Because I have been engaged with so many kids (my own and my readers), worked for a long time in an academic institution, and am tied to the world of publishing, which has seasons, I’ve long felt that September One — or perhaps more specifically, Labor Day — marks the beginning of my year. Beginnings, then, are always important to me, and perhaps among the most important beginnings are the first lines of a story, the ones I write and the ones I read.
Some of them are deeply ingrained in our literary culture.
- “Call me Ishmael.” Moby Dick
- “Marley was dead, to begin with.” A Christmas Carol
- “Happy Families are all alike: every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Anna Karenina
- “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
- “What’s gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM. No answer.” Tom Sawyer
- “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.” Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Opening lines can be, and I think should be, doors that open the reader to a whole new world. At best, they should not just be inviting but enticing. To be sure, this is highly subjective. Have you a favorite book? I suspect that book has your favorite opening lines, the comfort food of literature.
From this writer’s perspective, I believe they are crucial. Moreover, they are not just important for the reader, but for the writer too. They can set the tone of the entire book, the launching pad, the voice, if you will, for everything that follows. I cannot overstate how important they are to me. I rewrite them many times, truly hoping they are the first lines my audience reads, hoping that they will continue.
I won’t for a moment pretend that my opening lines are as memorable as the ones I quote above, but I have my favorites. Here they are:
- “The first time Uncle Charlie came to live with us, he was alive. The second time, he was dead.” School of the Dead
- “On this day, my father was murdered because he said a prayer.” Loyalty
- “Have you ever been struck with lightning? I have.” Gold Rush Girl
- “The way I see it, I stopped being a kid on April 12, 1951.” Catch You Later, Traitor
- “Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty. But I was such a girl…” The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle
By way of possible enticement, here is the opening line of my forthcoming new book, The Road From Nowhere, which will be published in early 2026.
“In a few minutes, I’m going to be the richest kid in the world.”
Readers are invited to share their own favorite opening lines.
2 thoughts on “To Begin”
A thin crescent moon, high in the sky, shed faint white light over Dimwood Forest.
The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peter and Judy had at home.
I won Dribble at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday party.
Where’s Papa going with that ax?
They looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-glass in the door.
Beatrice Quimby’s biggest problem was her little sister Ramona.
My favorite opening line from one of your books is- “It was in the year 1046, on a cold winters night when a fog thick as wool and dank as a dead mans hand crept up from the river scrogg into the ancient town of Fulworth. This is the opening line from your excellent novel “The Book Without Words” I still hope someday you will write a sequel to it. It would be neat to see what happened to sybil and odo and the rest of the characters. I hope you will please consider it, Avi. Thank you.