Is this the worst sentence in the world?

The Economist certainly thinks so. Plus, the importance of opening lines, why writers use pseudonyms, what it means to write what you know, and more.

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Invite your reader to want to know more. Stephen King wrote a great piece this week on the power and importance of first sentences. It’s a great addition to King’s library of knowledge about good writing, and it’s worth remembering for journalists, copywriters and bloggers.

Meanwhile, a given writer’s other sentences are equally as important. Apparently, no one told financial author Philip Mirowski. That, and more.

Grab Your Reader: Sitting atop The Atlantic‘s most popular stories list for at least a few hours this week was this contribution from Stephen King about the importance and difficulty of writing opening sentences. He shares two of his favorites, one of his least favorite, and why sometimes—but not always—it’s best to jump right in, pulling your reader into the middle of a situation. King is, of course, writing about novels, which take months and years and hundreds of pages of dedication to the same story.

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