First lines interview with author Chelsea M Cameron

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Chelsea M Cameron

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

YES! An opening line is your first impression. It’s like that first second when you see a new person. You’re going to make a judgment about them, whether you want to or not. First lines can make or break a book in a reader’s mind.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

First lines are really, really hard for me. When I worked at a newspaper writing articles, I would always write the first line last. I’d start in with all the other information and make sure that was good. I find it hard to write the beginning when you don’t know the end. Maybe this is backwards, but it’s how it works for me. I also try many different versions of an opening line to get it right. Reading them aloud helps a lot t

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?oo.

You risk the person looking at that book saying, “no thanks,” and moving on to something else. With the world moving so fast, and with text messages and tweeting, you have to make a good impression fast. Why waste words on something that isn’t going to get the reader’s attention?

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?
I have a couple! From George Orwell’s 1984:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

Right away you know that this book isn’t about a world you’re familiar with. And I want to know about a world where the clocks strike 13.

From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

I can’t really say why I love this, but it just sets the tone for the entire book. You know that this is going to be about love. And marriage. And finding both.

As for the worst, I’d have to say the first line in a certain YA book with a sparkling vampire. It’s just awful.

What is one of your own best first lines?
Oh gosh, that’s a lot of pressure. Okay… *looks through docs* I guess I’ll go with a line from something I wrote for NaNoWriMo last November:

I was seven the first time I came upon a man bleeding on the other side of The Wall.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

*searches again through docs* Oh, here’s one from the sequel of a book I’ll never publish. It’s just too angsty and ugh:

“I have a surprise for you,” Luke said, giving me a smile that made my knees weak, and my heart beat in overdrive.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first 

lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

I have a degree in journalism, and we talked so much about the importance of the opening line of a story. The following things drive me nuts: Opening with the weather. Someone waking up. Showing up at a new school. Being on an airplane. Driving. Anyone doing a menial chore. The main character describing themselves in a mirror. I’ve read them time and time again, and unless you have a new twist on it, don’t do it.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

I’d write the first line last. Then you don’t put pressure on yourself and stare at a blank screen trying to think of the perfect first line. Just get into the story and worry about the first line later. Just don’t forget to go back!

Do you have any final words?

I’d just say don’t be afraid to be innovative. The lines we remember are the lines we haven’t heard before. Trying to imitate someone else will lead to lines that sound like everyone else’s.

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA writer from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world’s worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, vacuuming and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head.

She is hard at work on the sequel to Nocturnal, entitled Nightmare, due out in April 2012, as well as a series about ghosts and another series about things that go bump in the night. She’s also a social networking fanatic.

My blog: http://www.leftandwrite7.blogspot.com

First lines with author Kali Amanda Browne

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Kali Amanda Browne

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

Absolutely. Of course, what follows needs to be as interesting and compelling enough to keep people reading. That first line can draw readers into the story, set the pace or the mood (sometimes both), define a character… That first impression always matters because not all readers are willing to go beyond it.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

Some first lines write themselves, quite literally. I think the problem is when you place an inordinate importance on it and try to force something brilliant. Sometimes you don’t come up with a good opening line until halfway through writing a piece, and sometimes do not realize this until you’re deep into revisions.

I wish I could tell you there was some magic formula but I never approach a new writing project the same way.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

The worst, of course, is that the reader will be turned off and reject your work. I personally need a really incompetent effort to go that far. I sometimes allow for a slow or seemingly ineffectual first line and let the writer try to win me over.

The other thing to consider is that a badly written first line might cause word of mouth that includes the caveat, “It was a good book but it starts out just so.”

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

The best first line, in my opinion, is from Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”.

You better not never tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy.

Thirty years later, those first eight words still send shivers down my spine, and after I get past the heebie-jeebies it manages to remind me of that epic journey with Celie. That first line carries all the beauty, the anger, the fear, disappointments, the tears, the laughs and small triumphs. On the first reading though, that line immediately put me in the same state of mind as the heroine.

None of the bad lines were memorable enough.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I howled at the Moon last night.

From “One Night with B.B.”

