First sentences are the most important sentence in any story.
The only thing more important is the sentence after that.
And the only thing more important than the sentence after that is – you guessed it – the sentence after that.
Getting your reader hooked from the very beginning is one of the most important skills a writer can have. You’ve got to get straight into the action and let the reader know that they are in for some fun.
Think of it like when you are choosing what to watch on YouTube. Assuming that the video title and the thumbnail image have got your interest, the first couple of seconds of the video is everything. If you’re not interested after 5 seconds, chances are you are going to swipe onto the next video and try again.
It’s exactly the same when writing stories. Writers spend A LOT of time packing everything they can into the first few sentences to hook the reader in. Here is how my first book, THE TURNERS, begins:
‘It started with an itch. Faint, a slight prickle in the base of his spine.
Had he known what was to come next, Leo Lennox would never have stayed in the library. He would have bolted to the first hiding place he could find. But he had no way of knowing that the prickling sensation was the first warning of the catastrophe his life was about to become.’
There is a lot of information packed in there. But most importantly, it tells the reader that lots of exciting stuff is about to happen in the story.
Some writers make the mistake of starting their stories with WAY too much description. That can be slow and a bit boring. Here is a different version of the start of THE TURNERS with lots of description.
‘There was once a thirteen year old boy with sandy brown hair named Leo Lennox, who was in year eight at a high school which was in a small coastal town. On this particular day, which was a sunny Tuesday with just a few clouds in the sky, Leo was in the school library looking at the tall grey bookshelves stacked with books. The library was a 1970s red brick building with a brown roof. It had grey carpet which was worn out in many places, especially near the shelves like the one where Leo was standing…’
Ghbjgsdfhk3wshdiwyrd88%4zzzzzzzzzzz….
Sorry, I just fell asleep on my laptop because that was SOOOOOO BOOOOOOORING!
Now look back at the actual opening of THE TURNERS. It’s SO much snappier, right? It sizzles! (At least I hope it does.) That’s where the term ‘sizzling start’ comes from. It just means dropping the reader right into the action and getting them interested right away.
Here are some other examples of some fantastic sizzling starts that you might recognise:
‘Firstly, let me get one thing straight. This is a journal, not a diary.’
That’s from DIARY OF A WIMPY KID – Book 1. I love how it lets the reader know straight away that the main character – Greg Heffley – has some major issues. He doesn’t even really want to be telling this story, which is a good indication about who he is and what his life is like.
Here is another famous opening:
‘Hi, my name is Andy. This is my friend Terry. We live in a tree.’
You’ll recognise those as the lines from the TREEHOUSE books by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. I love how the short, simple sentences have a cheeky rhythm and immediately tell us that we are in for a fantastic story.
Here is one from a master storyteller:
‘Sophie couldn’t sleep. A brilliant moonbeam was slanting through a gap in the curtains. It was shining right on her pillow.’
That wonderful sizzling start from THE BFG by Roald Dahl immediately sets up a vivid image of the main character and the peculiar nighttime adventures she will soon find herself on.
It’s super-important when you’re writing your stories to capture the reader from the get go. Most importantly of all, never, ever, ever start your story with ‘Once upon a time…’ It’s boring! And you can be sure that your reader will swipe onto the very next story before they are ten seconds in.
Tell me an opening line of a book you love in the comments below and you could WIN a free, signed copy of SQUIDGE DIBLEY DESTROYS HISTORY thanks to the team at Westwords. (Final book winners chosen by 5pm on March 31, 2022.)
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