Monday Morning Essay Tip: Opening Lines
August 4th, 2008 | Posted in Monday Morning Essay Tips, Blogroll
As all good journalists will tell you, the key to writing a good newspaper story or opinion piece is to make sure that the very first line grabs the reader’s attention. Many authors also employ this tactic in writing books. Few of us have read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, but many of us know that it begins with three famous words: “Call me Ishmael.” A powerful first line can also stick with readers long after they have finished reading – we all recognize the phrase “It was a dark and stormy night,” but few of us know that it comes from the opening line of a book by an obscure writer (Paul Clifford by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton).
While it is “normal” to begin each essay with a very short introduction, sometimes a punchy opening line can grab the reader’s attention in a useful way. Consider the differences between these pairs of openers. Which one captures your attention?
Example 1: A “Why MBA?” essay:
A: “After I graduate with my MBA, I want to work in the wine industry.”
B: “Blood runs in the veins of all humans, but wine runs in mine.”
Example 2: A “What are you most passionate about in life?” essay:
A: “There is nothing I enjoy more than playing ice hockey.”
B: “As soon as the nearby river freezes, I wake at 6am each day and join my teammates for a prework scrimmage.”
There is no formula for opening lines. In fact, the possibilities are endless, and each opener depends on the context of the story itself. Nonetheless, our point is that opening lines need to be carefully considered, because they set the tone of your essay and determine whether the reader will want to read more.
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