Dark. Still. The only real sound was her red bottoms clicking along the newly renovated flagstone walkway. She pulled her jacket tight to combat the chill in the night air wondering why she had chosen this path, this late, this isolated. Who would know where to look for her if she didn’t arrive on time? She stopped abruptly thinking she heard footsteps. Was any of this even worth it?

Question: Are those few lines enough to make you keep reading? If so, at least part of my objective has been achieved. It’s more than a first sentence, but if it pulls you in to make you want more, that’s what you want as a writer, right?

“In the beginning…” I could start there or end there. Many books and workshops are built around letting you know what to do in the beginning, how and why you need that powerful first sentence as you set out to write the most amazing manuscript ever. It could be a novel, short story, micro fiction, screenplay, TV program, you name it. There’s a story that needs to be told, you’re willing to tell it, and you hope someone will want to read it from the first sentence to the compelling ending. But if the first few seconds of the browser’s time doesn’t make them want more than the appetizer, they definitely won’t hang around for the main course and dessert is out of the question.

As you can tell, I have not yet mastered the skill and technique of the first sentence, although I could have stopped at the “walkway.” However, I do recognize the importance of drawing you in–in the beginning–and sometimes I think I hit the mark. The delight in this current exercise on the AU website is, since this is my blog, I get to share my own opinion giving you the right and the freedom to read all the “how to” references, apply them, and write brilliantly on your own.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in favor of the first sentence principle, but my writing style tends to lead me into a first paragraph instead. Either way, when they say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, that first sentence-in the beginning-feels the same way. If you miss it there, the reader most likely won’t continue to see if it gets more intriguing mid-way. My guess is you won’t have the opportunity to become their favorite recommended author either.

So, I invite you to take a look at that first paragraph again and tell me what you think. Just enough, too much, not enough to entice you to keep going? Will it be worth it?