Once Upon and Time . . . Happily Ever After
Once upon a time, we were all young and liked stories that began pretty much that way. The plot unfolded and ended with "And they lived happily ever after." We were little. What did we know?
But now that we're all grown up, or at least masquerading as grownups, we search bookstores for books and open them to the first page to read the first line. And I have to tell you . . . my guilty secret? I will also read the last page. The last line. I know I am not the only one, but it does make people who DON'T do that scream and their hair turns white. :-)
When I started writing, I knew every short story I penned needed a great opening line. When I tried my hand at novels, I knew the same thing. Some of my opening lines have been:
Blood spatter was artfully arranged. (From Trace of Innocence.)
Or . . .
"Hello, Buttercup."
Most people panic that a jangling phone at 4:09 in the morning is the death call--the one in which a cop is about to tell you that he's found your sibling or mother or father plastered like a bloody possum on the pavement of I-95. Instead, I uttered his name like a curse: "Michael!"
That book, Spanish Disco, ended with the word testicles. You'll have to read it to find out why. I actually had a bookseller comment that she handsold that book a lot on that basis (she had a great sense of humor).
The Roofer started with "My first instinct was to look at the corpse. It's what all the Irish do. We treat our wakes like weddings . . . "
That book ends with a full circle of a phrase . . . a saying of the Roofer's.
For me, finding that first line--knowing where to start in the story--is like getting ready to make love. I dance around that first sentence, not sure . . . but then when I commit to it, I'm there.
And for me, writing the last line . . . same sort of thing. I sit at my keyboard and wait, sort of delaying, waiting to be sure, to be positive, waiting for the last line to find its way to the keyboard. And when I write it, the last line usually feels very right.
It's an amazing sort of process.
The rest of you? First line? Last line? How do you know? Do you ever re-write them or do they seem etched on your heart when you begin--or end--the book?
But now that we're all grown up, or at least masquerading as grownups, we search bookstores for books and open them to the first page to read the first line. And I have to tell you . . . my guilty secret? I will also read the last page. The last line. I know I am not the only one, but it does make people who DON'T do that scream and their hair turns white. :-)
When I started writing, I knew every short story I penned needed a great opening line. When I tried my hand at novels, I knew the same thing. Some of my opening lines have been:
Blood spatter was artfully arranged. (From Trace of Innocence.)
Or . . .
"Hello, Buttercup."
Most people panic that a jangling phone at 4:09 in the morning is the death call--the one in which a cop is about to tell you that he's found your sibling or mother or father plastered like a bloody possum on the pavement of I-95. Instead, I uttered his name like a curse: "Michael!"
That book, Spanish Disco, ended with the word testicles. You'll have to read it to find out why. I actually had a bookseller comment that she handsold that book a lot on that basis (she had a great sense of humor).
The Roofer started with "My first instinct was to look at the corpse. It's what all the Irish do. We treat our wakes like weddings . . . "
That book ends with a full circle of a phrase . . . a saying of the Roofer's.
For me, finding that first line--knowing where to start in the story--is like getting ready to make love. I dance around that first sentence, not sure . . . but then when I commit to it, I'm there.
And for me, writing the last line . . . same sort of thing. I sit at my keyboard and wait, sort of delaying, waiting to be sure, to be positive, waiting for the last line to find its way to the keyboard. And when I write it, the last line usually feels very right.
It's an amazing sort of process.
The rest of you? First line? Last line? How do you know? Do you ever re-write them or do they seem etched on your heart when you begin--or end--the book?
posted by Erica Orloff at 8:37 PM
8 Comments:
Never. I'll probably try to rewrite it every chance I get. I'm doing NaNo and rewriting goes against everything NaNo stands for but I am already more interested in what I'm going to do in rewrites than moving forward. LOL.
I have NEVER read the last line in a book......... yes I'm one of those people.
Now, first lines.... I'm so sad, I've always wanted to start with the f-word... and in my new one I have. Just anyone dare to try and make me change it.... Here it is:
“FUUUUCK,” I yell, as the quad-bike shoots out from under me and my butt smacks onto the ground.
LOL SAra!!!!!!! I have a story that starts with the f-word too!
First lines are easy nine times out of ten. Endings are always a struggle.
As to reading, I read the beginning but I NEVER read the end. I even cover the page while I'm reading because I have a tendancy to skim (I have to stop myself from cheating LOL)
I'm one of "those" peole as well. I peek to see if the book is written in first or third person, skim the first line/paragraph, and won'd dare look at the last page.
The first line is a challenge, but when I find it, I know it.
As for last lines, I love scene-ending and chapter-ending hooks. And the final line of the book, that's more difficult and much more satisfying.
I like to start with a mystery, build to a fever, end with an equally-compelling question.
Give the reader some satisfaction, but never COMPLETE satisfaction.
Always leave them wanting something. A little more.
If you give them the whole shebang, they might love you for a few minutes.
But they'll never respect you in the morning.
Sara:
A perfect beginning! LOL!
E
Amie:
My mom "savors" the ending, so sometimes she even drags out the last 20 pages or so. It was a high compliment when she told me she dragged out reading the last ten pages of my Invisible Girl! (She doesn't do that for all my books.)
E
Jude:
LOL! A great way to put it.
E
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