First lines interview with author Jaime McDougall

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Jaime McDougall

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

Absolutely. While some may regard it as a minor thing, the first line can set the tone for an entire novel. Whether the first line is dialogue or something rich in description, it can give your reader cues for what to settle in for in regards 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 always start with a line of dialogue. Sometimes it stays through to the finished product and sometimes it doesn’t, but dialogue is where it begins for me. My books are all about the characters, so I find this ritual of sorts appropriate.

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

Losing your reader, I imagine. I can think of a number of ways a first line would turn me off. Some of it depends on my mood and what I’m wanting to read – a first line dense with a lot of description an technical terms isn’t going to fly when I want something light and fluffy – and some of it depends on whether I think the author is trying to use the first line to show off.

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

There is a monologue I performed in high school that has one of my favourite first lines:

Construction in New York is a bitch.

(From The Reincarnation of Jaime Brown.) This line may seem so short and innocent, but it sets up so much from the reader like character voice and setting.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I don’t have many published, as of yet. But one from an upcoming novel that I am particularly fond of is:

With the critical gaze of a woman who had just finished celebrating her fortieth birthday, Penelope Mitchel lifted her right breast and jiggled it.

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

Haha. Probably the same one as above.

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

Let it be natural. Don’t try to pose or sound any particular way. Writing a great first line involves relaxing into your writing space and voice, not relaxing three paragraphs later once you have the flowery prose out of your system.

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?

This ties into the answer I gave above. I don’t care for it when the author is trying to ‘sound like’ anyone or anything else. That sort of thing gives the writing a ‘feel’ to it, and I – as a reader – can’t relax into the story until the author does.

Jaime McDougall is a citizen of the world, currently loving life in beautiful country Victoria in Australia. She loves eating sushi, kidnapping her husband and naming her pets in honour of science fiction authors.

She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: High School: The Real Deal and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles. So You Want an Online Book Tour is her most recent non-fiction ebook. Echo Falls is her first paranormal romance novel.
When she’s not writing novels, avoiding writing novels or eating sushi, she’s usually blogging at her website: http://www.inkyblots.com

First lines interview with author K Crumley

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K Crumley

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

Oh yes, absolutely. It may be cliché’ but you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Your first line should pop! It should rope people in, and make them wonder what’s going on in the story. I also believe it should set the scene, while intriguing readers. Of course, it also should be well-constructed.

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 times the lines just come to me, other times I have to brainstorm or keep tweaking it until I get it right. I actually have a doc file labeled “good first lines.” When a cool sentence pops in my head, I’ll add it. I even have a tablet that I keep with me, when a really good sentence pops in my head (per say at work). I write it down,right away.

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

If you have a bad first line, you may fail to entice readers. Or worse yet, you might really turn your readers off.

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

My favorite:

Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently just like love.

From Andrew Davidson’s the Gargoyle

My least favorite:

My name is Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie.

from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

What is one of your own best first lines?

“NO!!” Mitchel Rainley woke up screaming, again.

From Carousel.

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

Once there lived a beautiful girl named Nicola. She was not wealthly by any means; but her loveliness and caring nature had won her the heart of the Grande Duke’s son Xavier, to whom she was betrothed.

from the Golden Rose. I just think it’s a little too long, and a little too typical.

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?

Your first line should never be too bland, or too boring. I really don’t like those “Meet so-and-so…” first lines. First lines solely bent on introducing you to the main character in a way that’s supposed to be quirky and cute. The aforementioned line from The Lovely Bones is a perfect example. I think the “like the fish” part bugged me the most. I really don’t care for that book, but even if it was a great story, the line doesn’t do it any justice.

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

1) Think of your five favorite books. Look at the first lines, and think about what you liked about them.

2) Think of a first line as a punch. How strong of an impact do you want to make with that punch? Let that punch suit what kind of story it is. Is it a playful jab, a sucker punch, or a full-blown col cock?

3) Get feedback. See what other people think. What impression did your first line give them?

Do you have any final words?

The best first lines are the ones you find quoted again and again…They are the ones we never forget.

