What do the following quotes have in common? “Call me Ishmael;” “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen;” “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” Whether it’s Moby-Dick, Nineteen Eighty-Four, or I Capture the Castle, respectively, these opening lines from classic novels make us want to read on because we are piqued, amused, surprised, or intrigued in some way. A love of narrative is a constant factor of the human state; scientists put it down to a feel-good hormone called oxytocin, but whatever the reason, who among us can resist a rich story, engagingly t…