Writing and Grammar

Grabbing the Reader by the Throat

The first line of your story should hook the reader immediately. In order to hook the reader, you want them to ask questions (this does NOT mean you should start your first line with a question. Doing so creates a weak opener).

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In Compulsion, Martina Boone uses the opener, "The heat that crept into the airport baggage area whenever the door opened should have told Barrie Watson that she had arrived in hell."

Some questions generated from this sentence: Why is she at the airport? Where is she going? Where did she come from? Why does she see this place as hell?

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In Jane Casey's novel How to Fall, she opens the first line with "Freya ran."

These two words generate questions such as: Why is she running? Who is she running from? Is her life in danger? Did she do something bad?

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Hooks can come in many different sizes, and it's your decision how you'll present the opening line. Remember to strive for piquing your readers' interests.