Good Introduction Sentences: How To Craft A Standout Line

When I browse through the aisles at a bookstore, I frequently pick up books and note whether or not they have good introduction sentences. 

While I’m not an acquisitions editor, I am an editor by day and a writer by night, so finding a great opening line encourages (or discourages!) me in making the purchase. 

Books that showcase good introduction sentences communicate to me, the reader, that the author understands the importance of how to start a novel or nonfiction book in a way that grabs attention.

If they understand how crucial their opening is, and have good introduction sentences to prove it, I know the rest of the book could follow suit. 

If a single line can influence whether or not I purchase a book, it stands to reason that how we, as writers, craft our first sentence is more crucial than we may realize. Learn the vital elements of how to craft good introduction sentences below! 

Good introduction sentences: important aspects to know 

• What is a good introduction sentence example?
• What is a good starter sentence?
• How to start an introduction sentence?
• What are some good opening sentences? 

What is a good introduction sentence example?

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” opens George Orwell’s classic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

I go into more examples of good introduction sentences later, but this one is particularly helpful. First of all, it communicates the book genre. In our culture, clocks strike up to twelve, no more and no less. 

If a clock strikes thirteen, we already know the genre must be dystopia, science fiction, or fantasy. This helps set the tone for the world. 

Additionally, in just fourteen words, Orwell creates dissonance within the reader. He orients them to what they know by stating that it is April, a term and season we are all familiar with. 

However, he quickly upends everything the reader thinks they know about the world with just one word: thirteen. 

I understand bright, cold days. I understand the month of April. I do not understand a clock striking thirteen, and this instills in me a desire to read the next line. 

Good introduction sentences keep the reader reading, line after line, page after page, and chapter after chapter, until they reach the last sentence. 

What is a good starter sentence?

Good introduction sentences cover quite a bit of ground in just a handful of words by communicating imperative information to the reader. For example, you can use your first sentence to communicate the theme you want to focus on in your storytelling.

Kristin Hannah does so in her novel, The Four Winds, with the line, “Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love.” 

Hope is a standout theme in her novel, carrying her protagonist through the horrors of The Dust Bowl, highs and lows of family, and confusing life of love.

Good introduction sentences can also ground the reader via combining what they know with a phrase of intrigue. Suzanne Collins does this in The Hunger Games. “When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.” 

Similar to George Orwell, this line communicates something we know (a cold bed versus a bright, cold April day) with intrigue (why is the bed cold, instead of why are the clocks striking thirteen?). 

Suzanne, if you read this, yes, I just compared you to George Orwell. 

But good introduction sentences can also state a fact or act as a call to the reader to engage with the rest of the story. Many nonfiction authors use these types of openers to connect with readers. This mindset is helpful for book marketing as well! 

Tip: For inspiration on good introduction sentences, you may want to look through the most popular book genres on Amazon and see how authors in your genre start their books.

How to start an introduction sentence?

Start an introduction sentence by keeping your character development, plot structure, literary conflicts, or key message in mind. What exactly do I mean by this? Good introduction sentences act as a launching pad for the rest of your book, whether fiction or nonfiction. 

If you want to write a book about how to overcome a scarcity mindset, how can you either communicate this theme or lead your reader into curiosity regarding it, via one line?

Perhaps you want to write a novel that will inspire others through your protagonist’s character arc. How can you hint at where they are while foreshadowing where they may end up by the last page?

Tip: In some sense, good introduction sentences can act as Easter eggs: a secret message hidden for readers to later look back on and discover. 

With all of this in mind, it’s time to look at some sentences to inspire your own writing. 

What are some good opening sentences? 

Good opening sentences are ones that grab the reader, and with millions of readers in the world, this means a variety of sentence types.

Regardless of what genre you write, you can learn tips and tricks from all of the examples below. Take note of which ones resonate with you and most importantly, why they resonate. Below are examples from both fiction and nonfiction books. 

Good introduction sentences: fiction 

Fiction first. Let’s dive in to some great fiction works.

Babel, R.F. Kuang

“By the time Professor Richard Lovell found his way through Canton’s narrow alleys to the faded address in his diary, the boy was the only one in the house left alive.” 

There are several aspects about this sentence that make it place in the good introduction sentences examples. First, it provides a bit of structure. We know a professor is walking through alleys in Canton.

Second, it instills intrigue with the diary address. Third, it surprises the reader by stating there’s only one person left alive, a boy. 

I don’t know about you, but standing in the bookstore with this book in hand, I kept reading.

If I Run, Terri Blackstock

“There’s blood on the bottom of my shoes.”

This is a simple sentence that begs the question, why? Why is there blood? Where did she get it? Why is it still there? Sentences that spark questions are good introduction sentences. Just don’t forget to answer the questions later!

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing…”

I included a few more phrases so you could get the tone the first sentence brings. This standout novel balances exceptional prose with an extremely grounding story, and this sentence sets the tone.

James, Percival Everett

“Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass.”

For a full grasp on why this sentence works so well, refer to the classic novels about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. This sentence does incite a why question, and the opening lines together make for a compelling read. 

Good introduction sentences: nonfiction 

Next up, nonfiction. You may feel like fiction first lines are the crucial ones to get right, but it’s arguable that nonfiction first lines matters just as much.

Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby

“I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it.”

Using comparison is a great method for openers. This also makes the reader wonder what pain or disruption is coming. In this way, it acts as a set-up.

Born A Crime, Trevor Noah

“Sometimes in the big Hollywood movies they’ll have these crazy chase scenes where somebody jumps or gets thrown from a moving car.” 

To fully communicate why this line is so good, you need to know that Noah describes how the characters roll, dust themselves off, and walk away like nothing happens. He then says,

“Whenever I see that I think, That’s rubbish. Getting thrown out of a moving car hurts way worse than that.”

“Wait, what?” you might ask. Trevor Noah’s memoir/autobiography shares bone-chilling stories from his childhood. This opening line hints at what all is to come.

How To Know A Person, David Brooks

“If you ever saw the old movie Fiddler on the Roof, you know how warm and emotional Jewish families can be.” 

Like Noah described Hollywood car chases, Brooks goes on to describe Jewish families, then says,

“I come from the other kind of Jewish family.” 

This sentence positions the reader for success by combining an old movie many know of with a culture and lifestyle many may be less familiar with—Jewish culture and families. 

However, Brooks also surprises the reader by first setting them up to think, “Oh I know that movie. I must understand his childhood,” then surprising them with the line, “I come from the other kind of Jewish family.” 

This type of creativity is a skill you can learn, particularly by reading great writing. Perhaps we don’t know what Brooks’ childhood was like. Let’s keep reading. The thought, let’s keep reading, is the epitome of what makes for good opening sentences. 

Good introduction sentences: take your next step

Now that you know how to write a compelling first sentence, take your next step as a writer by using our free Book Outline Generator below!