The title of this entry is highly deceptive. By phrasing it the way I did you may actually be led to believe that I have the answer to writing the perfect first line
( Read more... )
Ah, the perfect first line... My best advice on this (if you're just starting your story)is to open up your nice, new file. Then, stare at the blank screen. After a few minutes of wailing and typing and backspacing write . Then space down a few lines and just start writing your story.
Don't get too caught up in that first line on your first draft. You'll have plenty of time to go back and put in that wonderful "hook" once you figure out where your story is going and who your characters really are.
Of course you might always get lucky and have a great first line just fall out of a random conversation. That happened to one of the books I'm working on right now. (I have about 2/3rds of another book written that _still_ doesn't have a decent opening!)
If you're writing a book a good site to check out is http://www.nanowrimo.org/ The forums there have lots and lots of great advice. I'm not sure how active they are at the moment, but the past threads have some fabulous info. and stratagies, in between all the sillyness. (Do you know about nano? It's National Novel Writing month where people write 50,000 word books in November. It's frantic and you really write a lot of "ick." But it's so much easier to edit ick into shape than blank pieces of paper!)
Best of luck on your writing! (Is your book going to be Urban Fantasy? That was the idea I got from "our world that's been slightly altered." Or maybe I just got that impression because that's what _I'm_ writing right now :)
OOoooh. That's IT Verse. You're getting JUMPED!!!! I'm going to steal you away and keep you in my closet for inspiration!!!! (Hehe) Actually I KNEW about how you should just write and THEN try and go back...
I've been MEANING to ask you... May I read some of your work? I was really curious about what YOU put up for Nanowrimo but I don't think I ever got around to asking.
Thanks for the luck! And yes... A little Urban Fantasy... Hehe... Now I'm all curious about what YOU'RE writing. (PSSSST! I'll tell you mine if you tell me YOURS. Through email though... ;) )
Don't get too caught up in that first line on your first draft. You'll have plenty of time to go back and put in that wonderful "hook" once you figure out where your story is going and who your characters really are.
Of course you might always get lucky and have a great first line just fall out of a random conversation. That happened to one of the books I'm working on right now. (I have about 2/3rds of another book written that _still_ doesn't have a decent opening!)
If you're writing a book a good site to check out is http://www.nanowrimo.org/ The forums there have lots and lots of great advice. I'm not sure how active they are at the moment, but the past threads have some fabulous info. and stratagies, in between all the sillyness. (Do you know about nano? It's National Novel Writing month where people write 50,000 word books in November. It's frantic and you really write a lot of "ick." But it's so much easier to edit ick into shape than blank pieces of paper!)
Best of luck on your writing! (Is your book going to be Urban Fantasy? That was the idea I got from "our world that's been slightly altered." Or maybe I just got that impression because that's what _I'm_ writing right now :)
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I've been MEANING to ask you... May I read some of your work? I was really curious about what YOU put up for Nanowrimo but I don't think I ever got around to asking.
Thanks for the luck! And yes... A little Urban Fantasy... Hehe... Now I'm all curious about what YOU'RE writing. (PSSSST! I'll tell you mine if you tell me YOURS. Through email though... ;) )
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"After a few minutes of wailing and typing and backspacing write, "insert brilliant first line here."
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