Revision in the second draft, “one of them, anyway,” may “necessitate some big changes” says King in his 2000 memoir slash writing guide On Writing. That perfectly crafted and inviting opening sentence is something that emerges in revision, which can be where the bulk of a writer’s work happens. Now King admits that he doesn’t think much about the opening line as he writes, in a first draft, at least. As you orient your reader, so you orient yourself, pointing your work in the direction it needs to go. Because it’s not just the reader’s way in, it’s the writer’s way in also, and you’ve got to find a doorway that fits us both. To the person who’s actually boots-on-the-ground. We’ve talked so much about the reader, but you can’t forget that the opening line is important to the writer, too. You want to know about this.” King’s discussion of opening lines is compelling because of his dual focus as an avid reader and a prodigious writer of fiction-he doesn’t lose sight of either perspective: “There are all sorts of theories,” he says, “it’s a tricky thing.” “But there’s one thing” he’s sure about: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. In one of my favorite Stephen King interviews, for The Atlantic, he talks at length about the vital importance of a good opening line.
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