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1001 First Lines

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1001 First Lines

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First Lines interview with author Sheryn MacMunn

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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sheryn-macmunn-199x300Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

Yes, the first line is an important part of the story because it sets the tone of the book. It has to convey emotion while giving the readers just enough information to hook them into wanting to know more. It’s tricky because you can’t give too much information or the reader may form a negative opinion about a main character or event.

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?

Finding a good first line is definitely a challenge. With FINDING OUT, I had to go back and re-write the first line a few times before I got it right. My technique is to figure out what is going to make the readers sit up and take notice of the character as she starts her journey. Then I pass it by my husband who is an avid reader. If he is intrigued, then I know I’ve hit the mark.

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

I read a story about a famous writer from the 1920s who was sailing to Europe from the United States. A woman arrived on deck one afternoon with a copy of his newest novel. The woman was excited to read it and sat in a chaise lounge. The proud author waited in the background to see her reaction. After reading for about three minutes, she rose from the chaise lounge, walked to the railing and threw the book overboard. He was crushed but then realized that if you don’t have a great ‘hook’ then you don’t have an audience. The story is supposedly true. I wish I could remember the author.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read?

Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.

And can you recall a worst?

I can’t recall a worst.

What is one of your own best first lines?

My best first line is:

“I can’t believe my friends were right,” was all Sheila Davenport could think as she stared at Joe.

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

Since FINDING OUT is my first novel, I don’t have a worse first line yet. However, I am working on a second novel so let’s hope the first line doesn’t end up as the answer to this question. 😉

What are some things a first line shouldn’t be?

A first line shouldn’t be preachy. Trying to sway a reader to think a certain way is a massive turn off.

What are some things that you’ve read in first lines that really rubs you the wrong way?

Reading about the end of the story always annoys me. It takes away the feeling of discovery because I ultimately know what is going to happen.

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

One suggestion is to write the line on a piece of paper and read it over the course of a few days and at different times of the day. When you read it on day three, is it still fresh? Are you still hooked? Also, when you read it in the morning, does it make you want to stop what you’re doing and think? Last, when you read it at night, does it wake you up a little or do you just want to go sleep? A great first line should hook you every time.  Once it does, be sure to pass it by someone you trust.

Have you heard any great advice yourself?

The best advice I heard is that writing it work. Novels do not come from a magical place. They are the result of actual writing, re-writing, and editing. If you put in the work, then great results can follow.

 

Finding-OutSheryn MacMunn self-published her debut novel, Finding Out, in April 2012. It became an Amazon best-seller in two months, hitting the Contemporary Women and Contemporary Fiction list. FINDING OUT then hit best-seller status in the Single Women, Friendship, Romance, and Love & Romance categories as well. In addition to being a self-published author, Sheryn works full-time in Mobile ad sales. Sheryn attended University of Massachusetts, Lowell and received her MBA from Simmons College School of Management. She now lives in Connecticut with her family. Visitwww.sherynmacmunn.com for more information.
http://www.sherynmacmunn.com/
www.facebook.com/sherynmacmunn
www.goodreads.com/macmunn
 
Buy the Book!
 
Amazon link: http://goo.gl/VfX27
BN link: http://goo.gl/iKxCu
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First Lines interview with author Ryan Casey

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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f3fc70c966e60ad8976f4c.L._V400204052_SY470_1. Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?

Of course. The first line has to hook the reader right away. If not the first line, then the second or the third. It/they need to create a sense of intrigue; something to convince a reader to explore further. In a particularly throwaway age of digital reading, where readers can simply delete and move onto the next one if they don’t like what they read right away, a ‘hook’ is even more important that ever.

2. 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?

In all honesty, and without trying to sound big-headed, I don’t find first lines all that difficult to come up with because I don’t allow myself to stress out about them. I find any form of stressing over certain words in the drafting process can be really counterproductive. It’s better to get a not-so-great opening written down first without worrying about where to put which word, etc. Story first, writing quality later. Stress about the first line in the rewrite.

