 We all make lists of our favorite books whether we write the lists down or hold them in our heads. However, can we pinpoint exactly what we liked about that book? For me, it's the story and voice. Yet as a writer, I know that the actual writing (the grammar, sentence structure, word choice) all play a part in making that story unique.
If you're reading this blog right now, chances are you are reading at least one book. Go get it. Open it up to the first page. Read the first few lines. What grabs you? Can you clearly hear the narrator's voice in your head? Can you picture the scene, smell, taste or feel anything described? If this is a book you are enjoying, you probably answered yes to at least one of those questions. Now, read those lines again. No, take out a notebook and pencil, and copy down each sentence. Study them. What is their structure? If you want to write great literature, you must read great literature. Study these amazing first lines from YA novels. What do you like about them? What makes them work? How can you harness their power in your own writing? Pay particular attention to what each narrator promises the reader. The promise of authority or confidence: "I've confessed to everything, and I'd like to be hanged. Now, if you please." CHIME by Franny Billingsley "It's a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen The promise of humor or sarcasm: "Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day." THE LOST HERO by Rick Riordan "There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." HOLES by Louis Sachar The promise of something bad: "Anything can happen in the blink of an eye." ABANDON by Meg Cabot "The best time to cry is at night when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help." MONSTER by Walter Dean Meyers The promise of something good: "The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle." PAPER TOWNS by John Green "There once was a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire." STARDUST by Neil Gaiman The promise of a past and future: "I used to be someone." THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson "My name is Francis Joseph Cassavant and I have just returned to Frenchtown in Monument and the war is over and I have no face." - HEROES by Robert Cormier Now that you've read some well-constructed lines, it's time to write a few of your own. Share yours below! Write on!
8 Comments
1/22/2015 09:11:13 am
I think this is a great exercise. I'll have to try it later with some of my favorite paranormal romance or fantasy novels. You're absolutely right--we need to read great literature if we want to write it. Great post! :) 1/22/2015 11:21:36 am
Denise, 1/22/2015 04:35:52 pm
Hopping over from Storydam. I'm always impressed by a good first line, and from a good last line. Some writers know the last line before they've finished writing. Never thought of Austen's work as YA but yes, why not? 1/22/2015 11:30:18 pm
That first page sets the tone. I can think of many times I've hesitated reading a book just because something didn't speak to me in those first few lines. One thing I have learned, you don't know your first line until you've written your last one. 1/23/2015 03:31:59 am
Hiya Ellen, visiting from StoryDam. The first paragraph has to grab me or I probably won't read the book, I just don't have time to read books that don't entertain or educate me. If I really like the premise of the book I will read a full page or two to see if it will get better but that is it. 1/23/2015 11:20:49 am
Wow. You are a tough audience! :) 1/29/2015 06:34:56 am
That's a great collection of attention-grabbing first lines! I could see using any of them as writing prompts, actually. 1/29/2015 08:00:18 am
I love the idea of using them as prompts! Leave a Reply. |
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