The opening lines of your story are some of the most important. If you don’t hook your reader within the first chapter, chances are that you won’t hook them at all. So we’re going to look at a few things to consider when you’re writing your story’s opening lines.

1. The genre

Whether your story is sci-fi or romance, dystopian or contemporary, you’ll want to take that genre into consideration. While there is something to be said for breaking stereotypes and genre expectations, you don’t want to mislead your readers.

If you label your book as a “mystery,” readers are going to expect it to be full of crime, unlikely detectives, and intrigue. If your book is advertised as “historical fiction,” then the readers will expect some kind of historical setting, complete with the appropriate locations, wardrobes, and historical figures.

So figure out what your story’s genre is, and learn from the great writers in that genre. What types of opening lines did they use? What are some techniques that they have in common? You’ll find that confining your book to a genre will help channel the possibilities into tangible words.

2. The style

The style of your story will probably have a lot to do with the genre, as well as your own voice (which we’ll talk about next). But think about how you want your story to open. Will you start out slow, introducing the characters and setting first? Or will you open with a heated discussion? Or maybe you’ll begin with a suspenseful action scene.

Knowing how you want your story to open will help you when you’re writing the first few lines. If you write these lines right, you can show your readers what style to expect in the remainder of the story.

3. Your voice

This is one of the biggest things to think about. Once you’ve found your voice as a writer, you don’t want to cover that up. You want to take the strengths you have and use them to their full potential. And a great place to do this is the opening of your story.

Maybe you can write awesome dialogue. Or maybe people say your descriptions are spot-on. Or maybe your action scenes keep readers on the edge of their seats. Whatever your strengths are, make sure to use them in your story’s opening lines.

4. The question

Your readers need a reason to keep reading your book. While all of the previous things are super helpful, you need to make sure that there’s a hook. And you can solve that by writing an opening sentence that will make your readers ask questions.

Whether the opening line is full of mystery, character conflict, action, or description, you want to leave your readers guessing. Convince them that they should keep reading—that they want to keep reading. And, if you’ve written your story right, they won’t be disappointed.

Comment below one of your favorite opening lines!