What Your First Paragraph Says About You As A Writer

Whenever I start writing a story, the first paragraph is often the lead in from the original inspiration I had for the story. Often, it’s flat and stale, just a kickstart to get me writing in the first place. By the time I get to the end of the first draft, I go back to that first paragraph and often wonder, “What was I thinking when I wrote that?”

You know how they say, “You only get one chance to make a first impression?” First paragraphs are exactly like first impressions. They are the baited hook that will tempt your readers into reading the rest of your story, and if that first paragraph falls flat, chances are your readers will pass on the rest of the story, rather than reading on. If you are attempting to publish your work, that first paragraph is key to keeping an editor interested long enough to check out the rest of your story.

So, what should your first paragraph do, exactly? As I mentioned above, that paragraph acts like a hook, sinking into the meaty flesh of your reader’s mind and compelling them to read on. It should introduce the main character and a peak at the story about to unfold. For example, in the short story I just put out through the Dark Journeys collection, “Treed,” the first sentence of the story is:

I know it’s stupid, but I wish I had a backpack full of brains instead of a week’s supply of granola and dried fruit.

Not only does this set the tone for the narrative, but it makes the reader want to know more about the speaker’s dilemma. What are the brains for and why does she have a backpack full of granola? In the following sentences of the first paragraph, the reader learns that while on a big hike, she found herself stuck in a tree, just out of reach of the walking dead.

As I said above, sometimes when I first start writing, the first paragraph is just a lead in to the story. I often find myself going back after the first draft is done to polish the introductory paragraph.

Your entire story is important. Making sure every paragraph and sentence is solid is an essential part of maintaining reader interest once you reel them into the story, but if you don’t manage to reel them in with that first paragraph it won’t matter how great the rest of your story is.

With many of us putting our work out directly these days, via podcast, free PDF or for sale in places like Amazon and smashwords, we bypass the editorial eye that might otherwise reject our stories on account of stale paragraphs. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on making sure our work resonates with readers from the very first sentence on through the last.

If you’re not sure about your first paragraph, ask a fellow writer/reader you trust to tell you what they think. Find out if it hooked them and made them want to read more and go from there.

We owe it to ourselves as writers and our readers to put out the best content we can. The first impression you make with the introduction to one story could carry over into your other work, either intriguing readers to check out more of your work, or influencing them to pass and try something else.