The Power of the First Line

by Rachel Hauck

“One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph… In the first paragraph, you solve
most of the problems of your book. The theme is defined, the style, the tone. At least in
my case, the paragraph is a kind of sample of what the rest of the book is going to be.”
— Gabriel García Márquez, Nobel Prize–winning author of One Hundred Years of
Solitude

Years ago, at one of my first writers’ conferences, a presenting editor said, “I can tell if a
book is good by the first line.”

Oh, come on. Really?

Her confession shocked my beginner-writer world. It was discouraging—yet also a challenge.

Novels are about the parts as much as the whole. And the first line is one of the most critical parts.

A few stellar first lines

• • “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
    fortune, must be in want of a wife.” — Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)
  • “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” — George
    Orwell, 1984 (1949)
  • “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
    — C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
  • “There was something you wanted to tell me, wasn’t there?” — Paula
    Hawkins, Into the Water (2017)
  • “My dear wife, let me tell you about this pen.” — Beatriz Williams, Cocoa
    Beach (2017)
  • “On days like this—when the sunlit snowflakes fell like tiny, glistening jewels and
    a crisp quiet brushed through the cold—Amelia Bentley could almost believe
    she’d never led another life.” — Melissa Tagg, Like Never Before(2016)
  • “What had possessed her to agree to this crazy idea?” — Colleen
    Coble, Ambushed (2025)
  • “They called him a hero so many times, Creed had actually started to believe it.”
    — Susan May Warren, Creed (2023)
  • “She’d found bliss. Perhaps even true love. Behind the wheel of a ’71
    Dodge Challenger restored to slant-6 perfection.” — Rachel Hauck, Princess
    Ever After (2014)

  Why first lines matter

  Great first lines draw the reader in. They set the tone and establish the author’s voice.

  Imagine you’re standing in a bookstore with enough money for one book—or you’re
  surfing Amazon. You’ve found your genre; the covers are fantastic; the titles are
  intriguing. But you can choose only one. You open a sample and read the first line. How
  many times have you clicked away or put a book back because the opening was ho-
  hum—static, telling, and maybe just a bit boring? Then you find a first line that makes
  you smile, and you have to read the next line…and the next.

  I’ve been shocked by first lines. Moved by them. Inspired by them. I’ve also been bored
  by them.
  Great first lines often do one (or more) of these:

  • Establish a distinct tone and voice
  • Paint a vivid image
  • Evoke emotion
  • Surprise us
  • Contain a nugget of truth
  • Make us laugh
  • Make us think
  • Establish the story question

  Ultimately, every reader is asking: Why should I spend my time on this book? Your
  first line should hint at an exciting, or warm, or romantic, or intriguing tale.

  Elements of a great first line

  1. Establish the protagonist voice.
  Anchor us in your protagonist’s point of view with a thought or action that could
  only belong to them. Whenever possible, start “on the run”—with motion,
  emotion, and details.
  2. A hint of stakes or desire.
  You know the story you’re telling. Hint at the story’s central dilemma or the
  character’s want. Again, start “on the run.” For example, don’t tell the reader,
  “Frank exited his car, hit the remote locked and headed for the house.” Layer in
  emotion or one of the five senses. “For all he knew, this was the last time he’d
  ever exit his car and walk into his house. And there was nothing he could do
  about it.”
  3. A question we must answer.
  García Márquez opens One Hundred Years of Solitude with:
  “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was
  to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”
  Intriguing. Somber. Sentimental. It floods the reader with questions. (Pro tip:
  many authors write their perfect first line last. You can, too.)
  4. Set the stage—with feeling.
  Zoom the camera in. Use sensory detail—sight, sound, smell, taste,
  touch—filtered through your character’s emotion. Without feeling, description
  reads like a magazine article.
  5. Leverage juxtaposition, irony, and tension.
  A quick way to hook the reader’s interest is to present a contradiction:
  “If Jacob Michaels knew one truth it was this—being a thief by day trumped being
  a cop at night.”
  Instant irony. Instant story.

  Bottom line: dig deep for that first line. It’s more than the opening of a book but an invitation to an adventure unfurling on the pages.

  Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. A graduate of Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) with a degree in Journalism. Her bucket list is to stand on the sidelines with Ryan Day. She and her husband live in sunny east coast Florida. Find Rachel at www.rachelhauck.com.