tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post4789720247770436723..comments2023-08-10T03:35:55.682-07:00Comments on The Prosers: It Was A Dark and Stormy Night: Evolution of a First SentenceSheena Boekweghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08227547053651725634noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-35560262494331960832012-05-19T15:32:43.774-07:002012-05-19T15:32:43.774-07:00I'm glad if I helped a tent peg go in! That...I'm glad if I helped a tent peg go in! That's a great feeling.Melanie Crousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10353025724182677932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-46976494649705407972012-05-11T08:30:23.499-07:002012-05-11T08:30:23.499-07:00My favorite first line is from Peter Pan, "Al...My favorite first line is from Peter Pan, "All children, except one, grow up." J.M. Barrie.Sheena Boekweghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08227547053651725634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-76307563086481792162012-05-06T08:50:50.576-07:002012-05-06T08:50:50.576-07:00I agree. I don't like it when an author sets ...I agree. I don't like it when an author sets the story up one way and spends the next fifty pages backtracking to show how they got there.<br /><br />One of my favorites is from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. She tells the reader exactly what to expect from her book with the very first sentence. <br /><br />"In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three."<br /><br />It establishes not only the genre of the book, but the main character's biggest obstacle: breaking out of fairy tale stereotypes to become her own hero.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07572122401159709175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-30030754184506522832012-05-05T08:36:33.958-07:002012-05-05T08:36:33.958-07:00I got burned out on trying to perfect my first thi...I got burned out on trying to perfect my first thirteen. I never even tried tackling my first sentence. Yet, I might get back into it that idea that the first sentence has a "question" to it sounds like a tent peg going in. I finally wrote an opening (pure inspiration, no effort) and I though it was great, but looking at it (expanding it liberally to include the first three sentences), it has that question and I think that's why its great. <br /><br />Oh and it definitely needs to fit. I'd rather have a poor hook than a theatrical one that "tricks" you into being interested.J.S. Clarkhttp://pen-of-jsclark.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-16405021463763864532012-05-04T18:16:25.049-07:002012-05-04T18:16:25.049-07:00Of course, if anyone disagrees with me on that poi...Of course, if anyone disagrees with me on that point, I'd love to hear your reasoning.Melanie Crousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10353025724182677932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-38691459784909865002012-05-04T14:22:25.500-07:002012-05-04T14:22:25.500-07:00There were so many things I wanted to talk about b...There were so many things I wanted to talk about but didn't have room, and Susan and MaryAnn mentioned two of them! First of all, I couldn't believe I wrote a post about first lines without mentioning Pride and Prejudice (and A Tale of Two Cities). <br /><br />And second, I agree with MaryAnn about making sure that your beginning fits your story. Another thing that drives me crazy is the way so many of the current books start in a super-exciting moment and then backtrack to where the story should have started. It's the fall-out from too many authors trying to hook the reader (agent? editor?) with action right off the bat.Melanie Crousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10353025724182677932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-5683489437066237682012-05-04T10:35:11.769-07:002012-05-04T10:35:11.769-07:00I love watching the evolution of your first senten...I love watching the evolution of your first sentence. I think your last one is a good one. <br /><br />I think it is important to have a first sentence that makes the readers ask questions, just make sure that the readers are asking the right question. I've critiqued a few stories that had an awesome first sentence hook, but it didn't fit the story. I think it is more important for the beginning to fit the story than hook the reader.<br /><br />You mentioned my favorite first line. "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderely again." I loved that book, and that line really sets the tone for the whole novel.<br /><br />Great post, as always. :)MaryAnn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08618345950149423623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4561827139818452407.post-77392204123417088872012-05-04T10:25:41.769-07:002012-05-04T10:25:41.769-07:00How fun!
I think one of the most beloved first se...How fun!<br /><br />I think one of the most beloved first sentences, and one that completely sums up the rest of the book has got to be:<br /><br />'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.' - Pride and Prejudice<br /><br />Looking over my other favs, though, I'm suprised to find how mundane many are. Here are two I liked, but they are actually the first two sentences.<br /><br />'I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison. The days were all the same except that as each one passed, I was dirtier than before.' - The Thief<br /><br />'"I've watched through his eyes, I've listened through his ears, and I tell you he's the one. Or at least as close as we're going to get."' - Ender's Game<br /><br />Great post!Susan Buttarshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14456005411871122298noreply@blogger.com