6 Tips for Writing a Compelling First Sentence
Picture this: You’re doing a little book shopping at the bookstore. You pick up a book with an amazing cover. You read the title, and it grabs your attention. You quickly flip to the first page with determination and read the first sentence, which stinks. With disappointment, you slowly lower the book to the table, and with your head hung, you sulk away.
A book’s opening sentences must grab the reader and draw them in. The sentences must entice the reader to continue reading. If the first two to three sentences are duds, the reader may not continue reading the book, just like what happened to our friend at the bookstore.
Check out the following tips that will help draw readers into your book with your opening sentence:
1. Provoke the reader’s emotions
Share a strange detail about the main character or a detail that will provoke extreme emotion such as happiness, sadness, or fear.
2. Ask a question
A question hook is when the author presents a question that demands the reader to visualize it in their minds. Then, the author answers the question.
3. Tell the reader what they will learn or discover
This tip is self-explanatory, but an explanation would be to create sentences that lay out the story’s main points. A few ideas:
Write about one of the main character’s flaws or strengths.Give the main idea of a challenge the main character is facing.Drop hints about how the main character plans to overcome an obstacle.
4. Give character background information that interests the reader
Flash back to a previous time in the main character’s life to explain how they arrived at this point. You want to provide just enough information about the character’s backstory. Give enough to make the reader want to read more, not too much to create an overload.
5. Introduce the character to the reader in an exciting or surprising way
What makes your character special or unique? Do they have one blue eye and one brown eye? Do they speak with an accent? Do they have an eccentric way of dressing?
6. Uniquely describe the setting by setting the scene
Set your scene by describing the environment in detail, such as excruciating heat or frigid cold. If the climate is not essential to your story, try setting the scene by explaining what is in the room where your character resides.
Do they have to wipe their feet before leaving their home? Or is their home so meticulous that it doesn’t look like anyone could live there? Whichever route you choose, create a vivid image for the reader.
When all else fails, read the first sentence of your top 10 favorite books. That should give you a good idea of spectacular opening lines.
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