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

Well, it can alienate a reader, and as mentioned, force them to give up on a book. One of the worst criticisms in writing is being told that the reader ‘got bored’. Every line should be written with one goal: to develop. Whether it be character development or plot development, development is crucial. Getting bogged down in description is okay as long as it serves the story/character. If not, cut it. There’s nothing worse than five lines describing the anatomy of a plant, or whatever.

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

My favourite first line is in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club.

Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler’s pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die. For a long time though, Tyler and I were best friends. People are always asking, did I know about Tyler Durden.

What a fantastic, gripping opening. I want to know more about the narrator. I want to know more about who Tyler is. I want to know about the hold Tyler has over the narrator that is immediately established. But most of all, I want to know why Tyler’s pushing a gun in his mouth, and why they aren’t best friends. Amazing.

As for a worst line, any which describe the f*cking weather without intending to be ironic.

5. What is one of your own best first lines?

I actually think one of my own best first lines is in my short story, Something in the Cellar. It goes something like,

Sandra Bates hadn’t felt as apprehensive as usual the last few times she’d walked into her house, which was strange considering it’d been the place that she’d killed her husband.

It’s intentionally a bit ‘telly’ because I wanted to put something quite blunt across, lulling readers in with a pretty standard, ‘Sandra felt…’ opening.

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

Probably from the very first draft of my novel, What We Saw. I think it was something like,

There were always mysteries out there to be solved.

Pretty poor.

7. 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?

We’ve already covered the weather, which is my biggest personal issue in first lines. Otherwise, I don’t think first lines should be misrepresentative of the rest of the novel. If it’s a slow-paced drama, don’t open with a bang or you’ll set the wrong expectations within readers. Make the first line a part of your novel, not just something that’s tacked on. It has to be consistent.

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

Be natural to the story. Write whatever you want to write. If it doesn’t seem engaging enough, rewrite it later. Get a second opinion. Most importantly, read other books you enjoy in your genre and see what they do well.

What-We-Saw-Cover-e1343055229958“Casey’s keen ear and eye for description make for a clean and leisurely read.” – Katherine, Writing Reconsidered

“Powerful… an impressive first novel for Casey – a writer to keep an eye on.” – James, Speaking to the Eyes

If you stumbled upon a shocking mystery as a child, how would you react?

What We Saw tells the story of a young boy, Liam O’Donnell, his cousin, Adam, and their experiences at their grandparents’ caravan site one summer. When the disappearance of their dog leads to a terrifying discovery deep in the nearby woods, Liam and Adam are plunged into a very adult world of morals and decisions, and find themselves trapped in the dark clutches of secrecy and suspicion, far transcending mere mystery.

What We Saw is a touching and thrilling British mystery novel that will have you hooked as the plot hurtles towards a shocking conclusion.

“The writing is clean, the imagery vibrantly descriptive, and the story, though fictional, carries realistic emotion that hits the core of the reader.” 
– Leanne

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Mystery / Coming of Age

Rating – PG15

Connect with Ryan Casey on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://ryancaseybooks.com/

 

 

First Lines interview with author Vanna Smythe

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

Like most writers, I was also told by my English and Creative Writing teachers that the first line is a very (perhaps most) important part of the story. I think that’s true. The first line has to be something that draws the reader into the story, and entices them to keep reading. Though I also think that the entire first paragraph, or even first chapter, is equally important. As is the rest of the story, of course.

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 usually leave the perfecting of the first line, or first paragraph, until the end of my revisions. I’m more of a seat of the pants writer, and like to concentrate on getting the entire story polished, before worrying about the finesses of language.

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

Frankly, I think that if someone has started reading your book, they will give it a shot beyond the first line. But I also think that a well-written first line is almost like the first impression. The better it is, the more likely for the reader to enjoy the rest of the book.

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

Call me Ishameal

from Moby Dick is still the only first line I can remember off hand. I think it’s perfect. It sets the tone of the entire novel and introduces the point of view character very well. As for the worst first line, I really can’t think of any.

What is one of your own best first lines?

Here’s one from an old short story that I kind of like:

The faces of his companions are shrouded in shadow, but that does not matter for they will not talk to him anyway.

