Upbeat

Like a beautiful trill inviting us into the symphony is a well-composed opening line. The first line of a story or book does more than launch us into the story. It sets the scene, piques interest, raises questions. The first line tells us if it's worth our time to move on to the second and then the third.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The Bible

In the very beginning? Who is this God? How did he get there? Why did he create? What happened next?

Call me Ishmael. Moby Dick

Was that his real name or is he hiding something? It sounds like he's starting a conversation. What does he have to say?

We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker mixes into the jungle. The Poisonwood Bible

What do the cake mixes have to do with the jungle? Who is the "we" she's talking about?

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice-- not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. A Prayer for Owen Meany

Wow. How many questions does that bring up? I was breathless reading the first page of this book.

Breathless. That's the goal.

That's the upbeat.