The first line of any story is often considered the most important. It has the unenvied job of capturing the reader's attention, conveying a sense of what the story may be about, and even leading into the beginning paragraphs which try to set the stage for the story ahead.

This is in fact a constant theme taught in writing classes across America. The first sentence must catch the reader's attention. The first sentence is the most important. The first sentence will make or break the rest of the story. And so forth.

Thus it is rather interesting to see Orson Scott Card state otherwise in his writing classes on-line here.

quote:

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Orson Scott Card said:
But what is the "opening"? The first sentence? Having a good first sentence is nice, but it's not the opening. By definition, the first sentence is in the first paragraph, and the first paragraph is free. That is, the first paragraph of a story does not have to be in the same voice or mood or tone as the rest of the work. The first paragraph is important for setting the scene, for giving vital information that allows what follows to make sense. But the real opening is after that first paragraph -- when the story starts in earnest.

Cut and pasted from http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/lesson04.shtml

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So the question is, how do you combine the fact the first paragraph (or does Card actually mean segment?) with the all-pervasive belief that the first sentence must catch the reader's attention?

In "Troubling a Star" by L'Engle, the first four paragraphs are set in the "present" of the story, and the entire story could be viewed as flashbacks. In fact, L'Engle teases about this with the last paragraph of the introductory segment:
They say that drowning people relive their entire lives in a flash. I'd been on the iceberg only a few minutes, long enough to be terrified, but not long enough to despair. That would come later. (L'Engle, p.4)
Each chapter begins with another segment of Vicky Austin's time stranded on the iceberg while the story slowly winds up toward that time. Finally, real-time and flashback-time catches up with each other, and a last italicized sentence merges into the main story, more a thought than a segment. It's rather innovative in drawing the reader into the story, as you wonder just why this young lady is stranded on an iceberg, and if she will be rescued.

But it still leaves the point unanswered. How does Card's belief that the first paragraph (which may actually have been better stated as "segment") work with the existing belief that the first sentence is the key to catching a reader's attention?

In fact, in Card's novel "Children of the Mind", he seems to ignore his statement. The first paragraph is a series of short sentences with direct action and little information to let the reader understand what is happening.
Si Wang-mu stepped forward. The young man named Peter took her hand and led her into the starship. The door closed behind them. (Card, p.1)
Of course, "Children of the Mind" may be a poor choice to use for an example. The story is in fact not self-contained, but a continuation of the previous story, "Xenocide". The first sentence reads more like the next chapter of a larger novel instead of its own story.

So my question is, what do you use for your first sentence? Do you find you follow Card's suggestion on the first paragraph being "free", or possibly better stated as the setting of the stage for the play to commence? Or do you just jump into the story and let it flow around itself, letting the reader catch themselves up as they read?

Robert A. Howard

Edited: Fixed UBB Code, changed "sentence" into "chapter" because sometimes I just type too fast. *chuckle* Rob

I have read many books on writing, from short stories to technical publishing and have often seen comments on how to start. All of the comments seem to differ greatly in their advice.

Many follow the the same idea.

"Although the first sentance (or paragraph) is designed to capture the reader from the start, it is not desirable for this sentance (paragraph) to be the best one in the work." [comment (badly remembered) from "Writing for pleasure or profit"]

And although it is not linked to fictional writing, a good piece of advise from technical paper writing, is to write the introduction quickly, then proceed into the work till the end. Then come back and re-write the whole of the first chapter.

I personal haven't managed to finish a story before it headed into the trash, usually with some force, but my first lines were writen with these two comments firmly in mind.

Kindest Regards

Simon

[edited bacause I can't spell!!]

Of course, a powerhouse first sentence would only help the beginning, but I think you should focus on the first three to six paragraphs. Take as long as you need to get it right. And if you can think of a great first sentence that helps, great; if not, know at least that you've worked tirelessly on the beginning.

And as far as jumping into the story and letting the reader catch up . . . well, I think that is essential in speculative fiction, isn't it? I just started reading Asimov's The Gods Themselves and that is precisely what he does.

I hope this helps.