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

It was an ordinary afternoon in late November.

From “Justified” — it smacks of “It was a dark and stormy night.” I admit I did that on purpose because it amused me, but then (after I published it) I realized, “Oh my god, people who don’t know me and my twisted sense of humor are going to read that I think I’m just mentally deficient…”

There was another really bad first line that I wrote for NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago, but frankly it was so bad I destroyed the whole thing and all physical copies. I had to. I decided that if I was to suddenly die, I’d rather people found porn on my hard drive instead of that manuscript. I swear I don’t remember the first line. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

Brevity is the soul of wit, complex sentences that try to summarize the whole story and all its nuances are annoying and obnoxious. Avoid that at all costs. Polarizing statements or heavy handed attempts to manipulate your readers’ emotions are also traps to avoid.

It’s like starting a conversation with a bitch slap!

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

Don’t worry about it. Seriously. Write. Revise. Rewrite. That “perfect” first line might be buried in the story. Revisions might suggest it. It may not even exist at all. Focus on writing a good story and the pieces will come together naturally. Don’t force it.

The advice that I have heard and read is to start your story in the middle of the action and this will propel the story, but no one has ever given specific advice as to the structure or content of the first line.

The truth is that every story is different and you cannot predict whether the line will have the desired effect. The most often quoted best first line is “Call me Ishmael.” If you do not understand the context of it at this point, would you choose such a line to begin your story? Probably not. What determines the brilliance of that first line is how it is received.

Do you have any final words?

I suppose that there is something poetic about really compelling first lines. Finding the right words isn’t always easy but it is always worth the effort.

Kali Amanda Browne was born in New York City, came of age in Puerto Rico and has lived her entire adult life in Brooklyn, NY. Writer, food enthusiast, devoted daughter, marketing specialist, technology analyst, big mouth with a daemon tongue, geek with pagan tendencies. Titles in her arsenal include two volumes of food essays and recipes, a crime novel, a couple of short stories and an anthology of journals. The next challenge is a steampunk series with a very sassy heroine and her fantastic journeys in a new, strange world; a detective story; and a cookbook of Latin American delicacies.

You can follow all her writing projects – from fiction, short stories, cookbooks, online articles, to blogs and social media – here: http://kaliamanda.weebly.com

First lines with author Chris Northern

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Chris Northern

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

It depends. I know that sounds a wishy-washy answer but it’s true. Any given story has the elements that it needs to work and in some a killer first line, one that grabs you by the throat, is important. In others, not so much. I guess the truest answer is: Yes, as long as the first line focus the readers attention where it needs to be for the story to start to work.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

Starting is a pain, but that is more because you have to start in the right place. No story will work if you start in the wrong place for that particular story. So, the quicker you can spot that your first line is wrong the less time you will waste. It’s like torque – you get more useful work if you get the opening line right first time. Of course, you can plough ahead regardless and get to the end but… probably better not.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

Depends on the length of the piece. For a novel you can probably get away with a line that doesn’t grab. But for shorter work, not so much. There’s always more room for mistakes in a novel length work; get some momentum and carry the crowd with you. If the first line is like the first chuff of a steam train, well readers know that there will be a second chuff and the train will start to roll along real good any time soon.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst

Wow. Just exactly how good do you think my memory is, Scarlett? Gimmie a moment and I’ll see what I can come up with – several thousand books have to be thought about here.

Okay, actually it didn’t take any time at all but I was just rejecting it over and over. So, I give up:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Now, the funny thing about this is that everyone can quote It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. And probably assume that that is it. It’s pretty snappy, sticks in the mind and that’s why I was resisting it. First thing to come to mind. Of course, the actual true sentence – thus first line – is just enormous and I doubt that more than a handful of people could quote it entire without reference; I certainly couldn’t. But… It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That’s class.

Another comes to mind from a movie, Serenity. It’s the opening scene after the credits.

What was that?

It’s a great line. It’s perfect. Utterly perfect for that story. And that’s what matters.

What is one of your own best first lines?

You’re it!