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

Must I 😉 Ok, here is the first line of an early draft of Protector (Anniversary of the Veil, Book 1) that didn’t make it into the final draft:

Issiyanna had picked two white winter roses from the entrance to the castle Gardens to lay on her mother’s grave and she placed them now on the ground next to the headstone.

It’s too long, and should really be broken up into two sentences, but like I said, it never made it into the final draft.

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 don’t like first lines that are an obvious attempt at being interesting and striking, just because the writer heard they must be such. Especially when the rest of the chapter doesn’t live up to it.

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

Beyond hearing how important the first line is, I haven’t actually heard much advice on how to make it such. I try to make mine raise a question in the readers mind, while setting the general scene and introducing the character. But I’m still working on perfecting my first line skills.

 

Vanna Smythe: ProtectorDuty versus love is the one battle warrior Kae doesn’t know how to fight.

Kae has trained his entire life to become an elite Protector of the Realm. But when he earns that honor he finds himself protecting something far greater: the Veil separating two worlds. On one side of the Veil lie untold stores of magic. On the Realm’s side, magic is all but obliterated, and Kae is one of the few who can use it. The priests who secretly rule the Realm will do everything they can to control his growing magical abilities. He’s willing to pay the price, even though it comes between him and Issa, the princess he loves.

But the Veil has weakened over a thousand years and powers on both sides will stop at nothing to keep it intact. Strangers from the other side have kidnapped Issa to take her across the Veil and sacrifice her to strengthen it. Kae is the only one who can find her. If he goes after Issa, he loses everything he’s worked so hard for. But if he chooses duty over love, Issa will die.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Fantasy

Rating – PG13

Connect with Vanna Smythe on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://vannasmythe.com/

First Lines interview with author Rashelle Workman

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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Do you consider the first line to be an important part of a story? If so, why?
The first line is important. It should be leading, perhaps even foreshadow what’s to come, interesting, catchy, but not over the top.

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’s like anything else, I think. Sometimes they are easy, and just come to me, other times I struggle and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. In “Beguiled,” I changed it more than once and ended up with: The dream was venom to my sleeping soul.

What consequences, if any, do you think there are in having a badly written first line?
I’ve heard some readers won’t go past the first line in a book if they don’t like it. I’ve read books with fantastic first lines, and those with deceptively casual lines. I think it boils down to taste.

What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?
One of my favorite first lines is from Andrew Davidson’s novel, “The Gargoyle.”

Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love.

What is one of your own best first lines?
I don’t know about favorite, but I do like this line from “Prey and Magic”:

When you lose everything, there’s only one option.

 

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

Dad.

LOL. Yep, I had a moment. =)

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 don’t think there’s a “shouldn’t be” kind of first line. As for a line that rubs me wrong? It isn’t about that for me, it’s about the line doing nothing to gain my interest.

Do you have any suggestions for other authors on how to write a great first line? Have you heard any great advice yourself?
Here’s my first sentence advice: Write it, and move on. You’ll be rewriting, editing, and rewriting the story again anyway, so don’t stress too much. Once you’re in final edits, really think about that line. Change as necessary.

 

Beguiled by Rashelle WorkmanVenus has become immortal, just as she always wanted. In the process she hurt Zaren, lost Michael, and destroyed her family.

At least that’s what she believed.

Turns out Ramien, the god of her planets’ underworld, has her parents, and Michael.

To save them, Venus makes a deal. She must complete three trials. They seem impossible. They certainly won’t be easy. Worst of all, someone she loves won’t make it out alive.

More praise for the Immortal Essence series:

  • “I… felt like I was literally out of this world for a while.” Melissa Lemon, author of Cinder and Ella
  • “I love a book where the details fit together like pieces in a puzzle…” Rachel Morgan
  • “It’s superb!!! I loved the multiple points of view. I loved Venus. Michael was tough to like at first, but by the end – man, oh man, did I fall hard for him. Zaren is yummy! I want a guardian like him. Heck, I want a man like him! AND THOSE BOOTS. PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE CAN I HAVE A PAIR?” Jenna Heartsong

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – YA / SciFi / Romance

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with RaShelle Workman on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.rashelleworkman.com/

First Lines with author Elizabeth Nelson

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

The first line is extremely important. It sets the scene and gets the reader into the story. Take the first line for Curiosity Killed the Kat, “They say revenge is a dish best served cold; but, I know better.” Immediately it grabs the readers curiosity asking why this person would want revenge and how on earth do they know better? Often, first lines don’t come to me right away. I may get that line in there half way through the story or in some cases after the story is completely finished. First lines are like first impressions; they are everything.

