The first lines of a story are often the hardest to write. Many times the first paragraph in a published novel are last words the author writes. They come back to it. Tweak it. Move sentences around. Cut paragraphs. Spend way too much time on it, trying to find the magic formula to draw the reader in.
It can be a tricky balance--you need to be interesting enough to keep them reading, but you also need to make sure they get enough information up front that they're not totally lost as to what's happening to who and where and why. It needs to set the tone for the story. Witty? Serious? Thoughtful? Suspenseful? Maybe even the time period and the setting. Or maybe just create enough of a "huh?" moment that they have to keep reading to find out what you meant.
No wonder I like to skip this part.
Here are some "official" greatest first lines, compiled by some literary group.
1. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
~ from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, of course.
2. Call me Ishmael.
~ from Moby Dick by Herman Melville
3. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
~ from 1984 by George Orwell
4. It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.
~ from City of Glass by Paul Auster
5. They shoot the white girl first.
~ from Paradise by Toni Morrison
6. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
~ from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
7. Most really pretty girls have pretty ugly feet, and so does Mindy Metalman, Lenore notices, all of a sudden.
~ from The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace
8. Granted: I am an inmate of a mental hospital; my keeper is watching me, he never lets me out of his sight; there's a peephole in the door, and my keeper's eye is the shade of brown that can never see through a blue-eyed type like me.
~ from The Tin Drum by G nter Grass
9. Vaughan died yesterday in his last car-crash.
~ from Crash by J.G. Ballard
10. Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I've come to learn, is women.
~ from Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
Do you agree with this selection? Do they make you want to keep reading? Which one do you like best?
5/10/10
5/7/10
Bad Poetry
I don't really do poetry, although Poe blows me away with some of his. However, there is one time of the year that I love to read poetry. Truly bad poetry.
Agent Chip MacGregor hosts a bad poetry contest every year around his birthday. The winner (chosen by an impartial jury, I'm sure) gets a really stupid book as a prize, plus the distinction of being the worst poet ever.
I entered in 2007 with a poem I wrote in 7th grade--Froggy Man. I think I got disqualified because he thought I cheated by writing it under the influence. This year, after reading two amazing entries by Amy and Aimee, I got talked into trying again this year. So here it is. Are you ready???
Cactus Man
An arm, twisted toward the sun
That is baking down, hot and well, really hot
Against the desert sand.
I am cactus man.
A tall, looming, spiky, water-saving (does that make me green?) being,
Providing shade and sustenance
For lost travelers on this forsaken plain.
I am cactus ma(i)n.
My princely head, green against blue
(Referring to the sky) should wear a sombrero.
Arriba, arriba!
Alas, I cannot roll my r's,
So my head remains barren
Like this land.
I am cactus man.
Here I stand till I'm shriveled.
Maybe in heaven I'll wear a sombrero,
Or maybe an eye patch.
Or maybe there's no heaven for me.
Because I sometimes envision a frying pan
(Maybe a mirage?)
With slivers of me sizzling like green beans.
Nearby is a man in the sombrero
(Who probably can roll his r's,
But it's too late for me to learn), as I sizzle in forlorn loss of spikiness,
The murderess above me humming a Spanish lullaby
As she stirs me with her hand.
I am no longer cactus man.
I am dinner.
The End (literally)
All right, you know you wanna try your hand at it now. :-) Go to Chip's blog at http://www.chipmacgregor.com/.
Agent Chip MacGregor hosts a bad poetry contest every year around his birthday. The winner (chosen by an impartial jury, I'm sure) gets a really stupid book as a prize, plus the distinction of being the worst poet ever.
I entered in 2007 with a poem I wrote in 7th grade--Froggy Man. I think I got disqualified because he thought I cheated by writing it under the influence. This year, after reading two amazing entries by Amy and Aimee, I got talked into trying again this year. So here it is. Are you ready???
Cactus Man
An arm, twisted toward the sun
That is baking down, hot and well, really hot
Against the desert sand.
I am cactus man.
A tall, looming, spiky, water-saving (does that make me green?) being,
Providing shade and sustenance
For lost travelers on this forsaken plain.
I am cactus ma(i)n.
My princely head, green against blue
(Referring to the sky) should wear a sombrero.
Arriba, arriba!
Alas, I cannot roll my r's,
So my head remains barren
Like this land.
I am cactus man.
Here I stand till I'm shriveled.
Maybe in heaven I'll wear a sombrero,
Or maybe an eye patch.
Or maybe there's no heaven for me.
Because I sometimes envision a frying pan
(Maybe a mirage?)
With slivers of me sizzling like green beans.
Nearby is a man in the sombrero
(Who probably can roll his r's,
But it's too late for me to learn), as I sizzle in forlorn loss of spikiness,
The murderess above me humming a Spanish lullaby
As she stirs me with her hand.
