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First Lines writing lottery on a textured background
first-lines-prototype.vercel.app

First Lines · Writing experiment

Can one line help unlock creative writing?

In brief

First Lines is a writing experiment that provides one opening sentence and then gets out of the way. I designed and built it to test whether constraint, private drafting and low-stakes social visibility could help people begin writing without outsourcing the writing itself.

My role

Generative tools can produce language without the experience of writing it. I designed and built First Lines so one opening line, private drafting, and a Hooked reaction could help someone begin, without the tool continuing the text. A public launch reached 128 visitors in one day, and 12 openings were shared.

Role
Independent product designerdeveloper
Year
2025-2026
Scope
HypothesisUX/UIDevelopment, launch and iteration
Status
Live experimentVersion 2

Overview

We publish more words than ever, but it doesn’t mean we are writing more

Captions, posts, newsletters and professional updates have made almost everyone a publisher. Generative tools make it possible to produce this language without experiencing the uncertain and often rewarding process of writing it.

First Lines began with a different belief: writing is not reserved for writers. Once someone moves beyond the first sentence, the process can create its own momentum especially when another person signals that they are hooked to read more.

Publishing shortcut compared with the First Lines loop

The mechanism

Draw a line and unlock the spark for writing

The tool only shows the first line. It never continues the text, suggests what comes next or evaluates the writing. No AI interferes with the process.

Draw a first line, start writing, and share it to collect Hooked

Public release

People visited, wrote and shared their creative writing!

I launched the updated version through my private Instagram stories and on X. The first release reached a small, friend-heavy audience. That makes the numbers modest, but also more trustworthy: these were people I could observe closely as they drew a line, wrote from it and chose to share their opening.

128
visitors in one day
283
page views in one day
12
live openings
40
hooked reactions
Shared openings with Hooked counts

Two separate launches

In the second version the process got simplified.

The first version asked users to choose a genre before drawing a line, adding another decision before writing could begin.

First version asking the writer to choose a genre before drawing
Simplified second version with one line and a dismissible timer
One immediate lottery • Private drafting • Dismissible soft timer • A Hooked reaction that gives writers a small reason to continue

Qualitative signals and questions for next tests

What the product asks next

Should openings be able to grow? Do writers return for another line? Does the timer support focus or add pressure? Does visible authorship increase meaningful participation?

  • Adam returned

    and created 4 openings

  • Monika was surprised

    by the quality of her own creative writing and was willing to continue!

  • Nicole wanted

    to continue her story

  • Aga enjoyed writing

    and really wanted to read what others made, especially her friends

Related thinking • essay

The case for cognitive friction

First Lines is one practical experiment within a broader question I explore in this essay: when should a tool preserve human effort instead of removing it?