No sense asking for elaboration – it’s the second line that makes it and you didn’t ask for that; also it’s an unpublished story and I have no intention of publishing it because it’s mainstream and I don’t do that.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

Ouch. Okay, I’m all for glasnost and perestroika. It runs thus:

On the west bank of the Golinda the day was full of fire and men and horses.

Now that is just weak almost almost to the point of meaninglessness but the choice was drop back a day, change POV, do more prequel stuff or just get on with the story. I mean, Prison of Power is definitely one of those chuff-chuff-chuff books, but when it builds up a head of steam…. not so bad, I have at last been told, by one reader.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

Confusing. Or a lie. Or irrelevant.
Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

Not really, to be fair it isn’t one of my strengths. I think I said all I have to say about this above, and more or less covered it. Start in the right place. Focus attention on the most important thing.

Do you have any final words?

“Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something!”

Sometimes it’s just as well to have a good last line planned. For emergencies. :0)

Chris Northern is European, a traveller by inclination, and an electrical engineer by education. He has plied many trades over the years, determined to gain experience as he believed writers should. When asked what he does for a living, he tends to reply, “Whatever’s to hand,” and when asked why he writes novels, will usually say, “It’s like blinking; it’s just something that happens.” He likes to tinker with car engines and will occasionally get them running for a while. He is often to be found eyeing the horizon; shortly thereafter, he is often found to be gone.

Up to no good, as usual. No; I’m busy – working on book for of The Price of Freedom sequence and have just interrupted that for a two day brainstorm of – hopefully – genius, which will bear fruit over the next month of so. Science Fiction was always my first love but I haven’t written any for ages. Well, I’m just about to.

http://www.forwardviewmirror.blogspot.co.uk/

First lines with author Greg Curtis

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Greg Curtis

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

I think the first line is less about being part of the story and more about acting as a hook to draw the reader in. Done well it should hopefully make the reader wonder – what the hell was that about? What’s going on? And with luck make him want to read on to find out.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

No technique. No ritual. But then I write in an organic fasion, so my stories could begin anywhere in the book, and each day I could write on any or several chapters. It really depends on what I was thinking about before I sat down at the computer. So often I don’t even know what the first line is until I’ve finished the book.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

I’m certain the most important one would be that the reader might lose interest. However, hopefully most readers will read at least read the first few pages before they decide a book isn’t for them.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

Sorry, really can’t recall first lines from a book – but then I suspect that that’s a sign of a good book. I’d remember it if it was so terrible that it took my breath away etc. But if it’s good, it should just leave me moving on to the next line and the next and so forth.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I liked the opening line to Maverick. It’s long and wordy, (so am I), and people have complained that my writing is too long and the sentences meander. They do – I like them like that. But still I think it works well.

There are some days it doesn’t pay to get up in the morning, days when you know nothing good can come from them.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

Undoubtedly from The End.

The courtroom was already packed by the time Garrett and his lawyer arrived, and he was briefly tempted to ask if perhaps they should be excluded from it due to a lack of room, but only briefly.

It felt good when I wrote it, but now I keep thinking it’s awkward and it should be two lines.

Also my opening line from Of Dark Elves and Dragons is a mess. It’s simply:

Oh scat!

It wasn’t quite the line that I originally wrote or the one I wanted, though there’s only two letters difference and it means exactly the same thing. But I convinced myself after I wrote the original that it would turn many readers off having profanity in the first line, so I changed it as little as I could. Of course then I had the problem that most people don’t know what ‘scat’ is.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

Other then profane or badly written, or worse still, containing an obvious typo, I’m not sure. I can’t remember any truly terrible first lines, which hopefully means that if there were some poor ones they weren’t complete stinkers.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

Not sure that I have any advice about how to write one, or what it should be about. But the one thing I would say is don’t stress about it. It is quite likely one of the things that can be left until the very end of the book.

Do you have any final words?

While I can’t really remember first lines that were good or bad, there are a couple of last lines that I will never forget. Most people will remember tomorrow’s another day from Gone With The Wind. For me I’m not sure whether I like or hate that line, but I do remember it. But the one last line that I truly hated at the time was from Charles Logans – Shipwreck. –

And there, on that rock by the edge of the sea, he died.

