I often get hung up on the first line. I feel like if I get the first sentence right, the rest of the work will have a better chance of coming out right too. Maybe that’s because I generally don’t write with an outline. Rather, I allow the first line to determine the direction of the piece.
That’s probably not the best way to write. It’s probably better to know what you’re going to say and then say it. But sometimes it takes writing about something for me to really wrap my head around it.
Unfortunately, that puts a lot of pressure on writing a good first line. I guess that’s why the whole revision process is so important.
What about you? Do you know ahead of time exactly how your story is going to conclude? How does your first line determine the rest of your piece?
Stephanie Nikolopoulos 
Its like the first brush stroke on a canvas….it seems so monumental and sets the tone even without yet knowing what the whole will be.