First Lines interview with author Alicia Kat Dillman

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

Yes, the beginning of a story is just as important as the last line in a story. If your opening line is poor you run the risk that the potential reader might drop it back on the shelf like it’s on fire and never find out the rest of 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 find them hard, I’m much better at writing end lines of chapters. The kind that make you want to flip to the next chapter. I find ends and middles much easier than beginnings so I tend to write the beginnings last.

Some people like to start with in medias res but I tend to start with something atmospheric. I have a background in theater so I always have a need to set my scene; to place the reader firmly in their surroundings. For chapter openers I start with one of three things. An atmospheric description, a bit of dialog or a character’s inner thoughts or comment on what’s been going on.

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

If you don’t have a good first line your book could be dead in the water. I tend to read the entire first page before deciding if I’ll get a book. Some people aren’t so forgiving.

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

Rick Riordan always has my favorite openers of all time, hands down. It was this line in The Last Olympian, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5, that got me to read the series. Now Riordan is one of my favorite authors.

The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.

I can’t recall the worst first line I ever read.

What is one of your own best first lines?
Here’s are two chapter openers from Daemons in the Mist:

The truth sat there on the screen, burning a hole into me.

The next day I really did feel like I had been hit by a Buick.

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

I opened one eye.

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’d have to say, an info dump. There’s a vast difference between setting the scene and boring your readers to death. I’m really turned off by books that start with pages and pages of exposition or really slow prologues.

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

Some people say you should start with dialog, or in the middle of action(in medias res). I suggest you start with one of three things depending on what the chapter is about.

• Scene setting- make sure its atmospheric and sensory. Make your reader feel like they are there.
• Dialog- starting with a question, or in a middle of a scene.
• In Medias Res- By starting in the middle of an action sequence (ie. fight, chase, battle), you heighten the dramatic impact of the scene. Done right, it will get your readers blood pumping and draw them in. Done poorly it will leave them highly confused.

Indie author & illustrator Alicia Kat Dillman is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. Kat illustrates and designs book covers & computer game art by day and writes teen fiction by night. The owner of two very crazy studio cats and nine overfull bookcases, Kat can usually be found performing, watching anime or hanging out in twitter chats when not playing in the imaginary worlds within her head.

Currently I’m working on the next two books in The Marked Ones Trilogy. You can always find out what I’m working on and how far along each project is by visiting my Works in Progress Page.

www.katgirlstudio.com

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First lines interview with author John Carter

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

The first line of a story is absolutely important. It sets the tone for the entire tale and has to act quickly to catch the reader’s attention. I can’t even begin to count how many books I’ve passed on reading because the first line didn’t appeal to me. I think the first line of any story should be the author’s best shot at grabbing my attention.

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 difficult for me to write. Sometimes I lay in bed at night and let words roll around my head when I’m working on a new book. I keep a pad next to me and jot down ideas and notes. Later, I’ll tweak what I have and hopefully come up with a line that’s memorable.

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

The consequences of a poorly written first line are fairly significant. Lost books sales and potential readers top out the list. If an author can’t grab me with his first words, I’m probably going to pass on reading the rest of the book.

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

The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed.

Stephen King’s the Dark Tower Book One: The Gunslinger. I love that line. It’s so simple but so engaging and it sets the tone for not only the entire book but the entire series. I was immediately drawn in.

What is one of your own best first lines?

I have a middle grades reader, Eli Arnold and the Keys to Forever Book One: It’s about Time. I’m very fond of the opening line:

“This is madness,” Tevlok screamed over the ear-splitting wails of the siren.

I hope it conveys that something terrible is happening and grabs the reader’s attention.

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

I think that would be,

The world collapsed on a Sunday morning.

I’m still working on it though

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 first lines that are generic. Things like,

My name is Billy and I have brown hair.

I think it’s always a mistake to tell the readers anything – show them through the writing. Sometimes, I’ll go back and read what I’ve written in a day and think, “this sounded so good earlier. What happened?” I think as writers, we sometimes get in a rush to get out what we want to say and end up writing lazy. First lines should never be lazy!

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 first lines just have to be played with and rewritten again and again until they are perfect. I always try to picture myself reading my first line in a book store and then I ask myself if I would keep reading this book. Until I can honestly say that I would, I keep working on it.

I’m an independent author and just recently published my first book, Eli Arnold and the Keys to Forever. It’s available on Amazon. I’m married and have one little girl who is about to turn 14. Most of my stories were originally written for her.

I’m an attorney but hate practicing law so I decided to follow the little voice inside my head and start writing. All of the rules and regulations that go along with the practice of law don’t have any place in writing. Anything can happen. The imagination is the only limit. I live in the deep south and write as much as possible. I’m currently finishing up the second Eli Arnold book and also working on several other writing projects.

First Lines interview with author Susan Helene Gottfried

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Susan Gottfried

Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?
I do consider the first line to be important, as a really good one can grab a reader and, hopefully, begin a promise to not let go. However, a weak first line doesn’t necessarily mean a bad book. It very well could mean there was no better way to start.

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 don’t think much about first lines, to be honest. I let them evolve. My technique is to write something down, then mold it into shape through the revision process. Because my first draft method is to write garbage until I figure out where the story’s going and then go back and craft the beginning to match the end – which isn’t nearly as backwards as it sounds – the first line is one of the LAST things I consider.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?
A lot of readers put all their faith in that one lonely line. That’s too bad because they may be limiting themselves. I mean, think about it. If a book is 100,000 words but the first ten aren’t spectacular, aren’t you possibly being a bit premature in your judgement?
In some ways, our instant-gratification society has gotten a bit out of control.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?
I can’t place famous movie quotes and unless it’s Metallica (and even sometimes regardless if it’s Metallica), I can’t take a song lyric out of context and identify it. Same problem with first lines. I couldn’t even tell you the first line from a book I’ve read a million times, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

What is one of your own best first lines?
That would be in Trevor’s Song. The first line is the famed eleven-letter word that rhymes with mother trucker.
Yep. A bit of a shocker, there, but it’s also typical Trevor. He’s not one to settle in anything, including his frustrated outbursts.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?
I do a LOT of bad first lines, just because of how I work. A lot of them remain on my blog, even, because I often post first-draft fiction in response to a writing prompt, or just because I feel like it. I think my blog character, Chelle LaFleur, has really bad first lines; many of them start in the vein of,

Listen up, now, boys and girls, ‘cause Chelle here’s got somethin’ to say.

