When I'm teaching, this thought sometimes provokes quite a lot of argument, so I'm not offering it up as a hard and fast rule, just as something which feels quite personal to me and how I write, but in my experience sentences, paragraphs or chapters which start with the word it can sometimes set off on the wrong foot - literally, as it’s really a question of emphasis, of metre. (There are exceptions, as my students are always quick to point out - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - but I think they only prove the rule and that you’ve got to be Charles Dickens to get away with it). It was a cold night has less authority than The night was cold. Put what is important at the opening of your sentence and it begins to seem turbo charged.
Try it for yourself - it may not work for you, but it's good to test ideas out as deciding what feels right is all part of refining your voice as a writer.
My nephew is seven today -- Happy Birthday Gabriel!
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