Captivate readers with these 8 examples from one of the best living writers on the planet.
In previous episodes we ve established that beyond headlines the first sentence dominates.
In fact, it s responsible for hurling the reader into the story. The headline captures the reader’s attention. The first sentence keeps it.
Great writers like David Sedaris know this. Just study some of his first sentences and you’ll see he takes this seriously. Very seriously.
Which is what we will do in today’s show.
In this 10-minute episode about first sentences you’ll discover:
Listen to Rough Draft below ...
Demian Farnworth: Hi, welcome to Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I m your host, Demian Farnworth, Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.
And thank you for sharing the next 400,000 minutes of your life with me.
Episode 15 is called David Sedaris tricks to great first sentences.
And this episode is brought to you by Authority Rainmaker, a carefully designed live educational experience that presents a complete and effective online marketing strategy to help you immediately accelerate your business.
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Now, on to the show.
So, we ve established that beyond headlines the first sentence dominates.
In fact, it s responsible for hurling the reader into the story. The headline captures the attention. The first sentence keeps it.
Great writers like David Sedaris know this. Look at his first sentences for an example.
What s compelling about these first sentences is their sense of suspense or their invitation to learn about an interesting character.
However, these first sentences are second-rate when compared to Sedaris greatest first sentence, which comes from his book Naked. The story is called The Women s Open. Here s the first line:
My sister Lisa became a woman on the fourteenth hole of the Pinehurst golf course.
Whether that appalls you or appeals to you, you re going to find out what happened. And like a truly great first sentence, it won t meet your expectation. You will step back and marvel like you just witnessed a magician pull off the impossible.
So do you read David Sedaris? Do you agree with me that line is his best first sentence? Can you offer a better one? Have any more tips for writing great sentences? What are some of your favorite first sentences? Drop them in the comments.
And remember to check out other shows in our line up.