Talk about a complete bummer! After racing through the book, it was really very good, and constantly wondering how he was going to survive on the alien planet, really rooting for the hero, it was a massive let down. It made sense, it worked, but I stillwanted him to be rescued.

Greg Curtis was born in New Zealand, land of the long white cloud and small flightless birds, in the city of Wellington, renown for its high winds and the almost magical ability of rain and sleet to be lifted off the street and blasted into one’s face. After eighteen years of suffering the cold and wet, he was finally blown away in a particularly bad storm to settle far away as a student, for more years then most would ever admit to, and then more latterly, an overqualified and underpaid worker in the health sector, (aren’t we all).

He has lived in the city of Rotorua, one of the very few places in the world where people have actually chosen to reside beside active geysers and breath air that reeks of sulphur, for the past fifteen years, working by day for his daily bread, and toiling away by night on his books. When not engaged in his great passions of reading and writing science fiction and fantasy, drinking strong black coffee (some call it tar), and consuming copious amounts of chocolate (dark naturally), he lives a quiet life of contemplation as the high priest to his two cats, worshipping them with regular gifts of food, occasional grooming and by providing them with a warm dry place to sleep. They in turn look down upon him with typical feline disdain, but occasionally deign to bring him gifts of headless vermin, – as a warning.

In a desperate bid to understand the meaning of his life, he has recently started studying philosophy, particularly metaphysics, and finally concluded that God is a cat!

Cheers and be good or don’t get caught.

First lines with author Stuart Jaffe

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Stuart Jaffe

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?
I can’t imagine there’s a writer out there who doesn’t think the first line is important. It’s the first impression and it’s the first step towards setting the tone, the world, the characters, the emotions. It’s also the first chance to prove to the reader that the book is well written.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?
It all varies from piece to piece. Some lines come right away. Some even inspire the entire story. Others are teeth gnashing, headache inducing, nightmares. I don’t know why. So, to answer the second part — no, I don’t have any technique or ritual. If I did, my teeth and head would sure be a lot happier.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?
A mediocre or bad first line won’t ruin the work, but a good to great first line will excite readers and suck them in instantly. So the only real consequence to a bad start is that you now have to work harder to get them to keep reading.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?
Here’s a great one that does all you can ask for from a first line:

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

— The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

I don’t recall any that outright stunk. The ones that were mediocre just don’t stick in the memory.
What is one of your own best first lines?

Malja wanted to kill the boy. Again.

— The Way of the Sword and Gun (Book 2 of The Malja Chronicles) This one plays well on its own, but if you’ve read Book 1, then you know who Malja is and who the boy is which actually gives this line an extra layer or two.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

When he woke, Jeo no longer sat in prison.

— from the short story “Jeo Defined” An early piece I wrote. I don’t like the cliche of waking up, and worse here, the character wakes up in a blank room.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?
As I mentioned above, don’t have the character wake up. Occasionally this can’t be avoided, but try your best to find a better way to start. It’s just way too overdone, and as shown by the Kafka line, it’s been done really well already. Also, name your character from the start. With few exceptions, there is no reason to start a story with pronouns. It’s artsy, but not in a good way.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?
Don’t get too worked up over it. Just get the story moving. As you come to understand the characters, the opening scene, and the piece as a whole, you’ll be able to find a good way to start. And if you’re first line isn’t stellar, that’s okay. It’s more important to get the story moving than to stun your reader with a good line.

Do you have any final words?
First lines are like the opening of a song. Some songs have very memorable openings — “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin (massive, fast drum opening), “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan (distinct guitar part), “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns and Roses (Long, melodic instrumental). Other songs have openings that serve the song well but are not particularly special — “Rollin’ in the Deep” by Adele is just a steady drum beat, nothing special or unique. Lots of songs start with a steady beat. But, of course, Adele’s song is very special and shows that once she starts singing. So, if you have a great first line, wonderful. But don’t sweat it if your first line is only serviceable. Just make the rest of the work sing.

