A bad open mic night in Austin made me rewrite my whole opening line

I read a story at a small bar there last month, and my first sentence was something like 'The city slept under a blanket of stars.' A guy in the back actually groaned. I went home and cut that line, starting instead with the main character tripping over a curb. Now I always test my prompts by asking if the first line makes you want to keep reading. What's the worst opening line you've ever written or heard?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.mark1d ago

Honestly, that "blanket of stars" groan is brutal but useful. The worst I ever wrote was for a college story, something like "The rain fell like tears from a sad sky." Makes me cringe just typing it. Starting with action, like your character tripping, is always smarter.

keithbennett1d ago

My 2004 poetry phase haunts me too.