Governing Right

Governing Right

Share this post

Governing Right
Governing Right
The Novel's First Line

The Novel's First Line

How I decided on Community Day's first impression

Andy Smarick's avatar
Andy Smarick
Aug 08, 2024
∙ Paid
4

Share this post

Governing Right
Governing Right
The Novel's First Line
1
Share

This is a paid-subscriber-only column from Governing Right’s “Community Day” collection. Please join now!


A novel’s first sentence is often seen as its most important. Discussions of books often start with the first line. Agents frequently say they want to be captured by a manuscript’s opening sentence.

So how does an author ensure those first few words are memorable and meaningful?Here’s how I tackled it.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Governing Right to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Andy Smarick
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share