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I want to talk about opening lines!
Whenever I think of first lines I think of Melanie in the Gone With The Wind movie. At one point she starts reading David Copperfield, and it goes something like this: "To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I am born."
That's actually the second line. The actual first line of David Copperfield is this: "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."
I bring this up because one of my actual favorite first lines is: "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probablywant 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." Which is from Catcher In The Rye. I quite like Catcher, but it is not my favorite book. But I do love this line, and remember very distinctly picking up the book in the bookstore and reading this line. This was my reaction:
1. I did not know you were allowed to start a book in that way!
2. He said crap!
3. Geez I really want to read this now.
4. Geez, I also really want to read David Copperfield.
. . . I was a conflicted child.
Anyway, here are some questions I thought up, because I'm interested in first lines, and want to know what first lines people think of when they think of first lines, and what first lines people like!
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you like?
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you remember off the top of your head?
What's your favorite first line you've written?
What's the first line you've spent the most time on?
What's your least favorite first line you've written?
Also, here is a first lines of English "classics" quiz!
There are more similar quizzes for other genres here. Which ones did you pick? How did you do?
Here's text to put in comments so you can answer more quickly:
That's actually the second line. The actual first line of David Copperfield is this: "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."
I bring this up because one of my actual favorite first lines is: "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probablywant 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." Which is from Catcher In The Rye. I quite like Catcher, but it is not my favorite book. But I do love this line, and remember very distinctly picking up the book in the bookstore and reading this line. This was my reaction:
1. I did not know you were allowed to start a book in that way!
2. He said crap!
3. Geez I really want to read this now.
4. Geez, I also really want to read David Copperfield.
. . . I was a conflicted child.
Anyway, here are some questions I thought up, because I'm interested in first lines, and want to know what first lines people think of when they think of first lines, and what first lines people like!
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you like?
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you remember off the top of your head?
What's your favorite first line you've written?
What's the first line you've spent the most time on?
What's your least favorite first line you've written?
Also, here is a first lines of English "classics" quiz!
There are more similar quizzes for other genres here. Which ones did you pick? How did you do?
Here's text to put in comments so you can answer more quickly:
re: first lines
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you like?
It was dolphin weather, when I sailed into Piraeus with my comrades of the Cretan bull ring. Mary Renault, The Bull From The Sea
It was the first time he had ever heard the clock strike ten at night. Mary Renault, The Charioteer - I am a total sucker for Renault's first lines.
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. J.K.Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - You knew that one was coming - it's an awesome first line!
Our house did not have a name until I was nearly five years old. Storm Constantine, The Bewitchments of Love and Hate.
What are some first lines to novels/stories/fanfic that you remember off the top of your head?
Call me Ishmael. Herman Melville, of course, Moby Dick.
Have you ever tasted a Whitstable oyster? Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
124 was spiteful. Toni Morrison, Beloved
What's your favorite first line you've written?
You can see it from afar. Summer of the Dragonfly
What's the first line you've spent the most time on?
An der unverwechselbaren Mütze mit dem Karomuster erkennt ihn heute jedes Kind. "Das Bild in der Kutsche" (published Holmes/Watson fic, only available in German ;-).) It doesn't show, but this one went through literally dozens of changes.
What's your least favorite first line you've written?
The sun was still on its way up behind the hills when Wils Longholes stepped out of the hole. Gardner in the Vineyard (LotR, Sam/Frodo, preslash) bOring ...