I am no longer cactus man.
I am dinner.
The End (literally)
All right, you know you wanna try your hand at it now. :-) Go to Chip's blog at http://www.chipmacgregor.com/.
5/3/10
If I Had To Choose...
A while back I asked for your top 5 favorite books. I refrained from answering, because I just couldn't choose. Still can't, so now I'm changing the question. :-) If I had to choose five (fairly recently published) novels to take with me to a deserted island, I think these are the ones...along with explanations, and in no particular order:
1. Suspicious Minds by Christy Barritt
A light-hearted mystery, the second in the series. I'd take this one along, even though it's short, because it's a fun read. But more than that, because there is no third book in the series, yet. (Which about breaks my heart, by the way.) I want to know which guy the heroine gets, how she decides to give Jesus a try, and what disaster she falls into next. So I could spend much time on the island analyzing the story, remembering the first in the series, and coming up with a choose-your-own-ending type third book.
2. Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren
A historical romantic suspense set during WWII. Why this one by Susie, of all the millions she has published? Because it's about the only one I haven't read yet. I've been waiting for some uninterrupted time to sit down and devour it. A deserted island may be just the place. Plus I could take along some of the notes from the retreat I attended in February hosted by Susan and Rachel (Hauck), and break down the book to see how she practiced what she preached.
3. Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin (...that is, if I could find my copy. eh-hmm...)
Contemporary fiction. Because I'd have to have something by Charles Martin, and I haven't read this one in forever. Charles Martin has an amazing way with words--leaves images in your mind that don't leave you for years. Plus he has zany secondary characters and a hint of romance. But mainly just moving stories that are beautifully written.
4. The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Fantasy. This is a fun story of a soccer mom who gets thrown into a world where she has to carry a sword. It also serves as a reminder about the importance of worship and thinking on things that are pure, etc. Always a good lesson to remember. And...maybe the story give me inspiration to work-out on the island instead of lounging on a hammock. I could swordfight with a palm tree or something.
5. Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee
Speculative? Not sure what genre exactly this would go in. It's a book that makes you think. Give you kind of a different perspective on God's love for mankind. I have a feeling I'd have a lot of time to think. This might spark quite a few ideas for journal entries. Plus the author once asked which actors her readers would cast in the different roles in the movie version. Coming up with options might help kill some time. :-)
6. Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston
Contemporary fiction. This is my bonus pick that I just couldn't leave out, because really, if I'm on a deserted island, I'm going to need a beach book. And this one is zany, quotable, and laugh-out-loud funny. If I'm reduced to writing poetry in the sand, this book already has one I can warm up on.
All right. I cheated and did six. I'm quitting now, though, before I think of any more. I might have to do a Desert Island Round 2...
1. Suspicious Minds by Christy Barritt
A light-hearted mystery, the second in the series. I'd take this one along, even though it's short, because it's a fun read. But more than that, because there is no third book in the series, yet. (Which about breaks my heart, by the way.) I want to know which guy the heroine gets, how she decides to give Jesus a try, and what disaster she falls into next. So I could spend much time on the island analyzing the story, remembering the first in the series, and coming up with a choose-your-own-ending type third book.
2. Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren
A historical romantic suspense set during WWII. Why this one by Susie, of all the millions she has published? Because it's about the only one I haven't read yet. I've been waiting for some uninterrupted time to sit down and devour it. A deserted island may be just the place. Plus I could take along some of the notes from the retreat I attended in February hosted by Susan and Rachel (Hauck), and break down the book to see how she practiced what she preached.
3. Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin (...that is, if I could find my copy. eh-hmm...)
Contemporary fiction. Because I'd have to have something by Charles Martin, and I haven't read this one in forever. Charles Martin has an amazing way with words--leaves images in your mind that don't leave you for years. Plus he has zany secondary characters and a hint of romance. But mainly just moving stories that are beautifully written.
4. The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Fantasy. This is a fun story of a soccer mom who gets thrown into a world where she has to carry a sword. It also serves as a reminder about the importance of worship and thinking on things that are pure, etc. Always a good lesson to remember. And...maybe the story give me inspiration to work-out on the island instead of lounging on a hammock. I could swordfight with a palm tree or something.
5. Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee
Speculative? Not sure what genre exactly this would go in. It's a book that makes you think. Give you kind of a different perspective on God's love for mankind. I have a feeling I'd have a lot of time to think. This might spark quite a few ideas for journal entries. Plus the author once asked which actors her readers would cast in the different roles in the movie version. Coming up with options might help kill some time. :-)
6. Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston
Contemporary fiction. This is my bonus pick that I just couldn't leave out, because really, if I'm on a deserted island, I'm going to need a beach book. And this one is zany, quotable, and laugh-out-loud funny. If I'm reduced to writing poetry in the sand, this book already has one I can warm up on.