I’ve been in love with writing all my life; but began pursuing my writing career while I was a dance major at Point Park University. After a series of personal trails and a religious reckoning, I hung up my point shoes for good and never looked back. Writing is my truer love, and even my college professors encouraged and praised my writing. Kind of funny how we find ourselves sometimes…

Currently, I’m working on the second story in my Daughters of Oberia trilogy, a poetry anthology entitled Angelic Visions, and a fantasy series The Corithian Saga. Website: http://www.klcrumley.com

First lines interview with author Cora Buhlert

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Cora Buhlert

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

A great first line is what turns a potential reader into a reader, so it’s very important indeed. What is more, a first line should ideally provide an introduction to the protagonist and the conflict and be intriguing enough to hook the reader. That’s a lot of functions for a couple of words to fulfil.

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 depends. Sometimes I come up with a good first line right away or at least very early in the

writing process. Sometimes, the first line is dull and uninspired throughout the first draft and even beyond. At least for me, a good first line tends to arrive in a flash of inspiration. As for techniques and rituals that make first lines easier to come up with, well, I haven’t found one that works yet. But I do know that rushing things usually doesn’t help. A good first line will come in its own time.

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

The absolute worst that can happen is that a bad first line keeps the reader from ever reading the second. And that’s a very negative consequence indeed.

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

Of the classics, Charles Dickens has some great first lines. Who could resist

Marley was dead to begin with.

from A Christmas Carol or

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

from A Tale of Two Cities? Another old but not quite yet classic first line I really like is

He was born with the gift of laughter and the knowledge that the world was mad.

from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini.

Of more recent books, a first line that really stuck in my mind is

I’d died six months ago.

from Roadkill by Rob Thurman. How can you not want to read on after that? The book that follows is excellent, too, by the way.

YA novels tend to have great first lines as well, probably because the target audience is easily bored and will not accept a less than stunning beginning. For example, The Bad Beginnings, first

in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, starts off with,

If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.

The combination of the narrator addressing the reader directly and immediately issuing dire warnings of the book that is to follow is a great attention grabber. There’s no better way of getting kids to read something than telling them they shouldn’t read it (teacher speaking here), which is probably why first lines with warnings addressed directly to the reader are so common in YA fiction. Rick Riordan uses a similar approach in the Percy Jackson series and the Kane Chronicles and it’s very effective.

As for bad first lines, there are very few bad first lines per se. Even the infamous

It was a dark and stormy night…

from Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton is not really as bad as it’s made out to be (and the book is actually quite good for an early Victorian adventure novel), it’s just clichéd. And indeed, clichéd or just plain dull first lines are a lot more common than truly bad ones. Clichéd or dull first lines also tend to be unmemorable, so you just tend to forget them, unless they are really hilariously bad.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I’m very fond of

SILENCER TO FACE HANGMAN the headline screamed. Blood red letters, two inch high, running through a rotary press at a rate of five hundred pages per minute.

Which is the first line of my novelette Countdown to Death. It’s grabbing, it creates atmosphere and immediately makes it clear what the story will be about.

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

Probably

On a July morning in the year of the Lord 1812, Captain Jonathan Farnsworth, officer of the British crown and spy for Lord Wellington, was riding towards the village of Los Horcados.

Which is the first line of my novelette El Carnicero. It does the job of setting the scene and introducing the protagonist, but it’s really quite dull. Luckily, it gets better within two sentences, when Captain Farnsworth reaches the village and finds all the inhabitants slaughtered.

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?

Well, first lines definitely shouldn’t be boring or clichéd. They shouldn’t be wildly different in tone and style from the rest of the text, unless there is a very good reason for it. First lines shouldn’t raise false expectations, e.g. there is a detailed description of a blade slicing into a neck, blood spurting, a person crying out and then it turns out that the protagonist has only cut himself while

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?shaving. First lines shouldn’t sum up the plot of the previous book in the series, cause it’s boring for those who have read them and confusing for those who haven’t. Nor should they spoil the plot. For example, there is a P.D. James mystery (Shroud for a Nightingale) which starts with “On the morning of the first murder…” This opening immediately rubbed me the wrong way, because even though I knew that I was reading a mystery and that there would be at least one murder at some point, I didn’t need some smug omniscient narrator to point it out to me. An additional problem with the novel was that the opening chapter featured two very likable lesbian nurses, who promptly vanished from the plot once the body was found never to be seen again, so this was also a case of the opening promising something that the book did not fulfil. Coincidentally, this was the first and only P.D. James novel I ever read.