2. 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 not always so easy to come by. Rarely will I have the exact first line nailed in one shot. Often times I will continue writing the story and analyze how the story is developing and go back and rework the first line. I read other stories in all sorts of genres and see if I can emulate great first lines. Basically, I spend a lot of time analyzing first sentences and having it really capture the curiosity of what the overall plot is about.

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

I would like to give as much credit to the second line and even the first paragraph as to whether a reader will want to continue on with the story or not. Though I agree the first line whets the appetite and sets the mood, but I think the first paragraph holds greater importance overall.
4. What’s your favourite first line that you’ve ever read? And can you recall a worst?

All this happened, more or less.

—Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five. Can’t recall a worst.

5. What is one of your own best first lines?

I really like the first line for Curiosity Killed the Kat,

They say revenge is a dish best served cold; but, I know better.

I’ve had thousands of horrible first lines. They have since all been deleted.

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

I’ve had thousands of horrible first lines. They have since all been deleted. Haha.

7. 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 don’t prefer first lines that reveal too much. I want to guess, have my curiosity sparked and want me to read more.

8. 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 think too hard and let it come from the heart of the story.

Curiosity Killed the Kat by Elizabeth NelsonBuy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Romantic Suspense

Rating – R

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Elizabeth Nelson on

GoodReads, Facebook & Pinterest

First Lines interview with author Joe Hefferon

04 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

No. First lines can be an important to set the tone and engage the reader, but not always. They also can help the author get started. I used to think they were critical, but the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove, begins,

When Augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake – not a very big one.

It’s hardly a memorable line, but within a few pages you’re hooked for the next 900. Sometimes I think first lines gain importance retrospectively if the book attains a level of literary acclaim.

 

2. 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 can be challenging, but sometimes they just flow. Sometimes it’s a struggle, but it’s the early, exciting stage of a new project, so it’s a fun challenge. It definitely helps to propel me forward. When I’m writing a profile of someone I just interviewed, the opening line is like kick-starting the engine.
I have no technique. I just have feelings that come out as words.

 

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

If by badly written, you mean poorly constructed, cumbersome, convoluted or otherwise confusing – it’s sudden death. Your book goes back on the shelf or the reader flips to the next article in the magazine. This pertains mostly to unknown and amateur authors. But a first line is like a first impression. It’s why supermarkets put fresh produce in the entrance. A badly written opening line tells the reader that either you have no talent or you don’t care, either way, it won’t be read.

 

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

Tough question. Some of my favorite books have uneventful first lines, but they introduce some powerful first paragraphs. I recently read “Stiff – The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach. Her opening line is funny and sets the tenor of the book,

The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship.

 

5. What is one of your own best first lines?

It’s the one I wrote for an upcoming novel, but I can’t reveal it just yet.

 

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

Did the sun just come out or did you just smile at me?

(hey I’m a writer and an ex-cop; I’ve spent a lot of time in bars)

 

7. 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 think it’s obvious when a first line is trying too hard to be a first line. It’s as if you can tell the writer placed too much importance on it and consequently over-wrote it. They shouldn’t be distinct from the initial experience. It really doesn’t matter how good it is, as long as it isn’t bad.
One of my pet peeves in magazine articles or blogs is when a writer opens with a definition. “Websters defines success as…” Shoot me.

 

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

I’m a fan of longer, cumulative sentences, but I think there is a danger if your first line is too long. If it’s going to be long, it better be brilliant. It should be good enough to hold the reader’s interest through the next line, then the opening sequence. If you can grab the reader there, within that opening scene, you’re well on your way. My advice is to make it very good, make it a perfect sentence, not necessarily a memorable one. “Call me Ishmael,” by itself, doesn’t do it for me. If that line were followed by a dreadful book, no one would have ever said, “Too bad the book was lousy; it had a great opening line.”