All right. I cheated and did six. I'm quitting now, though, before I think of any more. I might have to do a Desert Island Round 2...
4/26/10
How To Have A Good Marriage
Make sure he has enough coffee. That should do it.
Okay, I'm kidding. And I'm not really going to sit here and give you a bunch of marriage tips. My husband and I are doing great, thank the Lord, but I'm not exactly counselor material.
My parents got this idea last year. For Valentine's Day, they bought books on marriage for each couple in my immediate family. We were all supposed to read our books, then switch them out with someone else in the family when we were done.
Our first book was His Needs, Her Needs by Harley, Jr. It was interesting enough (for non-fiction...I know, I know. Shallow me.), but my husband decided I shouldn't read any more marriage books, as I kept asking him very random questions. We did discover, however, that neither of us had any interest in taxidermy. What a surprise.
We have a new book now. Haven't started it yet, since it's non-fiction and all. (If I keep saying that, you're going to lose all confidence in my character, aren't you.) The question is, is it worth it? When I could be devouring Susan May Warren's latest, or looking up the perfect picture to represent Brogan's heroine?
What marriage books have you read, especially from a Christian perspective? Which ones were worth the time? Which ones can I skip? :-)
Okay, I'm kidding. And I'm not really going to sit here and give you a bunch of marriage tips. My husband and I are doing great, thank the Lord, but I'm not exactly counselor material.
My parents got this idea last year. For Valentine's Day, they bought books on marriage for each couple in my immediate family. We were all supposed to read our books, then switch them out with someone else in the family when we were done.
Our first book was His Needs, Her Needs by Harley, Jr. It was interesting enough (for non-fiction...I know, I know. Shallow me.), but my husband decided I shouldn't read any more marriage books, as I kept asking him very random questions. We did discover, however, that neither of us had any interest in taxidermy. What a surprise.
We have a new book now. Haven't started it yet, since it's non-fiction and all. (If I keep saying that, you're going to lose all confidence in my character, aren't you.) The question is, is it worth it? When I could be devouring Susan May Warren's latest, or looking up the perfect picture to represent Brogan's heroine?
What marriage books have you read, especially from a Christian perspective? Which ones were worth the time? Which ones can I skip? :-)
4/19/10
Survey
When I first started pursuing publication, it was in the form of short stories. I knew I wanted to write novels someday, and had started quite a few (mostly melodramatic Western stories of epic proportion), but short stories was the way to go to learn the ropes.
I still like wading through the Writers Market books. Fascinating stuff. All the possibilities, all the magazines just waiting to send me a rejection letter. For the record, I did make it in two magazines, and two more were pretty close. Oh, and I was in two more in addition to those, but they were freebies, so I'm not sure they count. :-)
But over the years, there were fewer and fewer adult magazines asking for fiction, especially romance. It's hard to sell short stories--to magazines or as a collection for a book.
I'm curious why you think that is. Our attention spans are supposedly getting shorter. We're supposed to write tighter--no long descriptions or story build-up. We want snappy dialogue, want to dive right into the action. So why the demise of the short story? Or is everyone reading them online?
So now I decided to take a poll. If you had your preference, would you pick up a really good collection of short stories (in a magazine or book--whatever), or would you choose a novel? And why?
And if you leave a comment to tell me your opinion (here or on facebook), then I'll put your name in a drawing for a rather different prize: a copy of GRIT magazine from years ago, containing my very first published piece. Hey, if you don't want to read about the matchmaker, you can always read about tractors or something. :-)
P.S. Last time I checked, GRIT didn't do short stories anymore, either.
I still like wading through the Writers Market books. Fascinating stuff. All the possibilities, all the magazines just waiting to send me a rejection letter. For the record, I did make it in two magazines, and two more were pretty close. Oh, and I was in two more in addition to those, but they were freebies, so I'm not sure they count. :-)
But over the years, there were fewer and fewer adult magazines asking for fiction, especially romance. It's hard to sell short stories--to magazines or as a collection for a book.
I'm curious why you think that is. Our attention spans are supposedly getting shorter. We're supposed to write tighter--no long descriptions or story build-up. We want snappy dialogue, want to dive right into the action. So why the demise of the short story? Or is everyone reading them online?
So now I decided to take a poll. If you had your preference, would you pick up a really good collection of short stories (in a magazine or book--whatever), or would you choose a novel? And why?
And if you leave a comment to tell me your opinion (here or on facebook), then I'll put your name in a drawing for a rather different prize: a copy of GRIT magazine from years ago, containing my very first published piece. Hey, if you don't want to read about the matchmaker, you can always read about tractors or something. :-)
P.S. Last time I checked, GRIT didn't do short stories anymore, either.
