How to hook your reader wth your opening line

Copywriting best practice: Opening Lines - How They Make Or Break

A good opening line draws you in. A bad one tells you to put the book down. Opening lines are the most important sentences a writer will put down in pen and paper. They are crucial for commercial success.

If readers cannot go beyond an insipid opening line, they cannot reach the thousands of beautiful sentences that lie just beyond the first page. If a reader does not read, then the subsequent lines will virtually not exist. In a sentence, a good opening line leads to a strong literary start.

A must for commercial success

The start of any literary work begins with the first two lines and continues to the first two chapters. Agents and publishers read a work before readers do, and they are not afraid to cancel the novel if they find it uninspiring. Their most said excuses are:

• If readers are not in thrall by the end of the first chapter, they will not read the second one.
• If readers are not interested by the end of the first page, the second page will not even be scanned, forget reading it.
• If they are not enamored by the first paragraph-and specifically the first sentence, they will discard the novel and pick another.

In online marketing, opening lines, whether they are web landing pages, mobile,  emails or social status updates have even less time to make an impact, so this is a copywriting skill it's worth developing if you create, review or edit copy online. I'm guessing you do.

How you can write a great opening line

It is not possible to plan a great opening line. The best opening lines come suddenly to the writer's mind.

It may come right at the beginning of writing the book or much later. In fact, great opening lines are not recognized immediately.

They grow on the writer. Sometime later, you cannot start a novel any other way. The commonly accepted principles are:

• It is better to begin with prose, not a dialogue
• The writer should not elaborate on the setting in the first sentence, but migrate directly to the 'what' and 'who' of the plot and the character.
• If you start by designating a character, do the principal character and not any minor one.

The above lines, however, are only general guidelines and you should have no qualms to shatter them. Remember the old adage that if it works, then it will work, even if every rule in book is broken.

Here is a piece of advice: try to create an unusual or unexpected opening sentence. It must arrest the attention of the reader. If you can do that, the reader will (as they say) literally eat out of your hands.

The opening line must raise questions in the mind of the reader

This is very important, as when we readers are puzzled by a sentence or something, natural instincts compel us to search for the answer.

If you raise a question that must be answered, do not make the mistake of offering the answer too quickly. Usually the best method to make a reader continue to read is to keep him or her waiting.

How to write great (read: addictive) opening lines

Open your work in the middle of a compelling or dramatic situation. Engage the reader's interest from the first word itself. This is termed a 'hook' and it is extremely effective.

Reading the first sentence must transport the reader to the confines of the story. The novel registers in the conscious mind and curiosity sets in.

The opening also points to something else: the writer's style. Good writing is usually direct without any florid or literary fat. Narration should be sparse. Good writer's prose is like a bullet: fast, deadly and clean.

One Voice to rule all books, one voice to rule readers

The voice of a novel is very important. Readers pick a book and continue to read it because of the writer's voice. Any great novel has a distinct quality. Fans of a particular author love that author's voice and connect with it at a subliminal level. A great writer's voice is akin to a fingerprint-unmatched anywhere within this world.

A great voice is an invitation, which a reader cannot dare refuse. It is like a good friend who has come to share valuable information. The voice can offer escape, entertainment and could open a mode of looking at reality which will open the reader's eyes. In a sentence, an irresistible universe is created. We read for that.

The opening for the writer

To the writer, the opening line is extremely important. Forget the reader, it is the way in for the writer too. The opening line is the doorway that must accommodate both the writer and the reader.

Many writers have confessed that the first sentences stick in their mind for the rest of the novel. Be it an indication of the coming terror, or the first chimes of true love.

When you get the opening line right, the world stops to read. 

Thanks to Dave Ken for sharing his thoughts and opinions in this blog post. Dave is a Digital Marketing Strategist in IBOXSEO and has worked with firms in the UK, Ireland, and HK on growing their online presence via lean strategy. Hugely passionate about the evolving nature of SEO and is always interested in the latest shifts and patterns, particularly related to content marketing. Follow him on Twitter @DaveKen001 and Google+