I tend to prefer the in medias res approach, that is starting in the middle of action or dialogue. What is more, that action and/or dialogue should raise some questions, but not so many that the

reader is overwhelmed and decides that he doesn’t give a damn. Besides, it should be intriguing enough that the reader is hooked immediately and wants to read on. Finally, a first line should not be too long, because a first line that goes on and on risks losing the reader’s attention.

Of course, not everybody agrees. In my creative writing class at university, there was a writer who deliberately eschewed what she called “sensational openings” (she’d also chide the rest of us for writing sensational openings) and instead preferred to open her stories with unnamed characters musing about quotidian things. Her work was not to my taste at all, but she did win a local writing award at one point, so others obviously disagreed.

Nonetheless, the slow meandering approach of starting with several paragraphs of atmosphere and description that was common in the Victorian era rarely works in today’s faster paced world. I sometimes do an exercise with my students where we read and discuss the opening pages of several different novels. Most of them are fairly recent, but I also use the “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” opening of A Tale of Two Cities. My students inevitably hate that one, because it’s boring to them. Depressingly, they almost never get the historical references either, even though they’ve supposedly studied the French revolution in history class, but that’s a rant for another day.

Do you have any final words?

Thanks for having me. I really enjoyed this interview.

Cora Buhlert was born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently working towards her PhD. Cora has been writing, since she was a teenager, and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international magazines. When she is not writing, she works as a translator and teacher.

My personal website/blog is at http://corabuhlert.com and my publisher site/blog is at http://pegasus-pulp.com.

First lines interview with author Robert Collins

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Robert Collins

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

Yes, depending on the story’s length. For a short story, it’s important to get the reader’s attention right away.

For a novel, it’s better to have a strong first few paragraphs, or even a strong first chapter. A novel reader is investing time with you. You don’t want to have a big bang in the first line, first few paragraphs, or even the first chapter, then have the story slow down. Don’t hook the reader in; reel them in at a steady and accelerating pace.

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?

As to technique, no. I don’t find it challenging or not challenging. Usually something comes to me when I start a project.

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

Again, depends on the length. A weak opening or a bady-written first line in a short story will keep the story from selling. In a novel, either it won’t matter, or it will be a sign of bad writing throughout.

I do think that it’s important that the opening signal to the reader what’s to come. It would be more jarring to have a first line that’s funny for a dramatic story than to have a first line that isn’t written well. Another would be a dense first line, while the rest of the story is in a more clipped style. You must let the reader know from the start that you know what you’re doing. Showing that you don’t will ruin you far more than a weak story or dull characters.

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

No worsts. My favorite isn’t so much a first line, as an opening: The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. It starts by telling the reader about this planet where everyone in unhappy. A girl has an idea how the world can become a happy place. A catastrophe happens and the idea is lost. Then we get these two lines:

This is not her story. But it is the story of that terrible, stupid catastrophe and some of its consequences.

It’s a complete left turn that lets you know this isn’t your usual SF book.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I like this one from a new story I’ve written, featuring the main character of my first published novel, “Expert Assistance”:

This is one of the most interesting solar systems in known space, Jake Bonner thought, and I am bored looking at it.

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

Honestly, I can’t think of any. If I had one, I’ve revised it out of existence.

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?

Info-dumps. Boring prologues. Poor attempts to invoke a better opening. Confusing first lines. A hard sell.

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 try too hard. Don’t be afraid to change that sentence or paragraph if it’s not strong. If you can, make it a set-up for what’s to come. It doesn’t have to be foreshadowing. It can suggest a character trait, or set the tone.

Do you have any final words?

Writing is fun, so relax and try to let the words flow.

I’ve had three SF novels published: “Monitor,” “Lisa’s Way,” and “Expert Assistance.” I’ve also had a coming of age novel published called “True Friends.” I’ve had stories and articles appear in periodicals such as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine; Tales of the Talisman; Space Westerns; Sorcerous Signals; Wild West; and Model Railroader. I’ve had two biographies published, one of “Bleeding Kansas” leader Jim Lane, and the other of a Kansas Civil War general. I’ve had six Kansas railroad books published by South Platte Press.

Blog: http://robertlcollins.blogspot.com/

First lines interview with author Matthew Iden

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Matthew Iden

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

I’m going to go against the norm, here, and say: yes, they are important, but not as important as people think.

