All writers want to open their story with a killer first line. What makes a great opening line? It’s not easy to define.
Some say the best first lines must encapsulate the entire theme of the story. Other say it must establish the character, time, place, and even dilemma. Others just drop us right into the action, woo us with lyricism, or make an impact with some shocking truth.
I hadn’t given much thought to my first lines. Then I attended the Virtual Writers Circle Retreat with Mollie McClure. There her guest, Jaqueline Mitchard, talked about crafting a compelling first line. I wondered, how do my first lines stack up?
I made a list of all my opening lines and discovered that only one out of ten made an impact. This was because I didn’t actively craft my opening line.
I was curious if the members of the Writers Mastermind paid close attention to their first lines and challenged them to pick out the best first lines they had ever written. I also asked them to share their favorite first lines of all time.
Here is the result of that experiment. You can see that some hint at theme, others foreshadow, while others start in the middle of a scene. Some opening lines are simply poetic and beautiful, or give us a clue to the plot or character.
Members’ Best Opening Lines
There is no night when you’re staring straight at the sun.
Josh Gardner
He awoke in a cold sweat, pulse racing, senses hyper alert – his body prepared for fight or flight.
My mothering was a thin wall with nothing to hold it up.
David Powell
Each night, with my desk flush with the floor to ceiling glass of my high-rise apartment, I gaze at the lights beyond Orchard Road, waiting for them to twinkle out a story in some secret optic code, but when I wake up in the morning, breath like jet fuel, eyes gritty against their lids, I look at my Word doc and only see the plaintive blinking cursor.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man with a fortune is in want of a wife.”
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“Marley was dead, to begin with.”
Christmas carol by Charles Dickens
“When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there’s something seriously wrong somewhere. “
Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Submitted by Joseph Sale
“In the eyes of the eternal Buddha, all things could be seen.”
Black Heart by Eric Van Lustbader
Submitted by David Powell
“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Submitted by Christa Wojciechowski
“Sometimes, when I’m staring down a room of Japanese stewardesses-in-training, looking across a sea of shiny black coifs, a chorus line of stockinged legs, knees together, toes to the side, when I’m chanting ‘Sir, you are endangering yourself and other passengers!,’ I think I should have let my brother stab me.”
Today, we are excited to feature Mollie McClure. She is a founding member of the Writers’ Mastermind and the creator of Women Writers’ Circle Retreats. Today she reads from her novel-in-progress, Talking to the Moon.
Writing Circle Retreats Women Writers Circle writing retreats offer a unique opportunity to focus on yourself as a writer. Whether you’re published or unpublished, have a novel-in-progress or bits and pieces of a short story knocking around in your head, these retreats offer the chance to craft your next (or first!) masterpiece while gathering gather insights and inspiration from other writers.
NOTE: These posts are inspired by The Artist’s Way, a 12 Step Process to recovering your creativity by Julia Cameron. You can read all about it here.
CREATIVE ABUNDANCE
In my post The Problem with Writers and Money, we talked about relinquishing the old poor, starving artist cliché. Today we talk about living a life of luxury.
And it’s not what you think…
FROM THE ARTIST’S WAY
All too often, we become blocked and blame it on our lack of money. This is never an authentic block.
The actual block is our feeling of constriction, our sense of powerlessness.
Art requires us to empower ourselves with choice.
At the most basic level, this means choosing to do self-care.
by Julia Cameron
Authentic Luxury
We don’t have to book a 5 star hotel or buy the a $300 bottle of wine to get a sense of luxury.
We can take a mundane task and turn it into a moment of luxury.
Instead of rushing through your daily shower, bring a blue-tooth speaker and a scented candle with you.
It is surprising how adding a few more sensory delights transforms mindless routines into a luxurious experience. (You will probably get some great ideas too. Great ideas always pop up in the shower).
Or, try this—next time you’re at the store, buy one small thing for yourself that isn’t on your shopping list. Nothing practical or needed. Pick out something out of the ordinary and frivolous.
A while back, I bought a wine-colored wool fedora. Not practical in scorching Panama, but I like owning it, and it could be used for a future author photo.
Before that, I ordered two Klimt prints for my office from Great Big Canvas. I can’t tell you how luxurious and inspiring it is to write surrounded by my favorite fine art.
There are endless things you can order online purely for your own pleasure.
Ship them to your home, and it’s like receiving a gift from yourself. How thoughtful of you!
Your turn to luxuriate
You can create a sense of creative abundance all around you by becoming intentional about how you shape your experience.
Treat your life as a work of art. Get creative.
What would your weekend look like if you could design it?
Because you can.
Let’s do it right now.
CREATIVE LUXURY CHALLENGE
For this coming weekend, write a list of 10 things you could do to feel luxurious, like …
Order a fancy fountain pen.
Buy yourself a bouquet of roses.
Order new athletic gear.
Luxuriate in an afternoon of unstructured time.
Go out for a gourmet gelato.
Pick one or more items and enjoy.
Work your way down your list in the coming weeks.
Would you like to join us for more exercises like these? Treat yourself to becoming a better writer. Sign up here!
Today, we are excited to feature Bia Bella Baker, a YA scifi author. She is a founding member of the Writers’ Mastermind and the author of the upcoming Hecctrossipy Series.
‘Hecctrossipy marks the debut of a bold and distinctive new voice in YA fantasy. The fantastic adventures of Artheena and Mell, and their battle for the affections of the charismatic Leeandro Paul, will thrill fans of The Hunger Games and teen fantasy romance. This is all set within the impressive feat of world-building that is the planet Velva Leena and Continent 15, amid the feverish anticipation of the Hecctrossipy Festival, commemorating victory over a fabled monster who had the power to manipulate the elements and create chaos… I for one certainly look forward to the next instalment!’
—Andrew Murray author of Shroom Raider
‘A bountiful feast for the senses, a stunning world building debut from a very promising talent – if you like your science fiction with a huge slice of teenage angst, and a cast of terrifically realised characters… look no further than Hecctrossipy – this is that start to what I can only imagine being a fabulous series!’
No one will respect your writing time if you don’t.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell why we are doing something and even harder to figure out where to draw the line.
For example, someone asks you for a favor during your writing time. You say yes, even though you’ve been neglecting your WIP and are getting increasingly frustrated that it isn’t finished.
Did you agree to do the favor because you really want to and don’t mind putting your work aside … again?
Or did you cave to avoid guilt or disapproval?
These mini-decisions may seem inconsequential, but add each of these occasions up, and you have a lifetime of saying yes to things that take away from your creative possibilities.
You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Is being the “nice guy” more important than getting out the many worlds inside you?
Think about how you will feel in the future? At the end of your life? Will you have regrets?
Of course, there are some responsibilities we can’t and should not avoid. We have to be workers, parents, friends, spouses, and humans.
But we are at our best and most giving when we are happy and fulfilled, and we are not happy if we are not living the artistic life that excites us.
