As writers, we’re often told that the first line of a story must hook the reader (particularly if that reader is an editor.) Implied is that the editor will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. But the editor is a single person with an opinion, often based on significant experience in selecting books. Still, it’s one opinion. The opinion that counts is that of the reader.
First Lines is a series of blog articles posted around the first of the month. Inspired by a friend’s suggestion that I write a post on how to write the first line of your story, I started this series. My idea was to inspire my writing with these examples. I also hoped to inspire other writers and point readers to books they might enjoy.
This month we’re celebrating Women’s History Month (and Read Across America Day) with titles listed as feminist. Try them. Maybe one of these will hook you. No guarantees. After all, the hookiness of the first lines is in the eye of the beholder.
Greetings, Mother—
I do not have much time. This change (this wondrous, wondrous change) is at this very moment upon me. I could not stop it if I tried. And I have no interest in trying.
It is not from any place of sorrow that I write these words. There is no room for sorrow in a heart full of fire. You will tell people that you did not raise me to be an angry woman, and that statement will be correct. I was never allowed to be angry, was I? My ability to discover and understand the power of my own raging was a thing denied to me. Until, at last, I learned to stop denying myself.
You told me on my wedding day that I was marrying a hard man whom I shall have the pleasure to sweeten.”
When Women Were Dragons, Kelly Barnhill
Prologue
Each communication was a risk, but such were the realities of war when sending sensitive information over in interstellar relays.
The voice on the other end of the call knew the danger every time they spoke. “Well?”
“The ship is ready to embark. Everyone is on board.”
“And the sample?”
“Secured and packaged along with the equipment you’ll need for synthesis.” Years of preparation were about to come to fruition. Soon, they’d have everything in place to reclaim what had been lost. Colony ships always represented the promise of a new beginning, but this one stood at a pivotal crossroads for humanity. It’s successful mission would be a beacon of hope for a brighter future.
“That’s good news. Why do you sound concerned?”
“There was another development – a last-minute addition to the roster. It came from high-up.”
Stranded, Starship of the Ancients Book 1, A.K. DuBoff
It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure and ancestral hall for the summer.
Colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reached the height of a romantic felicity – but that would be asking too much of fate!
Still, I will proudly declare that there’s something queer about it.
Else, why should it be let so cheaply? And why have stood so long untenanted?
John laughed at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.
John is practically in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.”
The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I grab the faded fuchsia cape off the closet hook and fling it over my left shoulder. The worn fabric drapes more freely than it once did, and I don’t even mind the frayed edges or the tear near the hem that’s growing. It’s a testament to six years of wear, and the cape has come to feel like some kind of shield, a small thing that makes me believe I’m invincible. I never leave home without it.
Sometimes, when I put my cap on, I wonder: when was the exact moment in time I decided I wanted to be like her?
She feels so much like me, even though we’ve never met.
The thought disappears when a message from my best friend Izza, flickers on the bedroom wall, the word, sharp and insistent.
Hurry up!”
Fuchsia War, Gaia Kai
And now for something a little different, specifically for Women’s History Month: a non-fiction title:
Introduction
Alongside the rise of internet culture, a new wave of feminism is beginning. It is striking for it’s two-way discussion in which fan critics change the content of their favorite shows to be more respectful of women and minorities. Indeed, this wave of feminism is also intersectional, merging with queer studies, disability studies, and the goals of different races and nationalities as well as a new global sensibility.
Feminism is famed for arriving and waves. First wave feminist claimed the right to vote. Still, Megan Seely, in her book Fight Like a Girl, observes, “significant criticism of the first and second waves – such as concerns about racism, generational tensions, and relevance of issues – continue to be central to the dialogue about the women’s movement” (39).”
Clarification
There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. Usually I pull these titles at random. They are from Amazon, my personal library, my area public library, or other online booksellers.
Do You Want to Read More?
Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more? They are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books. Let me know which ones sparked your interest. And please, if you read a book, review it on the site where you bought or borrowed the book, or on a readers focused site like Goodreads or Library Thing.
Reviews Don’t Have to be Difficult
No matter what book you’re reading, leave a a few words on the site where you bought it, a readers site, or the author’s site. Just say the kind of thing you would tell a friend about it.
Your review may be the thing that helps someone like you find their next read.
Thank you for reviewing. Reviews are always appreciated by writer and readers alike.
If you found one of these books’ first lines interesting, please share which one hooked you and why.
Like this post? Check out previous First Lines posts.