opening sentence
{{Short description|First sentence of a literary work}}
The opening sentence or opening line stands at the beginning of a written work. The opening line is part or all of the opening sentence that may start the lead paragraph. For older texts the Latin term {{lang|la|incipit}} ('it begins') is in use for the very first words of the opening sentence.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}
Function
As in speech, a personal document such as a letter normally starts with a salutation; this, however, tends not to be the case in documents, published articles, essays, poetry, lyrics, general works of fiction and nonfiction. In nonfiction, the opening sentence generally points the reader to the subject under discussion directly in a matter-of-fact style. In journalism, the opening line typically sets out the scope of the article.
In fiction, authors have much liberty in the way they can cast the beginning.{{cite web |url=http://www.ebenventer.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=2283&PostID=32717 |author=David Venter |title=The Opening sentence - The Genesis of the Novel |access-date=November 28, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Techniques to hold the reader's attention include keeping the opening sentence to the point, showing attitude, shocking, and being controversial.{{cite web |url=http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2008/09/18/opening-sentence-writing-fiction-editor-novelist-tips-for-writers-agents/ |author=Alan Rinzler| title=Ask the Editor: The Power of the Opening Sentence - 6 Tips |access-date=November 28, 2009}}{{cite web|title=How to Write the Best Opening Line|url=https://johnpaulhernandez.com/how-to-write-the-best-opening-line/ |author=John Paul Hernandez |date=10 August 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2022}} One of the most famous opening lines, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", starts a sentence of 118 words{{cite book| isbn=0671006118| author=Charles Dickens |title=A Tale of Two Cities| year=1964 | url=https://archive.org/details/taleoftwocities00dick_7| author-link=Charles Dickens | publisher=Boston: Dana Estes}} that draws the reader in by its contradiction; the first sentence of the novel, Yes even contains 477 words. Moby-Dick's "Call me Ishmael." is an example of a short opening sentence. Formulaic openings are generally avoided, but expected in certain genres, such as fairy tales beginning "Once upon a time...".
{{See also|Narrative hook}}
Satire
Inspired by the opening, "It was a dark and stormy night...", the annual tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest invites entrants to compose "the opening sentence of the worst of all possible novels",{{Cite web|title=The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest|url=https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/|access-date=2023-01-11|website=Bad Writing Contest|language=en}} and its derivative, the Lyttle Lytton Contest, for its equivalent in brevity.
As title
The opening sentence may sometimes be also used as the title for the work; the Latin for this is {{lang|la|incipit}}, meaning 'the first part' or 'the beginning'. In this way papal encyclicals and bulls are titled according to their {{lang|la|incipits}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.museumstuff.com/learn/topics/encyclicals::sub::Roman_Catholic_Usage |title=Encyclicals: Roman Catholic Usage|author=Museum of Learning|access-date=December 6, 2009}}