Putting First Lines to the Test by Margo Kelly

Reading a novel is a treat, an escape, a joyride, an amazing adventure; and it begins with one sentence. The first line of a story can captivate me or lose me. And my favorite first lines are the ones that are story specific … meaning: that first sentence could not be used to start any other story but this one. Also, I love a first line that poses questions, creates tension, and makes me want to read more … immediately!

I grabbed a few books off my bookshelf and tested them to see if they met the standards above, and I’m thrilled to say: YES, they did! I loved reading these books the first time, and I’ve kept them on my shelves so that I can enjoy reading them again. While these aren’t all examples from creepy dark young adult books, they do all have great first lines!

ESCAPE FROM EDEN by Elisa Nader: “False prophets!” the Reverend Elias Eden yelled into the dented microphone.

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson: So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee.

SEIZE THE NIGHT by Dean Koontz: Elsewhere, night falls, but in Moonlight Bay it steals upon us with barely a whisper, like a gentle dark-sapphire surf licking a beach.

INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher: Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.

STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova: Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them.

THE GIRL IN THE WALL by Daphne Benedis-Grab: What do you wear to the birthday party of your ex-best friend?

ALONG THE WAY HOME by Christi Corbett: Every Wednesday Kate stood on the same front porch, her hand poised inches from the door, willing herself to do the unthinkable – walk away without knocking.

So … my challenge to you: grab one of your all-time favorite books and put its first sentence to the test. Is it story specific? Does it pose questions, create tension, and make you want to read more?

Or … do you think the first line of a book doesn’t really matter overall?

Margo Kelly

Who RU Really? Merit Press, 2014
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 Margo Kelly loves to be scared … when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She loves writing thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give you the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is represented by the not-so-scary, but totally awesome, Brianne Johnson of Writers House.