We all know how important first lines are in our writing. Those lines set the stage for the readers, creating a sense of dread or anticipation, excitement or contemplation. First lines can capture and transport, or convict and challenge. When I start a book and the first line grabs me, I always get a bit of a charge. If the first line is that good, I have great hopes that the rest will be great.
We haven’t done this in awhile, and it’s always great fun when we do, so I thought today would be a good day to share the first line—and ONLY the first line—of our current writing projects. Fiction, nonfiction, children’s, poetry…whatever you’re working on right now, share your first line with us so we can enjoy!
Here’s mine:
The whole world was on fire.
Your turn!
This particular morning I felt such a deep sense of agony and sadness in my belly that gripped like a vise, tighter and tighter.
In the early hours of day, the question flashed from heaven and lit up my heart.
Forgot to leave my name 🙂
This is the first line of my work-in-progress Only Forever, a paranormal and spicy romance novel.
The heater in the B&B’s tiny honeymoon suite was cranked up to high, and Dominic Sullivan, even bare-assed naked, was roasting in the bed.
Again, Lord?
In summer I didn’t have to go bed early.
I will try again:
“In summer I didn’t have to go to bed early.”
I like it. And I can’t wait to find out what adventures await our protagonist.
Julia Weiss was a dwarf dwelling among giants. (from a political thriller)
Three days to bury the dead.
The dead kept poking him in the back.
There are so many great first lines!
Here’s mine.
I wanted to run.
I am working on a couple of books:
“She tried on countless occasions to count the stars and found it impossible.”
“The ring burned.”
“The night sky was clear for once.”
First lines of caregiver book:
• Does your life revolve around taking care of another’s needs?
• Does weariness overtake you and some days you wonder if you can take another step?
• Do you have medical, legal, and other questions that need to be answered?
• Does keeping track of medicines and insurance papers have you teetering on the edge of despair?
• Are you perhaps part of the sandwich generation—raising your own family while caring for a parent, another relative or friend?
If it’s important they’ll call back.
Coated in sweat, dirt, and the lust for battle, Gage kicked his mount into a gallop.
“I pulled the trigger.”
I traced the top of the chair rail, the pine molding worn smooth by forty years of touches.
First line from my book “A Beautiful Exchange….”
“I sat at the McDonald’s play place, amidst splotches of ketchup and scattered chicken nuggets, wondering how this had become my new sanctuary.”
So many amazing first lines 🙂
Here’s a couple of mine:
“Why does everyone hate me and Mother, even though you look after us?”
Cold, so much cold that she was sure the only reason her wounds ceased bleeding was because the blood froze within her veins.