As a reader, I’ve always loved a
story that draws me in with the opening lines. Better still, a story that hooks
me at the very first sentence. So as a writer I’ve tried to do that with my own
work and give a reader something that makes them want to read on. How can a
writer do that?
Well, let’s look at an example.
How about a scifi classic?
“A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away…”
All right, all right, so I’m
cheating a little. Any scifi fan will know that’s the opening line to Star Wars: A New Hope. And then in roars
the music, up scrolls the prologue and a space battle blasts its way onto the
screen. How’s that for an opening?
Would that hook you? J Technology hasn’t quite got to the point where you can open a
digital book and have that kind of prologue greet you (although it’s coming),
so a writer has to do it with words.
Some more examples:
“Marley
was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” A Christmas
Carol by Charles Dickens.
“Mr. and Mrs.
Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were
perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stone by JK Rowling.
“This time there would be no witnesses.” Dirk Gently’s Holistic
Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.
Those are just three of my favorites.
The weird thing with all of these is that the author is just stating a fact.
And yet by stating that fact they’ve made the reader ask questions. Why would
there be any doubt that Marley was dead? Why were Mr. And Mrs. Dursley proud to
be normal? And what wouldn’t there be witnesses to?
So my opening line? “In the darkness and the silence, Keir sat with
teeth gritted against the pain racking his body.”
I didn’t plan it as a hook. That was how I pictured him the very first time he came into my head. It was the first line I ever wrote and the only one that hasn’t changed since I set it down.
Do you want to know why he’s sitting in the dark? Why he’s in pain? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Oh, and exploding space ships, alien races and the romance come later. Promise.
Keir
- a science-fiction romance available from Lyrical Press Inc.
Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond
redemption?
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent
eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at
her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to
save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.
BUY LINKS:
Lyrical
Press Inc - http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_32&products_id=513
Amazon.com
- http://www.amazon.com/Keir-ebook/dp/B0080E4QIA/ref=cm_rdp_product
Amazon.co.uk
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keir-ebook/dp/B0080E4QIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336420182&sr=8-1
Barnes
& Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keir-pippa-jay/1110110646
BookStrand
- http://www.bookstrand.com/keir
All
Romance Ebooks - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-keir-788806-143.html
BIO:
A
stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical
Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a
lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line
a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing
her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar,
indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although
happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 19
years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
LINKS:
Facebook: Keir - Beyond Redemption (book page) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keir-Beyond-Redemption/114058821953752
Pippa is giving away a 10 amazon card to one lucky winner!! Just fill out the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
64 comments:
this is no easy undertaking, but you've made it sound so easy. great blog. i'm posting it to my fb also.
Most memorable opening line for me is "Kill the baby" from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Acheron.
One of my favorites is "They meant to kill him." Julie Garwood ~ Honour's Splendor
@Grinelda - thank you!
@ilona - that's a pretty striking first line. :)
@JC - thanks for stopping by! Hmm, there seems to be a grim theme to these opening lines now. :)
@Nikki - thanks for hosting me today. :)
in a galaxy far, far away is classic
kerryjcj@verizon.net
I really don't have a favorite opening line that I can remember off hand. In my novel Angel of Death my favorite line is She was far to beautiful to be dangerous.
authorleighsavage@gmail.com
Wow! I've read so many books over the last 35 years, I just couldn't venture to give you a best first line. There have been so many! Thank goodness. I guess that's why I love to read so much. LOL Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
sandywolters(dot)author(at)gmail(dot)com
I have read so many books so fast I can't come up with an opening line. Hmmm.Sorry. But thanks for the opportunity.
Carol L.
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
My favorite opening line to a book is
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Carin mawmom(at)gmail(dot)com
"I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar"
C Harris opening line for the Sookie series
my favorite opening scenes come from JD Robb's in death series. but memorable opening lines? my terrible memory won't allow me to remember :))
"This is not for you." - House of Leaves
I agree with Carin - I love the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The first line alone grabs you.
