9 First Sentences Every Writer Must Know
Lesson from my 𝕏 followers
To become a great writer you must study great writing.
The first sentence of a book is more important than most people think.
Like it or not, many readers will decide whether to read a book based on the quality of the opening pages. Focus on making a good impression from the very first sentence and compel them to keep reading.
To learn more about what makes a strong first sentence, I recently asked my followers on 𝕏 for their input.
They did not disappoint.
I’ve compiled some of the best responses below.
First sentences are all about initiating engagement from the reader. Go through each of the examples below and think about the questions evoked that make you want to continue reading to learn the answers.
Here are 9 First Sentences Every Writer Should Know:
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.”
2. 1984 by George Orwell
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
3. The Gunslinger by Stephen King
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
4. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
“The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault.”
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
6. Broken by Don Winslow
"No one knows how the chimp got the revolver."
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
8. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradybury
“It was a pleasure to burn.”
9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
What other first sentences should be on the list? Let me know 👇
And continue to level-up your writing by exploring the C.S.M. Fiction digital library.
I am an invisible man . Ralph Ellison
I like this one by Alan Moore from his collection of ‘Short’ stories Illuminations, The Improbably Complex High-Energy State.
It was the best of times; it was the first of times.