Many prospective readers will pick up your memoir and decide whether or not to read it simply by reading that first sentence. So your first sentence (indeed, the entire opening) should be catchy and interesting and capture the flavor of the entire memoir, whether it’s adventurous, romantic, nostalgic, introspective, shocking or just a great romp. For example:
In The Glass Castle, the story of a deeply dysfunctional family, author Jeannette Walls begins: “I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.” This sentence is not only shocking and attention-grabbing but a harbinger of things to come.
Elizabeth Gilbert opens Eat, Pray, Love, her “meditation on love in its many forms,” with: “I wish Giovanni would kiss me. Oh, but there are so many reasons why this would be a terrible idea.” This opening is romantic, introspective, funny and full of longing – just like the memoir.
Rewrites, a memoir written by the famous playwright Neil Simon, begins, “In the spring of 1957, I was unhappily in California working on a television special. I was thirty years old and knew that if I didn’t start writing that first Broadway play soon, I would inevitably become a permanent part of the topography of the West Coast.” In a matter-of-fact way, he tells you who he is, how he feels, where he’s going and what year it is, in just two sentences. While Simon’s intro is not as scintillating as the first two examples, he doesn’t needto be quite so catchy because we already know about the fabulous accomplishments that lie in his future. But if your life story is not so well-known, you’ll need to make your opening a bit more evocative.
In short, don’t build up to an interesting, catchy, evocative beginning: start that way with the very first sentence.
We at Taylor-Fox can help you create your memoir, biography, inspirational book or other book and get it ready for publication. We’ve helped scores of people achieve their goals, and some of their books have landed on bestseller lists. Call us at 818-594-0379.
Nadine Taylor and Barry Fox write, ghostwrite, rewrite and edit books in many genres, including health, business, inspiration/ spirituality and memoirs. Their resume is long and varied but there’s one thing that never changes: They love to work with words, creating books that are clear, compelling and pleasurable to read. If you’re interested in writing a book, editing a book and/or publishing a book, you’ve come to the right place!
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