "The woods were his escape." Then three paragraphs later, I say that he isn't allowed in the woods, but he goes there anyway to escape his life. I guess this method only works if your character has a secret, but it might work with something else. Honestly, though, the books I've liked best always start with the character wanting something, something really small, and then something else really small stops them. Like they want to get home quickly for some reason, but they're involved in a conversation with someone who will not let it go. Or having a task they don't want to do, and they keep trying to get away from the task but can't.
That was kind of a huge rant, so I don't know if any of it was helpful. But good luck on your first lines!