I’m working a little bit on my August short story today, and I’ll probably work on it a lot more over the weekend. It’s slow going – I have a spark of an idea, but it’s not really a story yet, and I’m waiting to see where it might go.
And that got me thinking.
Back when I was in college, I took a creative writing class. One of our in-class assignments was to write a story around an opening line provided by the professor. We had fifteen minutes to write as much as we could. This was the line:
“When we saw the headlights coming, we ducked.”
I can’t remember what I wrote, but I remember that opening line. And I remember some of my other favorite opening lines, too.
How about:
“Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom noticed it when caught by her charm…”
Or:
“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
Also:
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
Or, the old favorite:
“Call me Ishmael.”
Whether I enjoyed these books or not (I resolutely hated Gone with the Wind, and surprisingly loved Moby Dick), these lines have stuck with me, as have many others. This speaks, I think, to the power of a good opening line.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think it’s a make or break thing. Many an excellent story has had a lackluster or an unassuming opening sentence. One of my personal favorites begins really rather quietly with just:
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”
And I’ve never been very fond of this one, but everyone else seems to like it:
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”
Anyway, my point is this: A good opening line gives a story somewhere to go, and a really good opening line hooks a reader immediately.
In the spirit of fairness, here are some that I’ve written. Some are fine, some not so much. Some have become stories. Some are still waiting. But I thought it would be fun to share them.
Summer is the time for magic.
The girl stood alone on a beach she had never seen.
“This is not how my life was supposed to turn out.”
To anyone else, the door at the end of the hallway was just that – a door.
It was Lloyd Alexander’s fault, not that she could ever tell him, seeing as she’d never met him, and he was dead.
See, sometimes, when I’m having trouble putting words together, I’ll just sit down and write first lines. No story or characters attached, no ideas, no strings. And I actually find it really helpful. And usually, one of those first lines will lead me somewhere.
So, tell me! Do you have any favorite opening lines? Or least favorites? Either that you’ve read or that you’ve written. Either way, I’d love to hear them!
A Virginia Writer's Diary 
Interesting question, and one I cannot answer. 🙂
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I’m thinking about doing a post on final lines now. I sort of collect favorite opening sentences, but not final ones, so it would be harder for me. But I think it might be fun!
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To remember opening lines would entail re-reading everything I ever wrote. Sometimes I run across something I wrote years ago (it is happening a lot with cleaning out) and I think “I wrote that?” Only because I dated and signed them can I even prove it is mine. 🙂
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That’s kind of cool, actually. I bet it’s been interesting, coming across those pieces.
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Good challenge!
“I am about to buy a house in a foreign country.”
(Under the Tuscan Sun) -I bet I can find some others!
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I love that one!
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I’m interested in hearing where the story that starts,” To anyone else, the door at the end of the hallway was just that – a door” ends up!
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That one actually ended up being part of a story I’m still fiddling around with. I posted a longer piece from it back in October: https://myvirginiadiary.com/2020/10/12/october-stories-2-final-wishes/. But, it’s still not done yet. So we’ll see where it goes, and if it changes.
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Awesome! I will go back and read the other piece.
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Thank you!! I hope you like it. 🙂 It’s not much, but I think it’s a good start.
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Oh, what a fun post! And an excellent writing prompt. You had me looking through my pile of books to check their first lines 🙂 I love the one you mentioned about the boy called Eustace Clarence Stubbs. One of my favourites is the good old Plath’s Bell Jar:
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”
From yours, I really liked the last one: “It was Lloyd Alexander’s fault, not that she could ever tell him, seeing as she’d never met him, and he was dead.” Intriguing! 🙂
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Oh, I love the one from The Bell Jar! On mine about Lloyd Alexander, that one still might be a story one day. We’ll see! If it is, I’ll likely post it in September.
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“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head. As formative events go, nothing else comes close.”
— Edgar Mint, from Brady Udall’s novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
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Oh, this is a good one! Makes me want to read more!
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Though disputed in terms of actual translation “Mother died today” from Albert camus’ the stranger always stood out to me.
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Oh, that is a good one! Interesting about the translation, though. I’ve never read The Stranger, so maybe I should pick it up at some point.
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