In one of my favorite Stephen King interviews, for The Atlantic, he talks at length about the vital importance of a good opening line.

22 Rules of Storytelling from Pixar

Rules for the Short Story by Kurt Vonnegut

Widely regarded as the greatest American writer of his time, Mark Twain was often asked for advice on the art and craft of writing.

Oakley Hall was asked as a novelist and teacher of writing, for a list of writing tips to accompany a publicity piece in a San Francisco newspaper, he produced the following list:

Oakley Hall from How Fiction Works Proven Secrets to Writing Successful Stories that Hook Readers and Sell

1. Write. 2. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down. 3. Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

A car horn blares behind you, rock music clashes in the background, the dog barks, and an unidentified toy flies dangerously close to your head. Is it any wonder you can't write anything?

Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps.

Fantasy readers look for well-developed landscapes, multi-dimensional characters, and a world where they can believe magic happens...