Is it ever acceptable to start a sentence with And?

[Guest]

And can you provide some examples of when you have ever done it?

Thanks.

[Bryan]

You learn the rules and then you learn how to break them. Gotta learn the rules first. Be intentional with each word you choose, but no the reasoning for each. Pay attention to your story as you’re writing it, and it’ll tell you how it wants to be written.

I start my novel with and, it’s what my story called for.

And then the bulldozers stopped.

[Alan]

And now for something completely different. (Monty Python)
As a former hypnotherapist I like others used And to impact suggestion.
And as you start to be aware of your breathing you start to relax.
And of course everything is suggestion leading readers into a trance.
Lots on the internet about this . And it’s worth reading.

[Carmen]

When the cadence of the sentences around it make it perfect for the location, I use and or but. The only reason teachers of elementary students don’t allow it is because children can’t distinguish at a young age without proper training between fragments and complete sentences.

Here’s a sample from my newest book: Death is a part of life,ˮ Señor Valdez stated. “And though Doña Sebastiana comes for each of us when it is our time…there is more after our physical lives reach their end.ˮ

[Paul]

Of course. This is probably the most common way that writers break formal grammatical rules for effect. If I was writing an essay, newspaper article, or nonfiction book, I wouldn't do it. But in a narrative, you can break just about any rule IF you have a good reason.

The most common reasons to start a sentence with "and" would be to place much greater emphasis on the clause in that sentence, to adjust pacing, and to lend variety and spice to the writing. It's not a good idea to do this a lot, but it can be very effective when done judiciously.

Same thing goes for the other coordinating conjunctions (for, and, but, or, yet, so). And this is coming from a professional editor

[Jeff]

It's always acceptable to start a sentence with "And."

I do it regularly. It's not even a little bit of a big deal. As with everything, do it in moderation. But if you feel like "And" fits as the continuation of the previous thought, then do it. There's nothing stopping you. And it's simple to do too.

[Julia]

In fiction, yes. You can begin sentences with and, but, or, and because. It's only really a rule not to use it in formal writing like essays or for academia.

[David]

And the screams of agony, as the bones snapped and crumbled under the weight of the boulder that rolled out onto our scouting troop campsite, awoke us all into a state of panic.
---------------
YES, you can start a paragraph with "and", most especially if it's the first paragraph of the book or story, so you can drag someone's mind into an experience that is in process without their arrival, but now include them because they are here. Sometimes the tactics are tactless, but as a writer, you command the world so, from time to time, you have to do it in a way that makes sense to you and to hell with your audience for now.