# Which of these do you like best as an opening line? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680 "2007-07-13T18:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/1 "2007-07-13T18:04:39Z")
If you were to read one of the following as the opening line (or lines) of a book, which one would you like most? Assume the book is (hypothetically) a collection of humorous (and sometimes tragic) stories and essays about growing up in an extended and eccentric family in rural Alabama in the 1970s/1980s. > [@](#): > > 1: > > In space, no one can hear you scream, but the same is not true in a grocery store produce aisle. > [@](#): > > 2: > “He’s as pretty as any little girl child, idn’t he? You shoulda seen him when he had his curls. When his Daddy got them curls cut off you could hear his Mama yellin’ at that man all the way up to my place, and I was on her side. You know what would be plum adorable? Let’s get a picture of him with the body!” > [@](#): > > Daddy said we could still be to Boone, North Carolina, in time to hear the madrigals as long as Mama decided not to kill herself in the next few minutes. If she took more than another hour to decide not to kill herself we’d almost certainly be late, and if she did kill herself there was a good chance we wouldn’t go at all. Whether she killed herself or not, he had decreed we would not be spending the night in the house tonight, so the car was already loaded. All three open different stories, of course. Thanks for any opinions, suggestions, tithes, or offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/2 "2007-07-13T18:13:46Z")
The third one grabbed me much harder than the other two. I’d use that one for sure. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/3 "2007-07-13T18:14:09Z")
I kinda like #1. It’s like if Dave Barry wrote _A Brief History of Time_. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/4 "2007-07-13T18:15:02Z")
I prefer the first one, for its brevity. I like to be drawn in quickly, and that sentence does it. I especially like the close juxtaposition of unusual (space) and common (grocery store). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/5 "2007-07-13T18:23:27Z")
#1. Of course, I’m not necessarily your target audience – I’m pretty “could we get to the point here, please?” ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/6 "2007-07-13T18:27:32Z")
Go with #3. That is, if it’s the opening you want to use for your long-awaited book. It’ll fit in better with how you’ve told stories here in the past. ---
**Author:** ![AThingWithFeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@AThingWithFeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AThingWithFeathers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/7 "2007-07-13T18:31:01Z")
I’d go with one or three, but definitely not two. I just don’t think it was as funny/attention grabbing as the other two. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/8 "2007-07-13T18:33:28Z")
Use creative license. Make the first sentence of #3 it’s own paragraph. You get the brevity of #1, and the :o of #3. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/9 "2007-07-13T18:48:08Z")
#1 is very funny, and I already want to know the rest of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/10 "2007-07-13T18:52:57Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] Use creative license. Make the first sentence of #3 it’s own paragraph. You get the brevity of #1, and the :o of #3. [/QUOTE] Another vote for the compromise. I like #3 but I see the point of the brevity as a grabber. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/11 "2007-07-13T18:53:12Z")
The third one, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/12 "2007-07-13T18:53:35Z")
I vote for number 3. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/13 "2007-07-13T18:54:39Z")
I don’t like #1. I like #3. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/14 "2007-07-13T19:04:33Z")
Another vote for #3. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/15 "2007-07-13T19:08:55Z")
Not 2. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/16 "2007-07-13T19:12:56Z")
#3 for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/17 "2007-07-13T19:34:40Z")
#1 for a humorous essay, #3 for a novel. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/18 "2007-07-13T19:40:55Z")
Definetly 3. 1 would be good for a chapter opening, though. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/19 "2007-07-13T19:41:40Z")
I vote for #1. Number #3 could be good, if you could better spell out that, yes, Mama was indeed serious about attempting suicide. Right now it just seems like come hell or high water, Dad is itching for a road trip. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680/20 "2007-07-13T19:52:13Z")
#3 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-do-you-like-best-as-an-opening-line/411680.md?page=2)