What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984 (Bookshop|Amazon), E.B...
Poet Brian Bilston’s “Index of Discarded First Lines” leaves so much intriguingly unsaid, and if nothing else, offers great possibilities for writing prompts. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bilston’s Index of Discarded First...
“They shot the white girl first.” That’s how Toni Morrison’s novel, Paradise, begins, and it’s a great example of an irresistible first line. Martha shares others sent in by listeners. She also reads from a Michael Cunningham essay about why a first...