The Your first sentence can spell the difference between a reader who keep turning pages or one who puts the book down.
Can your writing pass the Holly test? Can mine?
As a young adult, one of my daughters was particularly picky about reading material. If the first line of a book captured her attention, she read the first paragraph. If the first paragraph was worth her time, she continued through the first chapter. When a first chapter was compelling, she read the book. For the books that held her interest, she sought other titles by the same author.
Holly proved particularly helpful for our writers group. We could run our first lines past her discerning eye. Though Holly has grown and moved on to a career and family of her own, our writers group continues to use her criteria to help one another write well.
The Holly Test
Does the first line of your writing capture the reader enough so the reader continues to read the first paragraph?
Once a project is complete, many authors return to the first line. Does these first words grab the reader’s attention? Create curiosity? Compel the reader to read more?
Some interest-grabbing first lines include:
The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. ~ Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The crowd was small for a hanging. ~ Journey to Riverbend by Henry Mclaughlin
“Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. ~ Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Call me Ishmael. ~ Moby Dick by Herman Melville
In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing. ~ A River Runs Through It By Norman Maclean
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. ~ To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee
You wouldn’t think we’d have to leave Chicago to see a dead body. ~ A Long Way For Chicago By Richard Peck
The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended. ~ 2001: A Space Odyssey By Arthur C. Clarke
More First Sentences
You better not never tell nobody but God. ~ The Color Purple By Alice Walker
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. ~ 1984 By George Orwell
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ~ Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. ~ The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett
It was a pleasure to burn. ~ Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. ~ Anna Karenina By Leo Tolstoy
This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. ~ The Princess Bride By William Goldman
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. ~ Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone By J.K. Rowling
The Longest First Sentence
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. ~ A Tale of Two Cities By Charles Dickens
All children, except one, grow up. ~ Peter Pan By J.M. Barrie
In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. ~ The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien
The year 1866 was signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. ~ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea By Jules Verne
It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York. ~ The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. ~ Voyage of the Dawn Treader By C.S. Lewis
Tuesday was a fine California day, full of sunshine and promise, until Harry Lyon had to shoot someone at lunch. ~ Dragon Tears By Dean Koontz
First Sentence, First Paragraph, First Chapter
Once a piece is complete, many authors return to the first chapter. Does the first line compel the reader to continue through the first paragraph?
Of course, having learned this principle along the way, I considered my own first lines. How did I do in my books? Would these pass the Holly test? Would you keep reading?
- Captain Michael Northington looked toward the patient’s room. Chasing Sunrise
- He hated the place. The Patent
- His box was being pried open. Secrecy Order
- Mallory Wayne chambered a round in her Sig Sauer and holstered the gun inside her jacket. Unnatural Cause
- “Here they come!” Homeless for the Holidays
- On the day I was born, France was free. The Girl Who Wore Freedom
- “He’s gone.” The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make
- Glancing at the time, Larkin Hammond knew she would land in plenty of time to sweep her husband away from the office to their surprise date. A Baby in the Barn
- Trina Troyer perched on the stool at the Troyer Elevator check-out counter. Tea for Two
- What do I do now? Not Just Once A Year
- Moving into the fifth month of pregnancy, I was awaiting the butterfly kicks I should feel any day. When A Baby Dies
Now take a look at your completed manuscripts. Would you keep reading based on the first line? Does your first line pass the Holly test? Compel readers to keep going?
Remember
- Your first line prompts the reader to read the first paragraph.
- The first paragraph gets the reader to read the first chapter.
- The first chapter gets the reader to read the book.
- The last chapter sells your next book.
Before you publish, double-check the first sentence to see if the beginning elicits curiosity to see what happens next.
If you are not certain, post your first line to your readers and ask for feedback. Readers, like Holly, can be counted on to give valuable feedback.
What is your favorite opening line in a book?
For You
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