For an unknown author or an amateur, it’s better for the first line to be polished than remarkable.

A book is an experience. It begins with a great cover, an intriguing title, then a well-crafted opening line that leads the reader thru a portal into the world of the story. It should be a part of the experience, like a professional butler who leads you into a magnificent home; you’re there for the home not the butler, but it helps. That being said, rarely do first lines remain a part of our literary memory if the rest of the book was mediocre.

 

The Seventh Level by Joe Hefferon “Do you feel a rage to achieve? Are you unsure how to begin? What are the secrets to building an extraordinary life? What are the best methods for generating ideas, formulating a plan and constructing your vision?

In The Seventh Level, Joe Hefferon guides you through a seven-step process distilled from an exploration of the world’s most ingenious minds—the architects of the great cathedrals and skyscrapers, the visionary galleries and awe-inspiring residences. Nearly every important moment of our lives is in some way connected to a built place, and now that place can be you.

Join forces with the architects to design the life you’ve always dreamed of. This is your pocket renaissance, the new era of you, the quest for that elusive seventh level.”

Buy Now @ Amazon

Connect with Joe Hefferon on Twitter & Facebook

Blog http://joehefferon.blogspot.com/

First Lines with author Jackson Burnett

26 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

The first line of a novel reveals the skill of the writer and signals the type of story ahead. Epics often begin with the presentation of something big. Writers who want their readers involved in the narrative often start with action. It’s not unusual for an author who wants to challenge the reader to present a puzzle.

2. 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?

A story always begins at an arbitrary place and time. I often find my first line after I’ve already written hundreds of words. I just throw those out or find another place else to put them. Sometimes a first line comes like a dream. It’s just there.

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

A poorly written first line won’t doom a big concept novel, but it’s like baseball; it’s a first strike against the book. A foul first sentence in a book read for fun ends up in my unread pile unless it’s a wonderfully bad line. “The Rocky Horror Show,” for example, is resplendent with terrible lines and it continues to be popular decades after its release.

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

This is my favorite:

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice.

John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany

This is one of the worst:

Swenson waits for his students to complete their private rituals, adjusting zippers and caps, arranging pens and notebooks so painstakingly chosen to express their tender young selves, the fidgety ballets that signal their weekly submission and reaffirm the social compact to be stuck in this room for an hour without real food or TV.

Francine Prose, Blue Angel

This first line is terrible because it uses so many words to say so little. Prose’s first line actually begins with the last sentence of her first paragraph:

Is it my imagination, or have we been seeing an awful lot of stories about humans having sex with animals?

(the middle aged professor asks his students)
Francine Prose, Blue Angel

Prose should have cut that first line, eliminated the rest of her first paragraph, and started the novel with this question. The point she makes with her beginning could have been worked into the rest of the story.

5. What is one of your own best first lines?

The image shimmered, then burned.

Jackson Burnett, The Past Never Ends

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

As emotion washed over her, Wanda gingerly looked at her left boob on her chest right above the bottom rib bone on her left side and wondered where it came from.

Jackson Burnett

This first sentence was never published, but it is similar to some, I’m sure, that have been discarded into the ether. The only thing that saves this line from being complete dog food is the question of what “it” is: Does Wanda wonder where her boob came from or is “it” something else?

7. 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?

The Wanda sentence from my last answer demonstrates everything wrong a writer can do to start a story. The line includes a cliche, an unnecessary and inappropriate adverb, and unimportant details. For some readers, it would be offensive as well.

8. 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 wait for a great first line to begin writing a story. You’ll find it or it will find you.

Jackson Burnett is the author of The Past Never Ends, a newly published legal mystery from Deadly Niche Press. A sometimes teacher of creative writing, Burnett enjoys Italian opera, the roller derby, and reading trashy novels. He also writes short literary fiction and essays. His prose has been compared to that of Raymond Chandler, Sarah Vowell, and Garrison Keillor among others.

