McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

Beginnings

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Blitz:
Have you ever had a book suck you in from the very first paragraph?  The first sentence?  Some people think beginnings are the most important part of a book--the difference between hooking a reader and letting them get away.

I tend to agree with this idea.  Many books that I've looked at were set right back down just because I didn't like the starting paragraph or it didn't interest me.  But some I've read anyway.  A big example for me was Harry Potter, when it first came out.  I read the first page and found myself yawning, and as a result didn't pick the book up again until the hype began.  Thus, the opposite question: does a poor beginning ruin the reading experience?

I've heard that beginnings are "make or break" for a story, and I just wanted to know what people around here have to say about it.  Jim's books usually begin with fantastic first paragraphs, for example.  Can you think of any others?

Jon Crenshaw:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

"Call me Ishmael."

"The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."

:)

A good opening sentence can really hook me in as a reader.

Dom:
The Dresden books do have killer opening lines, don't they?  I think they're the best I've ever seen.

The exact impact of the opening lines depends on the reader, but you capture a bigger percentage of the readers if the opening is catchy for some reason.  I don't think anyone has ever said, "The opening of the book was so great, I just had to put it down!"  So, it helps more than harms to have a good opening.  Which is obvious, I suppose.  Anyway.

For me as a reader--I tend to keep on trucking for a while, so if the first line isn't near literally on fire ("The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault.") I'll keep going a bit more to see how it develops within the next few pages, but some people won't.

I don't think openings can ruin an entire story, but it can kill a book.  Meaning, if the actual story is good, it will shine despite the opening.  IE, Harry Potter (for some people).  Kushiel's Dart (first 100 pages is a slog to some.)  However, if a person drops a book because of the opening, they'll never get to the story-that-is-good.  So an opening can kill the success of a book.

It's like a little town in a valley.  They might make some killer jam, or crafts, or folk dancing, or hot rods, or something, but if the sign on the main road is too small, or not appealing, people won't be persuaded to make the trip into the town.  They'll pass this great little place by, not ever knowing it was there.  And all the jammeries and hot rodders will close up shop and start new careers in accounting.  Or something.

Mickey Finn:
Opening lines are very important hooks...not only to grab the reader, but also to set the tone. Chris Moore and Max Barry have bizzare openings, so you know the book is going to be a bit on the zany side.
Jim's books do indeed have great lines. "It rained toads the day the White Council came to town" is another example.

ToddM326:

--- Quote from: Jon Crenshaw on June 26, 2006, 08:17:39 PM ---"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

--- End quote ---

Another board that I read is currently debating the "grammatical correctness" of that first line.

They think that better grammar would be "It was the best and the worst of times."

I think they have too much free time.

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