Thanks,
Leanne
One of my fav opening line is
"Stop smiling. Every time you smile, an angel dies." from My One and Only.
Cant think of an opening line off hand but I can tell you my favorite book lines come from Kres ley Coles Immortals After Dark and Molly Harpers books .Thank youfor sharing with us and for this chance to win an amazing sounding book.Have a fantastic weekend .
I wish that I could think of a favorite opening line, but like a few other posters, I have read so many books, and so many lately, I really can't remember any that stand out.
Thank you all for stopping by! :)
As someone has already posted, the beginning of the gunslinger by stephen king. its an introduction to an amazing series. thanks for thr giveaway.
I have read far to many books to remember all the great first lines but one that I really liked was "Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker." from Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
I can't think of one either lol, too many books :) I did like the opening line of the Sookie Stackhouse books that someone else posted already. Thanks for the giveaway!!!
Well let's see. I've read a lot of books Maybe I can come up with one. "I'd never given much thought on how I would die." I love this one. Thanks for the giveaway.
Hi Pippa,
thank you so much for the chance at such a great giveaway. i have read so many book that i can't really single out 1 line as an opener to the book but i remember some that were standouts later in the books. like in Poppy's passion when she needed a hug and he asked if she had food,or wanted to f*(&., then said no you smell like you threw up. all of this without looking at her, it just about broke my heart for her. and made me want to smack him in the back of the head (hard). LOL
tammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
I will always love the opening line to Pride & Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and The Two Cities.
But the most recent one that struck a cord with me was from Lauren Oliver's Delirium: "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified loved as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure."
Lilian @ A Novel Toybox
oh wow.. I can't think of just one. I'm gonna pick the one from the book I'm currently reading, because it hooked me from the start :)
"Every night Death came, slowly, painfully, and every morning Maddox awoke in bed, knowing he'd have to die again later."
*sigh* love this book.. Thanks for the giveaway <3
Ana♥
ooops. Forgot to mention..that opening line is from The Darkest Night (Book #1 in the Lords of the Underworld series) by Gena Showalter
Ana♥
My most memorable line has to be from MOBY DICK - "Call me Ishmael."
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Most memorable & my favorite is from Catcher in the Rye......
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
Hmmmm...most memorable opening line. Goodness, I can't even think of one off hand. Sorry. But thanks for the chance to win! raynman1979 at yahoo dot com
for the life of me I can not think of one right now. I have read so many books that I love but my mind is blank now. Thanks for the giveaway though.
Umm, mine is from a recent book I read by Eve Langlais 'The Wickedest Witch'. "You're just too evil for me". Loved that book!
I think it's fantastic when an author thinks they way you do about the opening. Once you've gotten the reader hooked. They are not going to let go of the book until the very end :)
Thank you for this chance to win!
~Ava~
dragon lady 029 @ aol . com
I was going to say the first line of 'Acheron', but someone said that already. LOL. So... let's see. Ah, from Shatter Me:
'I've been locked up for 264 days.'
and from The Restorer:
'I was nine when I saw my first ghost.'
Those are not the most memorable ones, but are the ones I remember now... does that make sense? >.>
thanks for the chance!!
"The dangerously high level of the stupidity surplus was once again the lead story in The Owl that morning." Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde. Really all of his novels are highly... memorable. :D
Ashley E
"Joni, you were my anchor. I'm lost without you." Masters at Arms, by Kallypso Masters. *sigh* I love Master Adam.
ok i rifled through my favorite books and can't come up with a single opening line that grabbed me...I love JR Wrads BDB characters and they have great lines throughout her books.
debi01760@hotmail.com
Mine is a classic one, =) It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Just because it reminds me of how good the book is, and the feeling i get when i see the movies. *happy sigh*
best wishes, Linda xo
Hi
I don't have a favorite opening line, but I read the ones posted here and this one posted by "Na" cathed my attention:
"Stop smiling. Every time you smile, an angel dies." from My One and Only.
