From his blog:
Ask the Editor: The power of the opening sentence – 6 tips
Q : Why is the first line so important?
A : Agents and acquiring editors will quit reading if your opening sentence doesn’t zing. Any writer seeking publication or the devoted attention of a reader browsing in a bookstore needs to craft that first sentence, revising, revising, revising, until it just hums.
One way to prepare for this is to read your own favorite first lines. Here are a couple of mine, followed by 6 suggestions for what makes a good first sentence.
More (thanks, Cliff Pickover)