Visit with Burnett at the Facebook page for The Past Never Ends: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Past-Never-Ends-by-Jackson-Burnett/302973386467969

First Lines interview with author Adam Graham

24 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

It’s important because you need to grab your reader’s attention. There’s so much material out there, you can’t afford to start off dull. If you don’t grab the reader’s attention, you’re dead.

2. 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 easy. It’s the other several thousand that need work. Much of it comes back to my journalism training. I learned about the inverted pyramid, which was used by reporters when space restrictions were a firm absolute. When people read newspapers, they don’t read everything. You have to get the key points in the first few paragraphs to keep them reading. Plus, it helps news editors cut the story if they don’t have room. Sadly, many news writers and commentators without editors harping on them have entirely forgotten the point.

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

It’ll make it harder to sell. You need either a great description or great reviews to overcome boring your readers from the get go.

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

The best:

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.

-The Christmas Carol

How can it get better than that? You are completely hooked on that first line It sets a tone for the story that is mysterious, haunting, and makes you want to read more.

The worst is a bit harder. As I think the worst opening lines don’t grab your attention, they also don’t stay in your mind. The worst beginnings are laden with actions we don’t care about, descriptions of people we don’t know, dry and uninteresting back story. Such beginnings remind me of a scene in Casablanca where Peter Lorre’s character says, “You despise me, don’t you?” Bogart’s Character, Rick responds, “If I gave you any thought I probably would.”

5. What is one of your own best first lines?

Superman fell from the sky, collided with a skyscraper, and bounced off as it toppled.

This is from my novel, Tales of the Dim Knight. The Superman is actually an action figure, but it grabs the reader’s attention and sets the reader’s expectation for the Superhero action that’s to follow later on.

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

Everything’s fine. It’s always fine with me. Ask me how I’m doing after a plane carrying all of my loved ones on it crashed into the sea, and I’ll tell you. “I’m fine.”

This is from a forever unfinished novel I began when I was 21. It was attempting to be angsty and sarcastic but came off a little too whiny and the first line sets the tone. It still grabs attention, but not in a great way. Ugh. Remember, you asked for it.

7. 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?

It shouldn’t give us a bunch of information we don’t care about and until we’re drawn into the story, we won’t care about any of it. I’d also add that I’m not a fan of beginning with a profanity or with sex. You may capture our attention with that, but it’s a kind of lowest common denominator approach that’s really cheating

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

Understand that you need to capture your reader’s attention. What are your readers looking for? Are they looking for a character to empathize with? Are they hungry for heart stopping action? A mystery? Figure out what to bait to use to lure your readers in to your story. If you lose them on the first line, you’ve lost them.

Adam Graham is the author of the novel Tales of the Dim Knight and has just published the first of eight novella sequels with Powerhouse Flies Again. He’s also working on a mystery novel entitled Slime Incorporated. He’s the host of The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio and Old Time Radio Superman podcasts. He lives in Boise with his wife and co-author Andrea. http://laserandsword.com

First Lines interview with author R. W. Peake

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

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

Absolutely. I think that first line sets the tone for what’s to come; it grabs (or doesn’t) the reader’s attention and gets them invested enough to read on. While I think that there’s value in a more subtle approach, where the suspense, or the drama or whatever the author is going for, builds slowly, I for one ain’t very subtle. I prefer an opening line that somehow strikes a chord with a reader. Whether it’s through an emotion or action that the reader identifies with, or it feels like a punch in the gut, but in a good way, that first line to me makes all the difference.

 2. 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 know this will sound like bragging, but I find it very easy to come up with a first line that, from everything I’ve been told by the various readers of those lines, grabs the reader’s attention and gets them engaged early on. But that has actually been something of a curse for me. Here I am  in my 50’s, a newly minted published author, but it wasn’t until 2006 that I could actually think of myself as a true writer, because for the first time I actually put something to go along with the first line. I’ve been pushed to be a writer for as long as I can remember, but for a variety of reasons, none of them really any good, I preferred to ignore the one area where I seem to have the most talent.

Except in the period between when I wrote my first “novel” at the age of 10, roughly 1969 and 2006, that desire to write would come bubbling up, and I would sit down with a story in mind, and then I would crank out a first line to start. Then, I might add a few paragraphs, and in a couple of other cases, a fair number of pages. In short, I was a GREAT starter. Not so great on finishing, however. And I think part of that stems from the fact that it is easy for me to think of a good first line.

