Trying to write a book is like trying to carry out a scientific investigation; theres a lot involved. First there's the planning, research, more planning, experimenting with time frames, characters, plots. You've also got to decide on an aim. Where do you want this book to take your readers? How are you going to get them there? And so on and so forth. In essence, it takes a lot of time and effort just to get to the point where you are ready to write your first draft! While planning for my current book I've, at times, struggled to know where to start. So, after doing lots of planning and research, taking notes, scribbling ideas, writing possible paragraphs/chapters, I started thinking about what it is that makes me read a book myself. I realised that, although I try and not judge a book by it's cover, I will often judge a book by its opening line! Especially if I'm in a rush and just looking for something to read on a journey, for example. I will pick up the book, barely even look at the cover or title and turn straight to the first chapter. If the first sentence grabs me I may not even read the blurb. Of course, this is not how I’ve chosen every book I've read, however, it has led to some fascinating discoveries! So, I thought I would look a little closer at some of my favourite first liners. My absolute favourite is from Jeff Noon's Vurt. I adore this book and have continued to read Jeff Noons work. I came across this book while out window shopping. It was in a basket outside a charity shop and was 50p. The cover had a yellow feather on the front but I didn't pay much more attention than that. I opened it to the first page: "A young boy puts a feather in his mouth..." And that was that. I paid my 50p and was thrown into the amazing world of Jeff Noon. (If you haven't come across Noon, I strongly recommend you do!) My collection has since grown, and continues to do so! My other favourite first liners include: Rob Grant Incompetence "The flight was uneventful enough, except the pilot accidentally touched down at a slightly wrong airport and forgot to lower the landing gear, so we left the plane by way of the emergency chute, and I lost my shoes." Margret Atwood The Handmaids Tale "We slept in what had once been the gymnasium." David Wong (AKA Jason Pargin) John Dies at the end "Solving the following riddle will reveal the awful secret behind the universe, assuming you do not go utterly mad in the attempt" Kathleen Tessaro Innocence "The first thing you should know about Robbie is she's dead." Jeff Abbot Fear "I killed my best friend" I started to notice that the opening lines of these books tend to leave you with unanswered questions. For me a successful opening line leads you to want to read more. It seems you don't always need to introduce your story, but instead, pull your reader head first into the thick of it! Although this is far from the only way to start a book, and there are many famous and fantastic books that start less full on and ease you in, for me, its the quick hook in and the unanswered questions that get me, well, hooked! So, how good will my first line be? Time will tell. But, funnily enough I am going to leave this until I’ve finished my first draft. I think it will naturally evolve anyway so am going to let it grow and develop as I discover the story itself. While researching first line techniques I stumbled upon this amazing blog article called 6 ways to hook your readers from the very first line. In fact, Susannah Windsor Freeman’s whole website Write it sideways is definitely worth exploring! It is packed with a treasure trove of resources, inspiration and tips to help you through your writing journey. What are your favourite first lines? What gets you hooked? I look forward to hearing your favourites! Happy reading, Jeni Bee
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Every so often I will add a small extract from a writing project I am working on. I won't put any details about the genre or title of the book, but will let you use your imagination. Feedback is definitely welcomed and I am hoping that sharing will help me grow as a writer. My colleague died yesterday on the number 41 bus. Martin had turned up to work looking ghostly pale and shivering, his eyes blurry and barely open. "Ewwww, go home and die in your own bed!" I'd said in feign horror. Little did I know he wouldn't make it that far. "35 yr old male, identified as Matin Saxby, was found dead on the number 41 bus to Tottenham Hale, yesterday morning." The News reporter explained. "It seems that the driver thought he was a drunk homeless man and had let him sleep a while. Sadly, Mr Saxby had already passed away, and it wasn't until a passenger alerted the driver to the fact that the deceased didn't seem to be breathing, that an ambulance was called. a short time later, Mr Saxby was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed and his death is not currently being treated as suspicious, although an autopsy will be carried out to determine the true cause of death" That was it, 20 seconds of air time, and one picture that flashed on the screen of Martin 10 years ago in Ibiza. The only reason it had been on the news at all was because It had already been leaked on social media by several people, who had instantly started recording the scene when they realised something was up. Vultures that would rather a few 'likes' than allow another human being any kind of dignity, and not caring if they were late for work to get them. Mind you, don't they call that human nature? The office has been shut today in respect, and we had no idea what to do with our selves, so at 3.15pm the day after Martin died, we're sat in the local staring at our un-drunk drinks. The pub seemed like a good idea to begin with, but now you can see on our faces that we just feel awkward and uncomfortable. I have this awful stale taste in my mouth that won't go away. How are you supposed to feel when something like this happens? Anger? Guilt? Sadness? I just felt numb. We sit for what feels like hours, passing appropriate comments between us, but all the while not really making eye contact. Eventually, after an appropriate amount of time, we rejoin our own lives and retreat back to our partners, pets and children. We didn't see it coming, but what happened next turned our lives into nightmares with a side of terror, and we didn't stand a chance. Dreams are incredible. They can be so spontaneous and unpredictable while still being reassuring and clamming. Of course there is also a dark side to dreaming that can be terrifying and sleep destroying. I regularly have all types of dreams, both fantastical and down right petrifying, but I have come to love my dreams and have fond that having just a small understanding about what they could mean, has got a one way to reduce the stress of a nightmare and increase the enjoyment of the bizarre and silly ones. I have a dream dictionary. It was given to me as a present a long time ago and sat lonely and abandoned on my bookshelf for years. Until one day I realised that, through my exhausting and reoccurring zombie dreams (yes, you heard that right!), perhaps my brain was trying to tell me something! So out came the dream dictionary, and this is what I read: To dream that you are attacked by zombies indicates that you are feeling overwhelmed by forces beyond your control. You are under tremendous stress in your waking life. Well, at the time, it came as no surprise and I almost felt silly that I hadn't worked this out for my self! However, dreams can be so over whelming that it can be difficult to accept that they might not be as terrifying as they seem. For me it was almost instant. I stopped having zombie dreams and started focusing on how I could reduce the stress in my life. I have continued to use my dream dictionary since then and have found it has been almost always accurate. Although I wouldn't recommend analysing every dream you have, I do feel that it has been a fantastic way of sorting my regular run of the mill dreams from the ones that are trying to tell me something! It's important to remember that there are lots of different ways to interpret dreams, so don't dwell on what you read too much. If you can't relate move on, not all dream interpretations will be personal to you. You can find dream dictionaries in book form and on they web, there are even apps! Its a good idea to have a bit of a search before settling on which seems best for you. If you're stuck with where to start I recommend Dream moods that can also be downloaded as an app. The website provides a detailed dictionary and lots of information about common dreams and interpretations. It also has forums where you can share your own dreams and read about others experiences. the app is a bit different, but provides a dream journal that you can write or record audio. There are also many books you can buy if you'd prefer, most book stores will sell a range, so I'd recommend having a look at some first. Please don't suffer in silence if you are having recurring nightmares. See your doctor or a councillor if you feel you need further support or advice. Dreams can tell you a lot about your self and can be exciting and fulfilling. I'd love to hear your dream experiences, so feel free to share! Happy dreaming! Jeni Bee |
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