Are you yawning? I am. You’d think someone who works as an editor would edit her own stuff and come up with something jazzier. I ought to work on that, come to think of it… Poor Chelle. She deserves better.
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?
Right now, with trends being what they are, I’d say a first line should NOT be a description of the landscape. The trend is to throw the reader into the action from the first word, so taking time to tell us all about the sunset or the tree that’s been bent by the wind… sure, it’s pretty and pretty writing is always welcome. But on the other hand, a writer also needs to write to their audience, and audiences these days are pretty well conditioned to want action.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?
The first line, as an art, should tease. It should offer hints of what’s to come and even some foreshadowing, even if all that’s being foreshadowed is the rest of the chapter. For instance, it’s my hope that when you sit down with Trevor’s Song, that one-word first line will make you curious about what he’s so hyper about. Sure, you’ll learn later on that Trevor swears like a truck driver (or the foul-mouthed rock star he is), but he also doesn’t use that word much. He chose it because it’s expressing the intensity of his emotion. He’s frustrated, worried, maybe a bit scared and definitely trying to deny the panic that’s rising.

Do you have any final words?
No, because we’re talking first lines here, not last lines. 🙂

Although, I had a friend in graduate school who always said that the first line sells your current book, and your last line sells the next one.
Make of that what you will.

Susan Helene Gottfried is the author of ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes — Year 1, ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes — Year 2, Trevor’s Song, ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes — Year 3, and King Trevor. A tone-deaf rocker-at-heart, Susan worked in retail record stores, in radio stations, as stage crew, and as a promoter while earning two college degrees in creative writing.

Susan walked away from a continued career in the music industry in order to write books, so it makes sense that most of her fiction revolves around rock bands. Once you get those record stores, radio stations, and fellow roadies and promoters under your skin, they never leave.
To fill her time, Susan takes on freelance line and copy editing from various clients.

Susan’s Website: http://westofmars.com

First Lines interview with author Tallulah Grace

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Tallulah Grace

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

Yes and no. First lines can be impacting enough to set the stage for the entire book, or they can simply be a lead-in to the meat of the story. An intriguing first line entices the reader to continue, thus giving the plot a chance to thicken and the characters a chance to shine.

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?

Most often, I find that first lines come easily. The goal is to draw the reader into the story as quickly as possible, but it takes more than a good first line to accomplish this. If my novels have a prelude, the first line is often a lead-in to help set the stage. My favorite technique for stories without a prelude is to begin in the midst of a conversation. A conversation can set the tone for the story as well as give readers insight into the characters and the potential flow of events.

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

I’d like to believe that most readers would continue beyond a so-so first line to read at least the first few pages of any written work, but that may not be the case. With the escalation of available electronic reading material, it’s quite possible that readers may base their entire opinion of a work on the first line and choose not to purchase. If this is the case, first lines can have an extreme influence on an author’s success.

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

As nothing immediately jumped to mind, I did a bit of research in order to answer your question. Greater minds than mine have selected this as among the top 100 first lines ever written:

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

—Raphael Sabatini, Scaramouche (1921).

I confess to having never read the book, but I love that line. And now that I’ve read the line, I want to read the book. This is a great example of the positive influence a first line can have on a reader. Is the line my favorite? Probably not, but it’s in the top twenty. Asking my favorite is like asking what flavor of ice cream I’d like; it depends on the day and on my mood.

As a firm believer in Karma, I’d rather not call out the worst first line I’ve ever read.

What is one of your own best first lines?
One of my favorite first lines is from my latest novel, The Littles, An SSCD Crime Thriller:

The woman’s eyes shot daggers of pain-filled hatred into the black, soulless eyes of her son.

The line lets the reader know that the story is not one for the squeamish while providing insight into the mind of the serial killer stalking the pages of the book.

We’re all sharing here! What’s one of your worst first lines?
I’m still not crazy about the first line of Spellbound, the second novel in my Timeless Trilogy series:

That’s a wrap, thanks everyone.

The line is not part of a conversation, but more like a transition into the story.

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’m not a fan of first lines that extend into an entire paragraph. If a sentence drags on for five inches on the page, it loses me.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?
I say just jump in. Don’t let creating the ‘perfect’ first line make you stymied; dive headfirst into the story, then edit as needed.

Do you have any final words?
I know that a great first line can create instant interest in both the author and the story, prompting a reader to seek out the book. On the flipside, I don’t believe that any written work should be judged on the basis of the quality/meaning/attraction of the first line.

Thanks for the opportunity to voice my opinion. I’m currently promoting my new release, The Littles, an FBI thriller, and I’m in the midst of writing the second book of the series. My website, www.tallulahgrace.com, includes snippets and samples of the four novels and one novella that I’ve previously published as well as a short story and bits of flash fiction.

An aficionado of anything paranormal, Tallulah Grace pens romantic suspense novels with a paranormal flair. Tallulah was born and raised in a small southern town located in the foothills of the vibrant Blue Ridge Mountains. When she’s not developing characters and weaving stories, Tallulah enjoys reading and bead-weaving.