As far as technique? I wish I could tell you I had one, but I don’t. I have a vague story idea; sometimes it’s even more than vague, the story arc being fully formed in my head, with a beginning and at least an end. Based on whatever that idea was, I would write a first line that followed the general guideline I set out earlier, trying to grab the reader’s attention.

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

With any book, there’s a sort of contract between the author and reader. The author promises to deliver a story that the reader will find engaging, and if they live up to that, the reader more or less promises to stick with that author even when there might be a paragraph, or page that lags a bit. But with a badly written first line, the terms of that contract suddenly tilt into the reader’s favor, because the burden of proof that the author will live up to the terms of that contract just became much, much larger. Essentially, with that first badly written line, the author now has a hole to climb out of in order to deliver the goods, as it were. If that’s followed up by another one, or one after that, the burden becomes inestimably higher.

Like any author, I’m an avid reader as well, and I think every reader has had an experience with a book where the only thing that keeps you plodding on is the fact that you spent a certain amount of money on the title, and the hope that somewhere in the pages ahead, you’ll recoup your investment. So you read on with the grim determination of a musher in the Iditarod who’s racing through a blizzard, determined that you’re going to get something out of this, damn it!

No author wants their reader to feel that way. And, truth be known, in this digital age where books are only a couple of bucks, or even (gulp) free, that determination to get some sort of payoff is even more short-lived.

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

 It was dark and cold, the only light coming from the crack under the ill-fitting door.

As first lines go, in and of itself it’s not great literature, but it’s the first line of “Reilly’s Luck”, by Louis L’Amour, the first of his books that I’ve read, beginning a lifelong love affair with his works, and with an author who was not only a huge influence on me as a writer, but whose hard-boiled, pragmatic outlook served as the kind of wisdom that a young boy without a father needed. Even now, after reading every one of his books, I still rank Reilly’s Luck as my favorite, and one of his best. Will Reilly taught me more on how to be a man than any other single influence in my life, which is probably a somewhat sad statement, but is true nonetheless.

Worst line? Nah. Honestly I can’t remember any line that sticks out so much that I can recite it. Unless it’s Snoopy’s classic, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

 5. What is one of your own best first lines?

Well, that’s kind of tough; which one of your kids do you love the most? And I will say that with Marching With Caesar-Conquest of Gaul (available on Amazon.com. Barnesandnoble.com, and smashwords.com, not that I’m shilling my book or anything), I’ve been fortunate to receive a large number of reviews in a relatively short period of time, and the response has been more positive than I could have dreamed. But one common theme in the reviews has been, “I was hooked from the first line.”

So I guess that should mean I would put that one down. But there’s another one, from the book I completed in 2006 that, according to about the 30-odd people who have read it, would seem to be my best one. I will say that it’s the line that means the most to me, for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it got some significant interest from three different agents. However, at the last minute I decided to withdraw the book from consideration, because of the pain it would cause people I love a great deal. Ultimately, I think of all the books I write, it will be this book that I will point to and say, “THAT is the one I want to be known by.” But I will have to wait until a later time so that what might be my best book doesn’t cause the most heartache.

With that in mind, here it is:

 I was conceived in desperation and born in anger, spat out of my mother’s womb as a guided missile, with a target and a mission that I neither chose nor even understood until it was too late.

More than one of my readers likened this to being punched in the stomach. While I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, I do know that it kept them reading.

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

Okay, my worst first line is burned into my memory, mainly because it was my very FIRST first line. When I was 10, I wrote a “novel” about the Soviet invasion of the U.S……..focused entirely on my street, in Houston, Texas. Yes, the entire effort of the dirty Commies’ attempt to crush the good ol’ U.S. of A. came right down my street.

And it would have been successful too, but they just happened to pick the wrong bunch of 10 year olds, as we singlehandedly fought the might of the Soviet horde, armed with WWII-vintage weapons (that was the period of history I was obsessed with at that time) to a standstill.

