Guy Riessen
Wendy ParciakTHE FIRST LINE.
Do you spend a lot of time crafting it into the perfect hook?
Some come to me right away; others I have to work at. But not too much - or they start to feel overdone, almost tropish in their attempt to be "hooky."
Darke Conteur@wendyparciak Personally, no, and I wouldn't read a book because the first line didn't draw me in. It wasn't the first line that drew me to the book in the first place. #WritingCommunity
Steven D. BREWER 🏳️⚧️@DarkeConteur @wendyparciak Wouldn't? Or wouldn't NOT?
EH Lupton@wendyparciak No one will ever write a better opening line than the first line of One Hundred Years of Solitude, so I just try to have a good first two paragraphs instead of putting that kind of pressure on myself.
Definitely Doc D@wendyparciak I do carefully craft the first line, but I write scholarly and expert non fiction, where the first line is often dull or haphazard. A well-crafted opening has more impact in this genre because it's a surprise.
@docdieterlen Indeed! I can see how this would draw readers in.
@wendyparciak I can't say it makes the books bestsellers, but perhaps it doesn't hurt? 🙃 I do think the first few sentences sets the tone.
@docdieterlen Yes! That's probably their most important function.
Tiffany Lee Brown (she/they)@wendyparciak Depends on context. In my local newspaper, I'm usually aiming to be somewhat reporterly and dignified in the lede. Except for my column, which can be personal or political or what-have-you. I just like it to flow naturally.
I also write marketing stuff / copywriting / strategy for my day job. My tolerance for hookiness is pretty low. I'm sick of that garbage, even if it sells.
The first line can't be poorly constructed, obviously, but merely needs to be an encouraging guide to the next.
Then the first couple paragraphs should be 'bait.' The metal of the hook needs to be the end of the first chapter.
As you point out, hooky first sentences are always (for me) overly contrived and 'trying too hard.'
Look at this opening line: "I smell it in the air." Intriguing...but not "hooky." Yet opens one of the most famous trilogies of all time.
@GuyRiessen Good example!
KL Forslund@wendyparciak i put a bit if work into. Some come easier than others.
I figure if it’s lame, it’ll hurt, but otherwise, it can only help hook the reader
Nathan Lowell (he/him) 📎Not in the beginning.
I'm more likely to look at it when I start the second draft, after I've made a decision about where the book actually starts.
My first few novels, I stole first lines from famous classic works but it got too gimmicky. I had to start writing my own.
My goal for the first line is to get the reader to the second, then to finish the paragraph.
The first paragraph needs to get them to finish reading the sample. 🤪
Neve MaslakovicI do take my time getting it just right. The first line doesn't have to be flashy or super actiony. What it does need to do is pique the reader's curiosity just a bit. A tasty morsel for the brain that makes the reader reach for the next bite, and then the next one, and so on.
@neve Yes! Well said.
Mariam Al-Masri@wendyparciak I think a hook is the hardest part and by myself, I can never tell if I've got it right.
I tend to be that person who will rewrite the first chapter/short story opening, send it to my critique group, realize how shit it is and keep editing and resending until I got it perfect.
Its funny because I'm not as strict about later chapters. Its just the opening chapters where I write it, have a brief 30 seconds of enjoyment, then feel a need to change/edit it.
@bloodymar I think obsession over those early pages is more common than not. I know I do it!