Good First Lines
As previously discussed, a good first line in a romance novel is one that immediately grabs the reader's interest and compels her to keep reading. Ideally, it should describe or comment on an action associated with the precipitating event, the unique premise, or its underlying conflict.
If you're unable to start your book because you can't find the perfect opening line, go with a temporary one to get you started. Consider using something like Once upon a time
The opening line should match the tone of your novel. It should also be a natural extension of your intriguing premise or precipitating event, rather than a line that you tacked on for its shock value. After all, gimmicky openings, while initially successful, will quickly alienate your reader when they realize they've been duped.
In the following examples, notice how the opening lines serve as a springboard for the launching of the plot:
Of all the sins Harry Spencer, the Twelfth Earl of Chestershire, had committed, it hardly seemed fair that this would be the one to send him to Hell: Opens a sexy historical romance in the middle of the precipitating event; namely, the hero, naked and on the run, takes refuge in the heroine's bedchamber only to be confronted by her with a gun.
He liked it when they begged: Opens a dark romantic suspense in the middle of the precipitating event; namely, a serial killer claiming his next victim.
“Two specials for Table Six and, Marilee, there's some cute guy claiming to be your husband up at the counter”: Opens a long contemporary romance in the middle of the precipitating event; namely, the hero's arrival back in the heroine's life after he left her pregnant and heartbroken six years earlier.
Dating was hard in the twenty-first century, especially for the single vampire: Opens a humorous paranormal romance by setting up the intriguing premise; namely, when the heroine — a single vampire in the big city — decides to join a dating service to find her Mr. Right … or at least her Mr. Right Now.
An opening line should capture both your style and tone, as well as introduce the reader to your fictional world, so choose wisely. After all, if your opening line isn't the right fit for your book — or doesn't spark curiosity — you're likely to lose a reader's interest. Then again, if you choose the right opening line, you'll have the reader moving eagerly ahead to the next sentence, asking questions, such as, Why? or How? And, most important of all, What will happen next?