So with that in mind, I present to you my very first, and my very worst first line. (Audible gulp)

 This was no game, this was war!!!!!!

(I think it was six exclamation points, but it could have been more. That’s how the reader knew it was a very serious situation and I wasn’t just kidding around.)

 7. 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?

Uh, it shouldn’t be bad? Sorry, can’t resist the occasional smartass comment. Although I haven’t given the matter a whole lot of deep thought, I have some immediate observations and ideas that bubble up. And while I can’t immediately point to any specific first line in any first book, I think that others will understand what I’m saying.

I don’t think a first line should be an attempt by the author to dazzle the reader with their literary brilliance. No matter what the subject matter is, any work, whether it’s one of “literary fiction” (whatever the hell that means) or stories of the zombie apocalypse mashed up with fairies and elves, the author is telling a story. And any first line that doesn’t serve as the first building block of that story is one of those things that shouldn’t happen.

I’ve seen too many cases where the author seeks to show his chops at crafting a sentence that I’m sure in his mind will be the first thing that’s mentioned in his Pulitzer Prize citation, yet has no real connection to the story. To me, it’s a form of the “smartest guy in the room” syndrome, where the author is more concerned with showing off and not in telling a story.

Yeah, I guess that does rub me the wrong way.

 8. 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 take this the wrong way, but of all the questions I get, I hate those that ask me for some sort of advice to pass on to other writers. Although it has nothing to do with not giving away any “trade secrets” that I see some other writers cite, since I don’t view other writers as competition as much as I do colleagues, it’s more about who am I to give advice? Like a lot of other “indie” authors, I’m self-published, but unlike some of my colleagues I don’t mind saying I’m self-published, but that probably has more to do with the fact that my book is selling well, especially for a self-published first attempt. The fact that I didn’t try to find a publisher very hard and after surveying the landscape decided that I could make a go of it on my own has something to do with it as well.

Even so, I’m somewhat leery of offering advice simply because I could be a one-hit wonder, and I AM self-published when all is said and done. With all that said, I guess all I can really offer is, go with your gut. You know what resonates with you as a reader; you also know what doesn’t. What captures your attention when you read a book? What are the elements that captivate you in the first line of a story?

Once you identify that, then do that.

As far as advice I’ve heard, I can’t really recall anything. Sorry.

Marching With Caesar-Conquest of Gaul by R. W. PeakeMarching With Caesar-Conquest of Gaul is a first-person narrative, written in the form of a memoir as dictated to a scribe of Titus Pullus, Legionary, Optio, First Spear Centurion of Caesar’s 6th and 10th Legion. The memoir is written three years after his retirement as Camp Prefect, when Titus is 61 years old. 

Titus, along with his boyhood friend Vibius Domitius, joins the 10th Legion in the draft of 61 BC, when Gaius Julius Caesar is the governor of Spain. Titus and Vibius are assigned to a tent group, with seven other men who will become their closest friends during their times in the legion. Titus, Vibius and their comrades endure the harsh training regimen that made the legions the most feared military force in the ancient world. The 10th Legion is blooded in a series of actions in Spain, led by Caesar in a campaign that was the true beginning of one of the most brilliant military careers in history.

Three years after joining the legions, the 10th is called on again, this time to be part of the subjugation of Gaul, one of the greatest feats of arms in any period of history. During the subsequent campaigns, the 10th cements its reputation as Caesar’s most favored and trusted legion, and is involved in most of the major actions during this period.

This first book of a completed trilogy closes with Caesar crossing the Rubicon, and the 10th preparing to march to war, this time against fellow Romans.

Connect with RW Peake on Twitter & Facebook
Website http://www.marchingwithcaesar.com/

First Lines interview with author Alicia Kat Dillman

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Scarlett in Interview

≈ 3 Comments

Alicia Kat DillmanDo 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.

Daemons in the Mist CoverIndie 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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Scarlett Rugers (writing as Scarlett Archer) is a book cover designer located in Melbourne Australia. She has been a designer for over six years, and is a published author with more than fifteen years of writing under her belt. Her expertise is working specifically with self-published authors.

Writing, under the pen name Scarlett Archer: scarlettarcher.com

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