Oh, I never seem to remember first lines or lines period. That is why I keep journals full of favorite quotes, typically culled from the books that I've read, occasionally TV shows and quite a few song lyrics. I am currently on volume five. Although, I do always recall the incomprehensibility of the opening of The Sound and the Fury, and, of course, the opening of Pride and Prejudice because who doesn't.
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you like? "The ghoul lady takes out her white linen handkerchief and uses one corner to dab at her watering left eye. It's an old wound, a relic of her spent and reckless youth, but it still bothers her sometimes, especially when the weather Above is wet." -- Daughter of Hounds, Caitlin R. Kiernan
It's actually that first paragraph that I love. I love the how it layers imagery, building this picture and atmosphere.
"Once upon a time, in a kingdom now swallowed by the earth, there lived a beautiful princess.
…
Two vampires walk out of an apocalypse.
…
This is not a story, because it has no beginning." -- All Ways, kita0610
"There she is, at this convergence of realities, her face reflected back at her, lit red, by the control panel. Her eyes are stars, there, big and dark, cold and dying black dwarves. She ignores they way they say to her, "You've torn everything apart." - Pretend it Means Fate, Ellen Milholand
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you remember off the top of your head? "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife". Right off the top of my head, always. It's the only thing that I probably remember the actual words of and not just the general idea.
What's your favorite first line you've written? That is damn near impossible to answer because first lines are my favorites and don't change all that much when I start writing. That said:
"Between dreams of Thanksgiving and Cordelia, the blood of his son on his lips and the snap of precious bones beneath his hands, Angel dreams of curious girls with sea-kelp tangled in their hair and large, seal-black eyes, shiny and round.">When in Dreams I See Her
What's the first line you've spent the most time on? I spend almost no time on first lines. They're usually the one thing that I'm pretty sure of. However! The Light Before We Land, recently revised back to its original working title (One Thousand Kisses Deep) was worked and worked and re-worked numerous times, possibly to the detriment of the fic as a whole which was shaky to begin with: "The Sunnydale Quake of '03 was a blip on the map next to the sight of dragons over the steel and concrete L.A jungle."
What's your least favorite first line you've written? "Wendy huddles into the warmth of Hook’s embrace, mesmerized by the rumbling bass of his voice and the bewildered tattoo of his heart beating frantically against her back." -- The Seduction of Wendy Darling: a tragedy in three parts Just never liked the line.
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What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you like?
"The ghoul lady takes out her white linen handkerchief and uses one corner to dab at her watering left eye. It's an old wound, a relic of her spent and reckless youth, but it still bothers her sometimes, especially when the weather Above is wet." -- Daughter of Hounds, Caitlin R. Kiernan
It's actually that first paragraph that I love. I love the how it layers imagery, building this picture and atmosphere.
"Once upon a time, in a kingdom now swallowed by the earth, there lived a beautiful princess.
…
Two vampires walk out of an apocalypse.
…
This is not a story, because it has no beginning." -- All Ways,
"There she is, at this convergence of realities, her face reflected back at her, lit red, by the control panel. Her eyes are stars, there, big and dark, cold and dying black dwarves. She ignores they way they say to her, "You've torn everything apart." - Pretend it Means Fate, Ellen Milholand
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you remember off the top of your head?
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife". Right off the top of my head, always. It's the only thing that I probably remember the actual words of and not just the general idea.
What's your favorite first line you've written?
That is damn near impossible to answer because first lines are my favorites and don't change all that much when I start writing. That said:
"Between dreams of Thanksgiving and Cordelia, the blood of his son on his lips and the snap of precious bones beneath his hands, Angel dreams of curious girls with sea-kelp tangled in their hair and large, seal-black eyes, shiny and round.">When in Dreams I See Her
What's the first line you've spent the most time on?
I spend almost no time on first lines. They're usually the one thing that I'm pretty sure of. However! The Light Before We Land, recently revised back to its original working title (One Thousand Kisses Deep) was worked and worked and re-worked numerous times, possibly to the detriment of the fic as a whole which was shaky to begin with: "The Sunnydale Quake of '03 was a blip on the map next to the sight of dragons over the steel and concrete L.A jungle."
What's your least favorite first line you've written?
"Wendy huddles into the warmth of Hook’s embrace, mesmerized by the rumbling bass of his voice and the bewildered tattoo of his heart beating frantically against her back." -- The Seduction of Wendy Darling: a tragedy in three parts Just never liked the line.