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Beginnings…

by Stacey Joy Netzel 4 November 2009 15 Comments

This month, I was going to promo my new Christmas anthology, MISTLETOE RULES (release date Nov. 20^th), but my 8yr old daughter gave me a different idea Halloween afternoon and I decided I’ll pimp my book with an excerpt in December. (Of course, if you absolutely can’t wait until then, you can always check out my website, www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com. *grin*)

On to the real post: Beginnings

“It was a very dark night.”

No, that’s not the first line of a Snoopy novel, there are no vampires, and it’s not a suspense. Well, on second thought, it could have either or both of the last two. My daughter hasn’t finished writing her story, “Sinder the Sassy Siamese’s Halloween” yet, so only she knows what will happen. (She writes and illustrates her own books and has become a fan of my little-used AlphaSmart.)

Many writers agonize over that opening line, hoping to get it just right to catch an agent, editor, or reader’s eye and keep them turning the pages. What I love about my daughter’s beginning is that even as a novice writer, she started with a line to intrigue the reader. I want to know, what’s going to happen next? Score one for her! Good instincts. I’m thinking, in a kid’s mind, not much good happens on a very dark night.

And then I read farther:

Sinder could not wait for tonight because it was Halloween. It will be so much fun, he thought.

So much for my line of thinking. (What’s that saying about assuming? J) Now I’m extra curious to see if her first line will deliver my initial impression at some point in the story, or is the dark just a good place for a sassy Siamese cat to have so much fun on Halloween night?

I do have a point to all this rambling, or should I say, a few questions. Writers, how much do you wrestle with that first line? Writing and rewriting and rewriting until you feel it’s just perfect.

Readers, how much importance do you put on a first line? Do you give a book just the one line, a few paragraphs, pages, a whole chapter? Us writer’s love to know things like that.

Funny thing for me, as a writer, I want a perfect beginning sentence to go with the book…but as a reader, I couldn’t care less. Not to say I don’t recognize and celebrate a great first line when I see one, but a boring one won’t keep me from giving the book a chance. What I don’t like is a first line that is strictly an attention grabber, and doesn’t really add to the book. They’re few and far between, thankfully.

Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by, and since the next time I post Thanksgiving will have come and gone, I hope you have lots to be thankful for and have a wonderful holiday!

Stacey

www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com

15 Comments »

Sandy said:

Stacey,

As a reader, I don’t really care if the first is good or not. I just want to be drawn into the story.

As a writer, I used to angst over the first line but not anymore. It’s just not that important.

# 4 November 2009 at 7:28 am

Laurie Ryan said:

Yes, as a writer I definitely struggle with that first sentence. However, as a reader, I doubt I even stop to check it out. One line is rarely enough to make me want to read further. Funny, I’ve never thought about the two sides of my brain (writer and reader) in regards to that first sentence. Will I stop fretting over it? Probably not. Maybe, though, I can roll it up into first paragraph angst. Great topic! Thanks!

# 4 November 2009 at 8:56 am

Ilona Fridl said:

Hey, Stacey!
I agree we agonize too much over the first sentence, paragraph, page, and etc. I find, as a reader, I tend not to analize things in a book I want to read. Yes, it should be polished and interesting, but it’s not the whole story.

# 4 November 2009 at 9:23 am

Jeannie Ruesch said:

As a writer, I absolutely worry and rewrite that first sentence over and over again. I can also obsess about the first page…because that’s ultimately what it will take to hook the reader, I think. Not so much the first line, but if you go by Ray Rhamey’s Flogging The Quill (http://www.floggingthequill.com/) the first sixteen lines can make or break the reader’s decision to continue on.

As a reader, I read the first page so I think he’s on to something. If I am not sure by then, I’ll read the second or third.

# 4 November 2009 at 10:57 am

Jill James said:

I love first lines, ever since Karin Tabke’s First Line Contest started. As a writer I’ll rewrite that line numerous times. For me the first line sets the tone for the story.

As a reader I like a snappy first line but I don’t demand it. I’ll give a book about 1/3 of it to be what I want to read. If it started out bad and didn’t get better by then it’s gone. Unless I like the characters. I’ll read a crappy book if I identify with the characters every time.

