It is said that when the new Queen saw the old Queen’s baby daughter, she told the King that the brat must be got rid of at once.
from Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison
This is the first sentence of a novel written in 1952. The novel is good and this sentence is excellent.
First sentences should include at least one implied question, a compelling question that leads readers into the text in search of an answer. The sentence quoted above includes an implied question about at least the life of the old queen’s baby daughter. It is easily read as including questions about the relationships between the queens and the king. Most compelling is the question of what the king does next. What happens to the baby? The rest of the novel answers that question.
The strategy of implied questions can and should be used at the beginning of chapters as well. Before answering any one implied question, be sure at least one other has been asked. A story or novel might be organized or outlined as a long series of related implied questions and answers.
Writing Fiction 