
Killer Opening Lines
From Story Nerd by Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis
May 22, 2026 · 49 min · Season 18 · Episode 1802
About this episode
The episode discusses how to craft compelling opening lines and improve the first pages of a story with suspense elements.
Can you write a killer opening line? Can you define what a killer opening line is? In this week's episode, we give our professional advice on the opening pages of a story described as upmarket with suspense elements, starting with a debate about the opening line. Don't get me wrong ... the first 10 pages are quite good, but we've got suggestions for how to make them great! Don't miss this episode! -V.
People in this episode
Hosts: Melanie Hill, Valerie Francis
Topics covered
- writing
- storytelling
- opening lines
- suspense
- editing
Keywords
- killer opening line
- story opening
- suspense elements
- writing advice
- editing tips
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