# 4 November 2009 at 11:09 am

Nan said:

Oh, boy, you nailed it. Yes, I have to admit I labor over the first line far too much. In my first book I must have sweated over it and rewrote it dozens of times. I’m still not sure if I totally like it or not. I wanted to set the tone, place the reader in the setting all in the first paragragh. Funny, only one person has ever commented on my achieving my goals. The rest of the books in the series were no where near as hard to come up with opening lines. As a reader I don’t find it important. By the end of the first chapter I just want to be hooked into the rest of the story.

# 4 November 2009 at 12:32 pm

Kris Kennedy said:

Hi Stacey & Jeannie~

I LOVE great first lines! But I definitely don’t put down a book with a forgettable one. I keep reading. I probably need to be hooked in some way by page 2–either the language/prose, and intriguing character, or questions getting posed about what’s going to happen next.

(I have to say, I love the opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night.” I don’t know why it’s so maligned! It’s wonderful to me. )

What a great post!

# 4 November 2009 at 12:55 pm

Mary Jo said:

Hi Stacey,

I guess I’m in the minority. When I write my first draft I just write until I get to the end. With revision, I pay attention to my first page which often comes to me in a flash of clarity once I finish the first draft.

Then it’s just a process of hooking the reader. But that could be like fishing. Sometimes you get a strike and sometimes not, I guess. It depends on the fish–or the reader.

# 4 November 2009 at 1:45 pm

Donna Marie Rogers said:

I do think the first line is important, but probably more so as a writer. As a reader, it’s never been a deal breaker. It’s usually the author’s voice that sucks me in…though a great first line can’t hurt.

And not that I’m partial or anything, but Mistletoe Rules is a fantastic holiday read.

# 4 November 2009 at 4:45 pm

Stacey Joy Netzel (author) said:

Thanks for all the comments and for each of you who’ve stopped by! Sorry I’ve been missing all day, but had my RWA chapter meeting and then head home to make/eat dinner.

So good to see I’m not the only writer-agonizer/reader-relaxed person out there.

Jill–yes, definitely love Karin Tabke’s first line contests! I was lucky enough to come in 4th in her second one (I think it was the second) and my wonderful cp, Donna Marie Rogers won first in the same contest. Those are nail-biting, nerve-wracking times, but oh so much fun!

Kris, I agree with the “It was a dark and stormy night…” opening being great.

Donna, thanks so much for the MR compliment. I must’ve relaxed some on the first lines–the ones in there aren’t all that grabby. Oh well. I still like your Easter Bunny first line, but can’t remember if you kept it??

# 4 November 2009 at 5:33 pm

Silver James said:

When I catch lightning in a bottle, I leave out chocolate and wine for the Muses! Usually, though, I’m happy if the first page hooks the reader. That’s my goal. First page, then first chapter. After that, I want to end each chapter on a hook so that the reader, even if they can’t continue, at least can’t wait to get back to my book!

Great topic, Stacey, and congrats on raising a budding novelist!

# 4 November 2009 at 6:48 pm

Stacey Joy Netzel (author) said:

Silver, so true on the chapter ending hooks! I’m always working on those. Yep, my daughter’s got quite the imagination and she’s an amazing artist for her age.

# 4 November 2009 at 8:08 pm

Donna Marie Rogers said:

Oh, yeah, I kept it. That was for There’s Only Been You.

I have a budding songwriter on my hands. All night Miranda kept running in to sing me the song she’s been working on, then everytime she added a line, she’d run back in to sing it all over again…LOL

# 4 November 2009 at 9:50 pm

Carol Ericson said:

Stacey, I love a great first line too. I wouldn’t say I agonize over my first lines, but I do go back and change them frequently. I agree that they tend to set the tone for the book. I love those first-line contests! Of course, it doens’t mean the rest of the book will be any good, but they’re a lot of fun to read.

# 5 November 2009 at 1:36 pm

Yvonne Walus said:

Here’s another POV: that of a busy literary agent or editor. Those guys don;t exaggerate when they say they receive hundreds of queries a day! They are super-busy. So, to my mind, your one-paragraph pitch is the most important piece of writing in the entire novel, because it’s what gets you the request for a partial or a full.

After that, by the same reasoning, your synopsis and your first line / first paragraph, becomes the most important part of your writing. The reader you’re trying to hook is not the person browsing at Borders, it’s the guy/ess who decides whether the book gets published… )))

# 16 March 2010 at 3:31 pm