"It was a dark and stormy night." How does this sound as the first sentence in my new novel?

Question

This was supposed to be a joke. I guess most of you didn't think it was very funny.

Answer 1

Sounds like you're channeling the spirit of Bulwer Lytton (or whatever his name was). If the rest of the work is sufficiently compelling, go ahead and start with a cliche' - just be aware your reader may not take it that seriously at first.

Old sayings aside, more than one talented artist has made a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Answer 2

I the idea of starting the book on a night that is dark and stormy, but try rephrasing it, so that the first sentence has some action in it. That way, you make it interesting from the first line.
You could have something moving, like a mysterious character, animal or describe the movement of an inanimate object. Then link the movement to the fact that its dark and stormy. For example, you could say, 'the hooded figure moved quickly through the dark and stormy night'
You could try to make the dark and stormy night, become part of the story, like 'Had it not been so stormy that night, the hooded figure would not have come to the town'.
Whatever you do, try to add drama, or at least something interesting or unusual to make readers interested from the very start.

Answer 3

It'd make a great entry in the Bulwer-Lytton contest:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."
Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)

to enter, click on the link below.

Answer 4

The wind,gale force 9 in the Beaufort Scale which produces very high rough seas,made roaring sounds in his hearing aids;they weren't adjusted very well by the cheapskate otologist in his village,so he took them out and was immediately struck by the quietness of it all. At last he was in a peaceful state so unlike the earlier part of the day.

Answer 5

Might sound better to say it slightly differently, for example, 'Katherine stared out of the window into the dark and stormy night'.

Answer 6

Spooky. Not very original but if your story is different, then who cares. Horror or mystery sounding.

"It was a dark and stormy night. Jen and Farrah snuggled in bed when the big wolf entered and used his nails to claw them to pieces."......Sample usage of first line

Answer 7

I work in publishing. I see 20 books a week with that line somewhere in the novel. Write something unusual that will hold the attention of the person reading it, otherwise you could end up in the muck pile.

Good luck.

Answer 8

i'm sorry but i think the whole dark and stormy thing is way over used if you could come up with a little more creative way to put it it would rock
eg: The solemn dusk approaching...
something like that

Answer 9

Very old and tired. Try to think of something like DuMaurier in Rebecca: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again". That was interesting from the start.

Did you know there's a jokes and riddles heading you could've chosen?

Answer 10

How about "He was a dark and stormy knight". Much better, but it has been done before too.