How
important are opening lines to a book’s success? Editors tell writers that
opening lines are essential to grab their (and a reader’s) attention, but
honestly, how many opening lines can YOU remember? Even of famous books?
As
an erotic romance author, I’ve tried to follow this sacred Rule Number One, and
hook a reader from the very beginning of a story. Here’s a sampling…
“Isabella
Tallin was handcuffed and blindfolded. What the hell was going on?” (from my case-of-mistaken-identity
contemporary erotic romance The Initiation of Isabella)
“Today
was Saturday. That meant sex with Doc tonight.” (from my contemporary erotica
amnesia story Snow White And Her Seven Lovers)
“Agent
Turner, I’m sending you undercover as a Beautiful Dolls sex robot.” (from my futuristic police erotic romance Programmed
For Pleasure.)
What
do you think? Would those opening lines tempt you to want to read more about
the story? Are they enough of a hook for you as a reader?
Let’s
compare those opening lines to some classic romances.
From
Gone
With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell… “Scarlet O’Hara was not beautiful,
but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins
were.”
From
The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald… “In my younger and more vulnerable
years my father gave me some advice I’ve been turning over in my mind ever
since.”
From
Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte… “I’ve just returned from a visit to my
landlord – the solitary neighbor I shall be troubled with.”
Well?
Would these classic opening lines be enough of a hook to make you buy the book?
Or is it the story as a whole that makes it a classic? As an author or a
reader, what do you think of the importance of opening lines?
Jenna
Ives
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