4/11/10
My Hero
A while back I asked what you loved about your own personal hero. Well, today is my hero's birthday, so I figure it's my turn to talk about him. So here are a few things that I adore about my husband:
1. I never have to fill up the gas tank. Seriously. How spoiled am I? And he knows I hate to drive, so on trips he's at the wheel while I relax and pick the music. If I have to go somewhere I haven't been before, he'll sit me down with google earth and walk me through every turn. And I don't think it's JUST because he wants his truck to come back home.
2. He makes up songs and stories, does different voices and styles and makes me laugh so hard I'm almost crying. I guess we need to have children just so someone else can truly appreciate his "Blacky the Green Dragon" tales when they can't sleep.
3. He is so amazingly talented. I didn't have a form for potential suitors to fill out during my dating years, but looking back, I think I would have put website designer as a necessity on the application. :-) It's fun to watch him create, and to see how he uses his talent to help others. And he makes sure my computer and whatever other gadgets I need are in working order.
4. He believes my love language is gifts, so there has been more than one trip where he had a gift and/or a card for me to open every single day.
5. He takes my writing seriously. Insists on sending me to conferences even when we can't really afford it. Talks out a certain aspect of the plot I'm struggling with. Tells me he's proud of me. Tells other people he's proud of me. And he actually read my debut novel without me asking him to.
There are many more things I love about him, of course, but he's going to kill me, and I don't want to freak his students out any more than I already have. :-) But he takes care of me, and he makes life fun. And he has a heart for God. I'd say I'm very lucky, but I'm not sure I believe in luck. So, thank you, God. Very, very much.
Happy Birthday, Jason. I love you. And even if Brogan's picture is on my computer background, you're my true hero. :-)
1. I never have to fill up the gas tank. Seriously. How spoiled am I? And he knows I hate to drive, so on trips he's at the wheel while I relax and pick the music. If I have to go somewhere I haven't been before, he'll sit me down with google earth and walk me through every turn. And I don't think it's JUST because he wants his truck to come back home.
2. He makes up songs and stories, does different voices and styles and makes me laugh so hard I'm almost crying. I guess we need to have children just so someone else can truly appreciate his "Blacky the Green Dragon" tales when they can't sleep.
3. He is so amazingly talented. I didn't have a form for potential suitors to fill out during my dating years, but looking back, I think I would have put website designer as a necessity on the application. :-) It's fun to watch him create, and to see how he uses his talent to help others. And he makes sure my computer and whatever other gadgets I need are in working order.
4. He believes my love language is gifts, so there has been more than one trip where he had a gift and/or a card for me to open every single day.
5. He takes my writing seriously. Insists on sending me to conferences even when we can't really afford it. Talks out a certain aspect of the plot I'm struggling with. Tells me he's proud of me. Tells other people he's proud of me. And he actually read my debut novel without me asking him to.
There are many more things I love about him, of course, but he's going to kill me, and I don't want to freak his students out any more than I already have. :-) But he takes care of me, and he makes life fun. And he has a heart for God. I'd say I'm very lucky, but I'm not sure I believe in luck. So, thank you, God. Very, very much.
Happy Birthday, Jason. I love you. And even if Brogan's picture is on my computer background, you're my true hero. :-)
4/1/10
March Madness Fail
So...my husbands brackets for the real March Madness weren't exactly what you would call accurate. He ain't gonna be winning the jackpot, that's for sure.
As for the writing March Madness...I keep moving my word count status down on the sidebar so no one notices it. :-) No, I did not make my 50k goal. Not at all. My excuses, because you know I have to give them...
1. I did a lot of research looking for options for our Spring Break trip.
2. My latest ms got rejected, which kind of killed any momentum I might have had going.
3. I did a lot of brainstorming for a new project and turned in a quasi-proposal to my editor.
4. I did more brainstorming on a few other project options.
5. And frankly, I just need to do better, don't I?
But now it's April. A new month. A new goal. This time I'm going for 100k. Right. April Fools. So how about I get back with you on the word count. Maybe at the end of the month, when I can make sure I've surpassed the goal. :-)
You did notice I blogged, right? Like once a week? Come on, I need kudos here for something, right?
As for the writing March Madness...I keep moving my word count status down on the sidebar so no one notices it. :-) No, I did not make my 50k goal. Not at all. My excuses, because you know I have to give them...
1. I did a lot of research looking for options for our Spring Break trip.
2. My latest ms got rejected, which kind of killed any momentum I might have had going.
3. I did a lot of brainstorming for a new project and turned in a quasi-proposal to my editor.
4. I did more brainstorming on a few other project options.
5. And frankly, I just need to do better, don't I?
But now it's April. A new month. A new goal. This time I'm going for 100k. Right. April Fools. So how about I get back with you on the word count. Maybe at the end of the month, when I can make sure I've surpassed the goal. :-)
You did notice I blogged, right? Like once a week? Come on, I need kudos here for something, right?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)