How to write a first line that hooks

Your first line is a promise to the reader: “this will be worth your time”. Here are five ways to make that promise.

Five openings that work

• A strange detail: “The note under my door was written in my own handwriting.”
• A strong voice: “I have kept exactly one promise in my life, and it nearly cost me everything.”
• Mid-action: “By the time the alarm stopped, the van was already gone.”
• A situation that raises a question: “Nobody told my parents that my brother had sold the house.”
• A contrast: “It was the best birthday of my life, right up until the police arrived.”

Three openings to avoid

• Waking up and getting ready for school.
• Describing the weather for a whole paragraph.
• “Hello, my name is...” Trust your reader and begin.

Test your judgement in our “Hook or Flop” game, then write five first lines for the same story and keep the strongest.