"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it." from "Gone With The Wind" The first romance book I ever read.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way, in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
When I first read Tale Of Two Cities in High School, I was thrown into a picture/time mindset that sent my young mind spinning. The characters became flesh, the words resonated within me. I knew my understanding of fine Lit was gnawing on Greatness! This book from that time forward, has always been my favorite. Mary Shelly shifting into a well loved second place, yet first in so many Horror filled ways. Nice question! *Big Grin* earthdancedaph@yahoo.com
"Space, the final frontier...."
No fave opening line but this sounds amazing! THanks for the giveaway! <3
"In a Galaxy far far away...." is the first thing that comes to my mind when speaking about opening lines. Thanks for the chance to win.
reneebennett35(at)yahoo(dot)com
First of all my favorite type of books are paranormal but my most memorable line is not from a paranormal book. Here it is: "If you want vampires and werewolves, faeries, fallen angels or zombies you won’t find them here. I know a real-life monster. She drains the life out of me and tears at my flesh with words and fingernails that sink deeper than fangs ever could.” It is from Want by Stephanie Lawton.
"Fucking a married man who traveled to Las Vegas on business was supossed to be fun, hot and uncomplicated" From The Strip by J.J. Salem
"Call me Ishmael", Moby Dick. I guess the it's the name and you met one of the main character.
r.d1@myfairpoint.net
I've read so many books since I picked up my first novel at 14 that it would be impossible to remember opening lines. Besides, with two small children, I'm lucky I can remember last week. lol
purple975@msn.com
Opening line??? Seriously!?! There's o many great lines out there from totally awesome books but I really can't think of any. Usually, an opening line dealing with murder, death, sex or nighttime has me totally intrigued from the start.
amberdaulton86@gmail.com
LOL! I thought about several of my favorite books and discovered that they don't really have memorable opening lines. You're right- they were just stating facts.
Thanks for sharing about your book. I've just recently come to enjoy Sci-Fi Romance.
I don't know that I have a favorite first line. Some of the best lines happen further along in the book. And then there are those that have a great last line. But I'm a fickle female in that I'm constantly changing my mind as to what my favorite is.
Lynn
lareynolds0316@gmail.com
One of my favorites is "Come with me," he ordered. From About a Dragon. Makes me laugh from the first moment.
ovalleba@charter.net
This may sound corny...
In a galaxy far, far away...
I love it!!
Mel
It was a warm and steamy night.
These are some great ones! Thank you all for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. :)
The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.
-First line from Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
If you haven't read the series I highly recommend!
Tabatha Hansen
mmparanormalromance@gmail.com
mmparanormalromance.wordpress.com
I'm usually much better at remembering the last lines, but I just love the opening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:
'Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.'
"ask me the exact moment I fell in love with Zin, and I'll tell you it is the first time I saw him dance"
(RAVEN, by allison van diepen)
thx u for the giveaway :)
chikojubilee at gmail dot com
Oh, that is a hard one, I am an avid reader & reviewer and read over 15 books per month! I will go with this one:
"Real Betrayal - the kind that tears the heart and soul out - is never a solo endeavor. True betrayal needs another villian to share the guilt. Together, two can harm so much more than one." (Betrayed by Blood - Sons of Navaras#2 by Gabrielle Bisset)
cguidroz2(at)cox(dot)net
Honestly, I don't have a favorite opening line. I guess I never gave that much thought before. Maybe I'll have to start paying more attention. :)
Thank you for the giveaway.
Pam
I really can't think of any opening lines. Most of the time they really don't stay with me.
I don't have a most memorable, but ones that draw me in the most are dark ones. ;)
Great post. Thank you for the giveaway.
Thank you all for stopping by and commenting! :)
"Behavioral Science, the FBI section that deals with serial murder, is on the bottom floor of the Academy building at Quantico, half-buried in the earth."
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
I love so many books it is hard to remember a specific one. I love when authors quote famous lines from poets or other works- makes such an impact. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com
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