Stuart Jaffe is the author of The Malja Chronicles, a post-apocalyptic fantasy series, as well as the short story collection, 10 Bits of My Brain. Numerous other short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. He is the co-host of The Eclectic Review — a podcast about science, art, and well, everything. For those who keep count, the latest animal listing is as follows: five cats, one albino corn snake, one Brazilian black tarantula, three aquatic turtles, one tortoise, assorted fish, two lop-eared rabbits, eleven chickens, and a horse. Thankfully, the chickens and the horse do not live inside the house.

Visit Stuart at the creatively named website address: www.stuartjaffe.com

First lines with author Kristine Cayne

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Kristine Cayne

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

Absolutely! The first line is the hook that will either draw the reader into the story or leave them cold. If that happens, the book goes back on the bookstore shelf, or the reader clicks out of the digital sample.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

First lines are very difficult. I took a wonderful workshop with Mary Buckham last year that dealt with this exact topic. She showed us how to include power hooks in our openings. She has identified nine techniques which can all be used in combination. Mary has a two-week version of this workshop called Power Openings (http://www.marybuckham.com/Onlineclasses.html).

When I begin to write a book, I try not to think too much about the first line since that’s a great way to get blank page paralysis. Instead, I work on perfecting the first line during final revisions.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

A reader’s time is limited and most don’t want to waste it on something that is middle-of-the-road. If the reader’s reaction to the first line is “meh,” she’ll assume the rest of the book is also “meh” and move on to something else.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

The best first line I ever read was from Cherry Adair’s Hush. [warning: explicit sexual themes]

Three things happened simultaneously: the soft, warm curve of a woman’s bare ass tucked enticingly against Zarkary Stark’s good-morning-happy-to-feel-you erection, the familiar gut-wrenching realization that she was the wrong woman, and the cold hard metal of a gun barrel pressed to his temple.

What is one of your own best first lines?

Originally, the second scene in Deadly Obsession was the first. The first line was then:

Where was the best place to shoot Nic “The Lover” Lamoureux? The king-size bed or the beige club chair?

I think that raises quite a few story questions!

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

I try my best to make all my first lines count. So, in my opinion, there is no worst.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

A great first line has to raise questions in the reader’s mind. If the reader has no questions, she has no reason to keep reading.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

I wouldn’t say there is anything that rubs me the wrong way other than some of the “advice” I hear floating around. Things like, “never start a book with dialogue.” Why not? Dialogue is action and action moves the story forward. The key is that the dialogue has to be meaningful and open up a story question without being “on the nose.” If the opening line is “Hello!” well that wouldn’t be good, not because it’s dialogue, but rather because it’s boring.

Joe Konrath, bestselling horror and thriller author says he starts many of his stories with dialogue. To check this out, I went to Amazon and picked one to look at, The List. Here’s the first line: “I found the head.” Okay, that got my attention, LOL.

The only first line rule I follow is: the first line shouldn’t be boring.

Worst First Lines

Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology–twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.

The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series, beginning with Deadly Obsession, are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms.

Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.

First Lines with author Cege Smith

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Cege Smith

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

The first line is your first introduction to the reader, and it has to be compelling enough that they want to continue reading. It is critically important to the story.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

I think first lines are hard in general because they are so important. You want to try to convey so much in just a few words, and it’s challenging. What I’ve taken to doing is just writing it to get something on the page and then I come back to it on the editing side. I don’t expect my first line to be great out of the gate. There is definitely some finesse needed.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

I think that can immediately throw a doubt in the reader’s mind about what to expect from the rest of the story. It’s like going on a first date and then having the whole thing start off badly- you spend the rest of your time together trying to recover and that may not happen.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

True!- nervous- very, very, dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why will you say that I am mad?

from the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

I can’t recall the worst first line, but I know there have been many that haven’t stood out to me.

What is one of your own best first lines?

No matter what she did, the voices in Angeline’s head wouldn’t stop despite the fact that the moment that would define her the rest of her life was just around the corner.

