Have you ever read a book or short story that grabbed you with the very first line and pulled you right into the adventure? What made that opening line compelling? Why couldn't you stop reading?

In this post, we'll examine several fantastic, classic opening lines and discuss why they work so well. I'll reference most of them multiple times, since they each demonstrate more than one of the tools and techniques I'm going to share with you. Here's a quick overview of the lines we're going to review:

“It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” From 1984 by George Orwell.

“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrub, and he almost deserved it.” From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis.

“This is my favorite book of all time, though I've never read it.” From The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” From The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Number Four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone—or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, depending on which country's publication you are reading—by J. K. Rowling.

“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.” From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.” From The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley.

When crafting your story's opening line, I suggest including one or more of what I call the three Cs of a compelling opener: character, conflict, and current environment, which includes setting and tone. And your first sentence should make sense on its own, before the reader even gets to the next line, let alone the next paragraph.

We'll explore each of the three Cs in depth, but the point is to give the reader at least a hint of who the viewpoint character is, what's happening, and where the scene is taking place.

Now, this doesn't mean you need to give the character's name or describe the entire setting. The point is to anchor the reader in person and place. This can also include anchoring the reader as far as genre and tone are concerned. But we'll explore that a little later.

Your opening line can also drop hints about other people besides your viewpoint character.

If the viewpoint character isn't the protagonist, the opening line may give readers a glimpse into how the viewpoint character views the protagonist, their relationship or connection, or any antagonism between them.

It can also introduce a different major character who is not the viewpoint character and show what makes him or her interesting.

Again, I'll reference our line from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This line hints at Eustace's personality, as well as that of the viewpoint character, and reveals the tone of the story to be humorous and a bit snarky.

And it points to the relationship between these two characters, at least at the beginning of the story. By pointing to that relationship early on, it gives the reader a hint that this relationship will be pivotal to the story and may be part of the character's arc or subject to change as the story progresses. This can really raise reader anticipation.

Perhaps the most important key to grabbing and reader's attention is conflict. After all, without conflict, there is no story.

So, the opening line should promise the struggles to come, hint at a conflict that has already happened, or throw the reader right into the middle of the current conflict.

This can be an outright ongoing conflict, or it can be just a hint. For example, the opening line from Pride and Prejudice hints at marriage being a number one priority for several characters in the book. The question of whether a character will marry…and whom…is the source of conflict throughout the novel.

One of the most common reasons agents and editors cite for rejecting a novel is that the story starts in the wrong place. Usually too soon. This leads to rejection because starting a story too soon results in a lack of conflict or stakes in the opening line and paragraphs.

Readers want to know, right away, what's at stake and why they should root for these characters in the first place.

But how can you make sure you're starting your story in the best possible place?

One way is to find the first exciting scene that has lots of action and plunk the reader into the middle of it. To do this, you may need to remove the first few pages of your original beginning.

But not all stories are filled with action. In that case, begin with something at stake for the character emotionally. Hint at a difficult or antagonistic relationship or show the clash of two opposing states within the character's life. For example, her own clashing views, desire versus reality, etc.

For example, Pride and Prejudice doesn't open with an action scene. It shows the family discussing the arrival of Mr. Bingley into the neighborhood. He's the wealthy young man referenced in the opening line. His arrival and the family's interactions with him and his companions will be the catalyst for everything that happens in the story.

Now, let's look at the last of the three Cs for a compelling opening line, your story's current environment.

Your opening line should give readers a sense of the setting and atmosphere of your story. This includes identifying the genre.

To do this, use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. For example, in The Hobbit, the opening line is a bit matter of fact, but the rest of that first paragraph gives us lots of sensory detail, or tells us what sensory detail we won't find in the hole where the hobbit lives.

You can also create a sense of atmosphere. A well-placed setting detail can create a sense of mystery or anticipation in the reader.

Use sensory detail. Using specific nouns and verbs can engage the reader's senses and create a richly textured scene. For tips on writing effective and vivid sensory detail, check out this post.

Another way to hint at the story's current environment is to show something unique or intriguing about the story world. Our example from The Hobbit shows the reader that the hobbit lives in a hole in the ground. That's rather unique. I don't know about you, but I haven't met many people who live in a hole.

You can use the wording of your opening line to set the tone for your story. Is it humorous? Ironic? Romantic? Suspenseful? Is it going to be light entertainment or something profound? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gives us an example of tone right away. It's a bit snarky, irreverent, and a little sarcastic, while sounding a little intellectual.

Use your opening line to set reader expectations for the story. Will it be moving, adventurous, terrifying? If you open with a frightening scene, the reader's going to expect a horror or thriller story. But if, in the next scene, you switch into a sweet romance, that'll be confusing.

You can also use your opening line to turn a scene setup on its head by ending the sentence with a contradiction.

There are several things we need to consider when crafting an opening line.

The first line of your story should be able to stand alone.

It won't be a throat-grabbing hook if it doesn't make sense until a person reads the next few sentences.

Imagine putting your first line by itself on social media. Let's say you tweet it. Does it make sense? Would it grab a reader's attention? Might it make someone click the link that's next to it?

Let's look at The Hobbit again. “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.” Now, if you weren't familiar with that story at all, wouldn't this line make you curious? Why did this person or thing live in a hole? And what is a hobbit, anyway?

Besides focusing on one or more of the three Cs, a powerful opening line may do one or more of the following:

Make a promise the reader will need fulfilled or hint at a relationship, event, or outcome that will occur later to raise reader anticipation.

Your opening line can also make a shocking statement. This can create a sense of urgency or intrigue. For example, in the opening line of 1984, we start with an ordinary-sounding day, but the clocks were striking 13. That's a rather shocking statement.

The first line can present an interesting or little-known fact or truth, or at least a truth in the eyes of the viewpoint character. This can spark curiosity and make the reader want to know more.

Finally, you can add an incongruous word to an ordinary situation to shift the meaning. For example, the number 13 in the opening line to 1984 is something we don't expect and creates that sense of mystery.

We need to keep several cautions in mind when crafting our story's opening line. There are things we should avoid, after all.

The first seems a bit obvious, but don't start with anything boring or mundane, unless you put a unique or weird spin on it. The opener from 1984 accomplishes this. Who cares that it was a bright, sunny day in April? That's very ordinary. But the addition of the clocks striking 13 at the end…well, that changes things completely.

Also, don't start with a long description or a bit of backstory. Put your readers right into the current action or events of the story, and trust that the hints you will drop later about the character's backstory will be enough to keep the reader going. Readers don't need to know everything about your characters or your world up front. That takes away all the mystery and anticipation.

For more tips on how to avoid backstory and information dumps, check out this post.

Raise questions with your opening line, but don't confuse the reader by failing to give enough information. Our line about the hobbit raises a question of what a hobbit is and why it lives in a hole, but we know it's some kind of creature that is sentient and human-like, especially after we read the rest of the first paragraph.

Some writing craft books suggest that it's unwise to begin a story or book with dialogue, because readers don't yet know the characters and aren't invested in them.

If you do begin with dialogue, be sure to identify both characters, clarify which is the viewpoint character, and make the context of their conversation obvious. This dialogue should also be powerful enough to make readers want more.

For tips on crafting natural-sounding dialogue, check out this post.