First lines have a critical job to do, but once they’d accomplished their purpose, they should be allowed to clock out and have a beer while the writer gets to work on the other parts of the book. It’s the synergy of all of the parts that make a compelling story. Working slavishly on the first twenty words will not save a bad idea, or poor research, or a boggy middle, or poor POV. Granted, we all know we’re supposed to work as hard on the rest of the novel as we did on the beginning, but how often does it happen that way?

This is perhaps more relevant than ever now that e-publishing has allowed us to get away from the need to woo agents and editors. A generation of writers were told that “the first page (or first chapter or first three chapters) has to sell your book” and wrote accordingly. This made for some lopsided writing: great beginnings, uncertain middles, fuzzy endings. Digital publishing lets authors focus on the entire story.

Having said all that…a great first line is a beautiful thing.

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 used to really labor over first lines, trying to out-do myself in cleverness or the beauty of my language or crafting arcane metonymies.

If something great occurs to me, you bet I’ll use it! But lately I’ve been following the model of the best crime fiction and thriller writers: use the first line to get your reader into the story as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Spare, functional first lines have their own beauty.

Think of it like a can opener: whether it’s made out of 24-karat gold or tin, it’s still gotta open cans.

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

It depends on what you mean by “badly”.

There’re the obvious goof-ups of bad grammar or a misspelling or the misuse of a concept. You might think these are no-brainers, but I’ve seen them in action and I can tell you it colors my opinion for the rest of the book. First lines are like job applicants: if they show up badly dressed, with mustard stains on their shirt, talking nonsense, they’re not going to get the position. Many readers will abandon a whole book if these simple things go uncorrected.

Then there’s the perfectly written first line that assumes too much. I’ve suffered from this where I’m so familiar with my own story–after re-writing it 10 times–that I can’t quite remember what the reader doesn’t know yet. In this case, the reader feels dropped into the deep end of the pool. They might stay with the story a little longer than with poor writing–perhaps I’m some kind of genius and they need to stick with it to “get it”–but eventually they’ll figure out I’m not the next coming of Thomas Pynchon and will slip my book under a table leg to prop it up.

There are flat first lines, too-cute first lines, vulgar first lines…they all have the same consequence: to turn readers off to the book and quite possibly to the author.

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

The Quiet American starts off unspectacularly, but if you know Graham Green’s writing and his penchant for playing with the reader, it’s a line that, in retrospect, works wonderfully:

After dinner I sat and waited for Pyle in my room over the rue Catinat; he had said, ‘I’ll be with
you at latest by ten,’ and when midnight struck I couldn’t stay quiet any longer and went down into the street.

I don’t want to spoil the story, but if you finish the book, go back and read that first line. Like so much of that wonderful novel, you realize Greene almost wrote the book backwards; far from being mundane, this opening line is telling you something about Fowler (the narrator) and the story from the very start.

I should also say that pretty much any short story by Hemingway starts off with an amazing first sentence. Pick up the Finca Vigia edition of his Compete Short Stories and just flip to the first page of each story; you’ll be in awe.

What is one of your own best first lines?

From my short story “A Day at the Beach”:

Ted Christy was wearing dark sunglasses, black flip-flops, and a banana-yellow Speedo when he realized that he’d just lost everything he’d stolen in the last twenty years.

The short story is a comical heist kind of thing, where I hope the reader gets a kick out of the visual (the protagonist being dressed in beach wear of questionable taste), the history (a burglar with 20 years of experience) and the set-up (apparently our crook has been out-crooked…how?).

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

Hoo boy. I love the concept of my speculative fiction short story “Feeding the Beast”, but could never get the first line to come off right:

The mill lay recumbent on the banks of the river, its humped back casting a shadow up to the surrounding hills when the sun had reached its end, the outbuildings and workshops trailing off as they followed the serpentine twists of the river for a mile or more.

I was shooting for “elegant Shirley Jackson” but ended up with “pretentious wind-bag” instead. I’m still working on 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?

I love science fiction and fantasy, but I have a pet peeve when authors are so in love with their own world-building that they throw a tidal wave of funny place names, magical races, ancient rituals, holy artifacts, and cultural history at the reader in the opening gambit. Certainly you want your reader to get into the milieu, but give ’em a chance to breathe, too!

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

I think it’s important to tailor the impact of the first line to the format you’re writing in. In short stories, obviously, space is at a premium, so your first line has to be punchy and meaningful. I mentioned Hemingway’s uncanny ability to nail amazing first lines in his short stories , but if you look at his novels–where he had more time to spin out a tale–there are few memorable opening lines. With more time and space, you have the luxury of the slow build.

