THIS PAST SATURDAY, my wife and I had a special pleasure: we drove to Los Angeles to listen to my son teach his fellow graduate students. This weekend, Antioch University will grant Aaron an MFA in Creative Writing. As part of his two-year academic journey, he is required to deliver a classroom lesson based on one of his critical papers. He chose to teach about first lines. It was a fabulous lesson and Aaron’s interaction with the class made his papa proud.
Being there reminded me of two things. First, how much I enjoy being around other writers (even very secular writers like these grad students), and second, how powerful first lines can be.
Some time back, the American Book Review published its list of the “100 Best First Lines from Novels.” The list was the basis of my son’s lecture. Take a look at the lines. There are many things to notice. Some are short. Some seem entirely too long. All are memorable.
Let’s have a discussion this week. I’ll start it off with three questions.
1. What is one of your favorite first lines (from the list or elsewhere)? Feel free to use first lines from works other than novels.
2. What is the best first line you’ve written?
3. What do you learn from the ABR list?
Al Gansky
