First Line Generator
Pick a genre and a kind of opening line to get complete first sentences you can use as prompts or rewrite for your story.
How to use the First Line Generator
- Choose a Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science fiction, Horror or Literary fiction.
- Choose a Kind of opening line: a hook that raises a question, straight into action, a first-person voice, or a place or a moment.
- Choose How many lines: 5, 10 or 20.
- Read the list. It refreshes as soon as you change any option, so you can try different combinations without pressing anything else.
- If none of the lines fits, click Generate more to get a new list with the same settings. Try each kind of opening line with the same genre to see how differently one story can begin.
- Click Copy beside a line to copy it, or Copy all to copy the whole list.
- Click the star beside any line to add it to My shortlist, which appears under the results. Click Copy shortlist when you have the lines you want.
Each result is one complete sentence. Some combinations are odd, so if a line does not work, change the genre or click Generate more. Copy link saves a page address that brings back the same list, and Print / save as PDF prints the list. The shortlist is kept only until you close the page.
How do I write a good first line for a novel?
Start with the situation, not the sentence. Decide what is changing in your story, who is at the centre of it, and where they are when the change begins. The first line works best when it puts one character into a moment that is already moving. Name that character, give them something specific to do or notice, and let the reader feel that the ordinary world has tipped slightly out of place.
What makes a strong opening line?
A strong opening line is specific, short and clear about its tone. Concrete details, such as an object, a smell or a time of day, make a reader believe in the world faster than general statements do. A line also needs some tension, a sense that something is wrong, missing or about to happen. Voice matters too: a first-person line can reveal character in a few words. Finally, the line should promise the kind of story that follows. A horror opening that reads like a cosy comedy will confuse readers.
Should the first line of a story be a hook?
A hook is one good option, but it is not a rule. A hook is a line that raises a question the reader wants answered, such as the mystery sample “The locked drawer was the first thing Inspector Hale lied about, and it was not the last.” Other kinds of opening work well too. A line that drops the reader straight into action creates urgency, and a line that establishes a place or a moment creates atmosphere. Choose the kind of opening that matches the story you are telling. The tool offers four: a hook that raises a question, a line that starts with action, a line in a first-person voice, and a line that sets a place or a moment. Generate each kind once for your genre and read them together, because seeing the four side by side often shows which voice your story already has.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a generated line in a book I sell?
Yes. Generated results can be used anywhere, including in books, games and products you sell, with no credit needed.
Why do some generated lines feel strange?
Each line is built from templates filled with genre words, and some combinations do not fit together well. Click Generate more or change the genre to see different lines. Keep the lines that work, and rewrite the names, places and objects in the others until they fit your story.
Could a generated name match a real person or work?
Some names can match a real person, place or existing work by chance. US Copyright Office Circular 33 lists names and titles as not protected by copyright, but they may be protected under trademark law in some circumstances, so search before you use a name commercially.
Does the tool write the rest of the story?
No. It writes one sentence at a time and does not continue it. Use a line as a prompt, then write the next sentences yourself.
Can I get the same lines again?
Yes, through the link. Each visit starts with a new random list, and the same settings and seed give the same list. Click Copy link to keep the exact list you are looking at.
Will a list ever contain the same line twice?
No. Every list has no duplicates, comparing lines ignoring capitals.
Related tools
- Chapter Title Generator: Use it when you need a title for a chapter once your opening is written.
- Book Title Generator: Use it when you are looking for a title for the whole novel.
- Backstory Generator: Use it when you need background for a character who will appear in your opening.
- Villain Name Generator: Use it when your opening introduces an antagonist and you need a name for them.