If you have the gift, humor can be a great way to kick things off. John Cheever has a great opener in his short story, “The National Pastime” that will make you grin, even though the overall premise is serious:

To be an American and unable to play baseball is comparable to being a Polynesian and unable to swim.

If you’re starting to despair, just get into the action. As I suggested above, slipping directly into the narrative might be all you really need. Master crime fiction writer Elmore Leonard does it time and again:

The night Vincent was shot he saw it coming.

– Glitz

Stick wasn’t going if they had to pick up anything.

– Stick

Ocala Police picked up Dale Crowe Jr. for weaving, two o’clock in the morning, crossing the center line and having a busted taillight.

– Riding the Rap

Do you have any final words?

First lines are important and the best ones stick with us forever, but your book can’t be “all hat and no cattle”, as the saying goes. Your story is paramount; if you’ve got that covered, the first line will grow organically out of your great writing.

Matthew Iden writes thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist, but he’s also tried his hand at fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Former money-earning activities include time as a rifle-and-backpack-toting volunteer for the USDA Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska; IT Manager for the world-spanning Semester-at-Sea program; and… postman.

He’s recently released four collections of crime fiction short stories in e-book format (collected in the omnibus one bad twelve) and a fantasy short story debut, Sword of Kings; his medium- boiled crime fiction series featuring retired Washington DC homicide detective Marty Singer debuts soon in A Reason To Live.

Blog/website: http://matthew-iden.com
Twitter: @CrimeRighter
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00642SZQO

First lines interview with author Judi Coltman

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Judi Coltman

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

I am one of those writer’s that say, “No,” but with a caveat: It needs to be a first line that leads the reader to the second line which leads to a desire to finish the paragraph and by then, I hope the reader is hooked. The first line needs to welcome the reader without overwhelming him, it needs to make him feel comfortable with wanting to know what is to come. That does not always happen in the first line, but usually happens in the first paragraph.

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?

The first line is not usually difficult for me. That being said, I often think of what I want to say first, then eliminate the first three or so sentences in my head and start with the fourth.

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

A poorly written first line runs the risk of shutting the reader down immediately. I think a first line should be shorter than longer. A long rambling first line tells me the story may be the same. . . long and rambling and then I’m done.

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

My favorite first line is from Sylvia Plath’s, “The Bell Jar”

It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.

Why is it my favorite first line? I don’t know exactly. It may be the way the words play in my head, it may be the juxtaposition of sultry with the “shock”, as it were, of electrocution. I am invited in for more.

Worst first lines? I’ve never been a fan of Melville’s,

Call me Ishmael

but that is more because I’ve never been able to get through “Moby DIck”. Soooo, a first line that exemplifies what I find a turn off would be this:

I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho’ not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull; He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my Mother, whose Relations were named Robinson, a very good Family in that Country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but by the usual Corruption of Words in England, we are now called, nay we call our selves, and write our Name Crusoe, and so my Companions always call’d me.

– Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719)

What is one of your own best first lines?

My own first lines don’t stand on their own well, they are supported by what follows but, in one of my current works, I have a first line that I like:

The train case, circa 1960, green with beige trim, sat on the bench in the middle of the boat next to my father, his hand on top, guardian of the contents; my mother’s ashes.

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

I am directionally challenged.

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 really don’t enjoy a first line that insists on packing in a lot of superfluous information. I know Defoe wrote ‘Robinson Crusoe” centuries ago but, it’s a classic that I find long and rambling.

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

My best advice for any writer is to just start writing. Your best first line might actually come somewhere in the middle of your first paragraph. You’ll know it when you see it.

Do you have any final words?

My favorite, “The End”.

Raised in an affluent suburb of Detroit, Judi Coltman grew up in a female heavy household with an urban sense of “normal.” Coltman attended Michigan State University, majoring in Journalism until a professor requested she switch majors – “Apparently making a story better with added features isn’t acceptable in the news world,” Coltman laments. With a BA in English from Northern Illinois University, Coltman has written for local, regional and national publications.

