Definition
An opening line is the very first sentence of a story, novel, or chapter. It sets the tone, establishes voice, and makes a promise to the reader about what kind of experience they're signing up for. The best opening lines do multiple things at once: they raise a question, introduce a mood, and make the reader physically unable to stop reading.
Why It Matters
Your opening line is an audition. Agents, editors, and readers in bookstores all make snap judgments based on those first words. A strong opening line doesn't just hook attention - it establishes your authority as a storyteller and signals that this story is worth the reader's time.
Types of Opening Line
Famous Examples
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" - uses parallelism and paradox to establish the novel's central tension between opposing forces.
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice." Packs past, present, and future into a single sentence.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." The ironic tone tells you exactly what kind of book you're holding.
Common Mistakes
These are so common they've become cliches. Start with something only YOUR story could start with. What's the most interesting thing happening in your character's world right now?
An opening line that calls attention to its own cleverness can feel exhausting. Aim for intriguing, not impressive. The reader should be thinking about your story, not about how smart you are.
Don't explain the world before the reader cares about it. Drop them into a moment and let context emerge naturally. Trust that curiosity will carry them forward.
Try It Yourself
Write ten different opening lines for the same story. Try one that starts with dialogue, one with action, one with a bold claim, one with a question, and one with a sensory detail. Read them aloud. Which one makes you most want to keep writing? That's probably your winner.
Nail your opening line on the first try
Novelium's manuscript editor lets you draft, rearrange, and compare multiple opening lines side by side. See how your first sentence sets up the tone and voice of your entire story before you commit.