Sometimes the most difficult thing about writing is getting started. A writer may have an idea about how they want their story to end but they may not know where, or even how to begin. There is no exact formula to make the perfect opening but it is certainly easy to recognise one when you find it. Here are seven examples of writers who mastered the craft.
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”
1984 by George Orwell
A perfect scene-setter, Orwell begins his dystopia in a landscape that feels uncannily close to our own. Glazing over the fact that in this world clocks have thirteen numbers, we jump into a society where abnormal rules are eerily accepted without question.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Carefully crafted, this matter-of-fact first line introduces us to the Austenian world of manners and Marriage Marts. Yet, by asserting the truth so strongly, Austen undoes it and she opens up the question: what do people really desire?
“Call me Ishmael”
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Melville’s three-word opening proves that sometimes the best beginnings are the simplest. An authoritative voice is a confident introduction to this classic American tragedy. By assertive instruction, we meet our possibly unreliable narrator.
“You better not never tell nobody but God”
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
The Colour Purple is an epistolary classic composed of protagonist Celie’s letters to God. However, before Celie’s first letter can begin, Walker allows an intrusive voice to snatch the novel’s first words. When they speak, they introduce a dark secret that Celie’s letters will soon unravel.
“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.”
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Salinger perfectly encapsulates the voice of an angsty teenager in the longest opening sentence on this list. The line is relatable to any writer who has stressed about the need to instantly introduce a character’s backstory. Ironically, by masterfully dodging the subject entirely, Salinger teaches us all we need to know about protagonist Holden Caulfield.
“Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Du Maurier’s unnamed narrator is nostalgic before any action has even happened. As she dreams of returning, we’re left wondering what is so magical about Manderley and why can’t the narrator stay.
“It was a pleasure to burn”
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Bradbury’s opening line is short, succinct, and immediately connected to the novel’s title. In six words, we enter a hot world where burning is enjoyable. But what is being burnt? And why?
These openings prove that no first line is the same. They vary in tone and technique but each introduce and begin to define their story. There may be no exact method to a perfect start but crucially a great first line is one that makes you want to read the second.
Words by Jennifer Cartwright
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