– from Heiress of Lies

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

I know that the first line of any one of my first drafts is awful. 🙂

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

Don’t try to cram too much in there. The first line should orient the reader to the character, the setting, or the situation, but don’t try to make it do all of that at the same time.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

I’d say that don’t expect it to be perfect right away, and try writing several different versions and read them outloud. You want to make sure that it flows well right into your story.

Cege Smith is a Minnesota based writer who is addicted to lattes and B-rated horror films. She had been crafting spooky stories since she was twelve years old. She lives with her husband, two adorable stepsons, and mini long-hair dachshund, Juliet, in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Connect with Cege Online: Twitter: http://twitter.com/cegesmith Facebook: http://facebook.com/cegesmith My blog: http://www.cegesmith.com

First lines with author J A Marlow

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J A Marlow

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

To me, first lines are all about tempting a reader in and setting the tone for the story to come. It, combined with the first few pages, will make or break a sale for a reader sampling. As we move into the digital world with the increase in sampling used in buying decisions, the first line becomes all the more important.

There are a lot of great books out there. Yours must stand out. A good first line, followed by a good solid engaging story, will help you do that.

Do you find first lines easy to come up with, or challenging? Do you have a technique, or a ritual, that you go by to make it easy?

It really depends on the project, as so much in writing does. Sometimes a brilliant first line will come to mind. Other times, I just have to slap something up there to start a first draft, and only when the revision process starts will I go back and craft a new first line. By then I also know more about the story, which will make coming up with a first line easier.

Well, typically easier. There are some books that fight the process every step of the way. Heh.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?

It depends on the mistake. A really bad first line will mark the author as an amateur writer who has not learned their craft. When it’s published, it will cost the author and publisher sales. As much as writers love the art of writing, it is ultimately a business. No sales means no career.

What’s your favorite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

Oh, goodness, specifics? My mind just went blank. How about I tell you the types?

Favorites: First lines that grab attention with a great character tied to a bit of action. Dialogue lines are great with this, but I’ve seen it done without, too. Usually by letting us see into the thoughts of a character as they observe something about his or her world/situation.

Worst: Scenery or setting description. If I’m in a charitable mood, I might skim forward to see if something happens in the next few pages.If I’m not, then I set the book down.

What is one of your own best first lines?

Two of them really compete for me. If I had to choose, “Coffee Cup Dreams” would win with the first line of:

She wasn’t supposed to wake up when dead.

“Glint of a Suncatcher” comes in close behind with:

“I know the head is around here somewhere!”

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?

“Where the Purple Grass Grows”

The locals called the planet ‘Vorstogen‘, after an original founder of the human colony. In defence of the line, the rest of the paragraph balances it out! Hehe.

What are some things a first line *shouldn’t* be? What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

First lines that have nothing to do with the book always bug me. Entice me in with a clever first line to find it’s irrelevant to the story being told? I’ll be careful about ever buying the writer’s work again. To me, this is the equivalent of lying about the story.

Don’t break one of the rules of the reader/writer contract. In this case, I refer to the following rules:
• The author will respect the intelligence of the reader.
• The author will not waste the time of the reader. (Some phrase this as “The author will not deceive the reader”)

Yes, I’ve seen first lines break both of the above rules.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?

My big suggestion is to do the one thing every writer should be doing: read.

Study your favorite books. What were the first lines? Does it call you? Why? Do you see any common themes or what sort of first lines they are?

Just as important is to study what turns you off. Why? What is it about it that you don’t like? Are there any commonalities between it and other first lines you don’t like?

Then there is practice. Think of how you would change the first line of a book to something better. Even more important, keep writing and practice it with your own work. A writer learns by practice. Just as a musician practices with their instrument, writing new words is a writer’s practice.

Do you have any final words?

Be flexible. If a good first line does not come right at first, do not let it stop you from continuing to write. Writers are blessed with something called “Revision.” Come back during revision and start crafting a good first line which will work with the story that’s been told. It may take several tries. That’s okay. If you keep working on
it, learn from what others have done, keep practising, then it will come.

J.A. Marlow is a science fiction writer Science fiction writer who loves great plots, interesting characters, and exotic locales accompanied by a sense of wonder. http://jamarlow.com