Most recently, Coltman has been focusing on her true passion, delving into the realm or fiction. In The Name Of The Father is Coltman’s first novel, a suspense/thriller. Currently working on her next novel, Coltman is still writing a blog called, “My Life in a Nutshell,” from where her humorous book material was born. Often compared to Erma Bombeck, Coltman sees the humor in the absurdity of everyday life and then tells anyone who will listen.
Judi Coltman and her husband split their time between northern Illinois and the California desert. Sometimes they even pass each other at the airport.

http//:www.judicoltman.com

First lines interview with author T. S. Welti

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T S Welti

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

Absolutely. When I’m considering purchasing a book, I always read the first page. If I like what I see, I skip over to a few random pages to see if the style matches the first page (it often doesn’t). I think the reason for the mismatch is that many authors get hung up on making the first few chapters hook the reader and the rest of the book suffers a bit of neglect.

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?

Sometimes a story idea will develop from a good first line. That’s when it’s easy. When the story idea develops before the first line, that’s when I tend to hit a wall. It’s so much pressure to have to hook a reader in one sentence. I don’t necessarily have a technique or ritual for developing first lines. I usually just write whatever comes to mind to get the writing started then I go back and revise when a more catchy line comes to me.

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

I’ve closed the cover on many books at the bookstore due to lackluster first lines. I’ve seen much more bad first lines than good ones, but I guess that’s good news for my wallet. 🙂

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

It’s probably a bit of a cliche, but I’m a bit partial to,

When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.

The grammar isn’t stellar, but the impact of that first line is perfect.

I’ve read many bad first lines. I am glad I don’t remember them. 🙂

What is one of your own best first lines?

This isn’t the official first line yet, just a draft, but the first line for my upcoming short story No Shelter is,

I didn’t know just how sharp my blade was until Isaac used it to stab me in the back.

The first line of my first novel The Fifth Specter is a nod to one of my favorite authors, Mark Twain.

The rumors that parents who adopt their children love them more has been greatly exaggerated.

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

In the beginning stages of writing The Fifth Specter, I initially had the following first line,

Parker Chance crept down the stairs as quietly as possible.

Bleh! I cringe when I think of 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?

I hate when I see a first line like this: Rebecca hated high school almost as much as high school hated her. (Or something to that affect.) Please tell me something I’ve never heard before.

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

I don’t have any tips or tricks. My only advice would be to start with your character in action, if possible. If that’s not possible, or desirable, then start with a strong image or emotionally charged statement.

Do you have any final words?

I didn’t realize I had so much to say about first lines. Just don’t ask me for my thoughts on cliches.

T.S. Welti is a single mother who divides her time between California and Europe. She writes books for kids and teens for a living and bakes in her spare time. You can find out more about T.S. Welti and the Parker Chance series on her website at http://tswelti.com.

First lines interview with author Laura Lond

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Laura Lond

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

Of course the first line is important, it’s the first glimpse of the story the reader gets to see. It can be short and catchy or long and beautiful, it can be funny, thoughtful, dark or sarcastic. Whatever it is, it sets the tone, gives a hint of what one might expect from the book.

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?

They usually come up to me easily enough. I see two kinds of first lines; one is what I call “grab & hold,” it is supposed to instantly hook the reader. However, some stories require a slower start. Their first lines, and sometimes paragraphs, are not aiming to grab attention; they build the scene, prepare the stage. This approach I call “storytelling approach.” It can be risky, many writers avoid it these days, fearing to lose the reader. Since I write mostly fantasy, for which storytelling works well, I use it quite often.

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

Patient readers are becoming a rarity in today’s world of instant gratification. Many will not care to read the book if the first line (or paragraph) disappoints and fails to interest them.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?
One of the best is, of course, the opening line of 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 quote any bad ones off the top of my head, I guess they just don’t stick in my memory.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I was understandably surprised when Shork, my lackey, announced that I had a visitor.

(From My Sparkling Misfortune, a humorous fantasy.)

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

The dog’s name is Rex.

(From my very first story that I remember writing when I was around 4.)

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?

Making the first line half a page long is usually not a good idea. Classic authors could afford that, but I don’t think many readers would appreciate it today.

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

If it hasn’t come naturally, I would advise to try writing the opening scene several times, perhaps in very different ways, and see what would work best to start the book. Does any line stand out? Does it set the proper tone? Does it intrigue and make the reader want to know more? With these questions in mind, it should not be too difficult to pick one.

Laura Lond is an internationally published author of several novels and a collection of short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Having worked for 2 years at a literary museum, Laura entered the world of business, working for large international corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. After moving from Europe to the United States, she has been self-employed as a freelancer. Laura writes mostly historical fantasy.

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