First line drama

I love writing the first line of a novel because you have all this unused shine bottled up in you that is just bursting to make it onto the page. If I ever find myself NOT excited to begin a novel, I have to question if the idea is ready to be written.

I also hate writing the first line because it can so easily sound forced. I've read many a first line that almost seems to scream I'M A FIRST LINE, I NEED TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION WITH HEART-POUNDING CONFLICT AND TENSION AND INTRICATE STYLE AND OH, WHILE WE'RE AT IT LET'S THROW IN SOME WORD-BUILDING.

And let's not forget the really short first lines, the one-worders, because they act toward the same effect: STOP. I'M AN IMPORTANT STANDALONE. I GRAB YOUR ATTENTION. LOOK AT ME.



After being inundated with every single how-to imaginable, I've become very aware of when I'll resort to playing it safe with the first line by using the following GRABBERS:

-death, whether it be the concept or the actual death of a character
-a character in imminent danger, such as getting shot or descending into a dangerous place
-a mysterious, strange, lurking figure
-some variation of the chase and run
-a character receiving a prophecy or fortune that plays into the inciting incident
-did I mention death?

I call depending upon the above techniques playing it safe because I'm writing for the comfort of knowing that my first line fits with the industry of your-first-line-has-to-sell-the-book. But when I play it safe, I am not necessarily writing the opening that I actually want to write.

This doesn't mean I'm going to describe the sunset and the grass and the beauty of nature in my first line, unless it strongly pertains to my story/genre. And this also doesn't negate the fact that due to our naturally short-attention spans, the saying that you have to hook your reader by the first line is true. And perhaps I will use one of the above first line tropes because it happens to fit the story well, and perhaps I will allow the small worry of no one is going to read this to influence me subconsciously, and I may resort to one of the tropes for the sake of my mental-wellbeing.

But I think it's equally important to remember (and it's none too hard to get lost in the abundance of great advice out there on first lines from wonderful blogs and writers) that you have to balance writing for yourself and for the goal of being marketable, and if there is any place that I'd suggest being a little selfish, it'd be the beginning. It is your idea and your beginning: ultimately (and maybe this is optimistic of me, but who knows?) if you write the first line that you want to read, someone out in the world will feel the same way.

In case you were curious, here are the openings from my novels with first lines in bold*. Please feel free (and I won't lie; I'd very much appreciate it) to tell me which ones bored you and which ones hooked you:

*Please remember that I am still unagented and unpublished, so my writing is by no means a qualified exemplar. Some of these first lines may suck less be better than others.

MS #1 (and you thought you'd never see it, with good reasons on my part):

I’ll never forget that dream.

I’d had my fair share of nightmares, but never had I been so shaken that I decided to lie in bed just to let the air dry the fear from my skin.

MS #2

In my hand, in the sun, my diploma is melting. The roll of paper is warping and dampening. A drop of sweat slips down my back, tickling my skin.

MS #3

It starts on a Monday. The End of My Life.

WIPS

On my fourth circuit of the imperial gardens, it finally struck me to hide in the pond. 

Natalie could hear them moving around her. 

He was young—for a doctor.

No one noticed when Faun Middleton died. (There you have it...my crutch. I'm so morbid)

Helda is pretty in the photograph that my would-have-been in-laws give me—starched, ironed, smiling. 

I’d always wanted a boyfriend, but it just wasn’t a socially acceptable thing to ask for.

How do you go about writing your first lines? Do you have any methods or pet peeves?