Thanks to www.trashtalktv.com for the gif.

With your first sentence, you want to give your readers a good taste of what’s to come in your novel. With the last, a satisfying finish that reflects the whole. Sometimes, it works. Other times, not so much.

This week, we focus on how sentences can make or break writers. Plus, a grammar lesson for those of us who still need help.

• 10 Beautiful Opening Lines of Books Will Remind You What Fantastic Writing Looks Like by Claire Luchette. Let these examples be your guide.
• Ten Worst Opening Lines. The editors of The American Scholar admit this is a highly subjective list. But consider their selections and whether or not one of yours could possibly end up on this list or a similar one.
• First Sentence: Melinda Moustakis. Over at Granta, Melinda Moustakis pulls back the curtain on the choices she made while crafting her first sentence: ‘She’s a good-for-nothing chummer.’
• 11 Contemporary Novels, Summarized in 140 Characters or Fewer by Gabrielle Moss. As if a first sentence isn’t hard enough, now summarize the whole novel in 140 characters!
• Steven Pinker: 10 ‘grammar rules’ it’s OK to break (sometimes) by Steven Pinker. If you’re still struggling with which or that, who or whom, or the dreaded split infinitive, here’s some comforting advice.