An Analysis of Great First Lines

 

  I've given a lot of thought to first lines lately. Since I've been editing my first chapter for a contest, that elusive first line has been one of my greatest focuses. I'm not great at first lines off the top of my head-- they usually take editing, pruning, deleting, and rewriting, as is the case with any part of the book. But first lines are especially important, since it's that first line that makes you want to read the next one. And the next one. And before you know it, it's one A.M. and you've read a four-hundred page novel.
     One thing I did while working on my first line was going into the library, opening books at random, and reading the first lines, trying to notice the trends in the really good ones.
     At the time I pulled Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brian out of the shelf, I already had nine books checked out. I was determined not to get another one. Because of the brilliant first line, I failed in that.
    In the dim hovel, the mother clenched her body into one final, straining push, and the baby slithered out into Gaia's ready hands.
    The line is surprising--you don't usually see a book begin with a mother giving birth. Especially a young adult dystopian. But the author pulls it off wonderfully. You get the impression that Gaia is the main character, and has some experience. You wonder where she got it. And you read the next sentence.
     Newborn #45GA18M died on June 30, 2076, at 6:07 in the morning. 
     This first line is from Dan Wells' Partials. You immediately get an idea of the world and the time period. You wonder why the baby died, and why it wasn't given a name.
     Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
     This line is the beginning to one of my all-time favorite series, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books. It, too, raises questions--what does half-blood mean? Why does Percy not like it? You also get an idea of the narrator. Percy maintains his attitude of why-me throughout the series.
     Addie and I were born into the same body, our souls' ghostly fingers entwined before we gasped our very first breath.
      This is the first line of Kat Zhang's What's Left of Me, another one of my favorites. It makes the reader wonder how two people can share a body, if this is normal. It also hints at the style of the writing.
      So, there are two main elements in great first lines--questions, and promises. Questions that you want answered, and promises that they will be answered. Promises about the way they'll be answered. First lines often hint at the genre. They tell you who will be narrating. They keep the answers just out of reach, so that you will read the next one. It's a delicate balance between secrets and information. First lines can be hard. But when someone picks up your book and flips to the first page, it will all be worth it.
      What are your favorite first lines? What are the first lines in your novels?