I spoke about my meeting with an editor a while back. During which time, I mentioned the word massaging. Massaging is a nice word for rewrite. I no longer need to read my novel, as I now have the ability to recite it verbatim. What I can’t seem to master is the first page. Note to all struggling writers: Start writing mid-story, start at the end, start on the second page, but in the name of all that is sane—do not start at the beginning. The beginning carries the added pressure of grabbing the reader’s attention. Whether you purchase your books at a book store, online, or download them, chances are you read the first page first. An agent once told me that she knows by reading the first sentence if she’s going to take a book deal or not. This isn’t to say all you need is one famous line and the rest of the book can be useless junk, it just means the first page has to be attention grabbing—intriguing. Simply put, it means PRESSURE. Below are some first line examples of books I have had the pleasure of reading:
“Please tell me that’s not going to be part of my birthday dinner this evening.”
—Bray
If truth was a color and it was up to me to put a wrapper around it and name its color, I know just what I would call it—dinosaur skin.
—Weeks
I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles.
—Black
A Word From Your Sponsor: This book begins with a plane crash.
“Are you alright?”
—Bray
“And finally,” Jamie said as he pushed open the door, “we come to the main event. Your room.”
—Dessen
December 9, 2005, 12:55 p.m.
Janie Hannagan’s math book slips from her fingers.
—McMann
How to Read This Book
If you’re reading this sentence then you’ve pretty much got it.
—Martin
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
—Rowling
Around midnight, her eyes at last took shape.
—Kate
Eleven years later, somewhere out in the dark, a siren starts wailing.
—Nelson
There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife. (Love it.)
—Gaiman
“Four-ball, side pocket.”
—Marr
It was the first day of school, which meant it was my last chance to escape.
—Gray
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker.
—Cast
Nothing is more crucial to our concept of faith than a proper understanding of the nature of God.
—Finney
Alas, I return to page one.
Christmas Baking
Posted byWhen I think of Christmas baking, I do not picture slobbering children hovering over a bowl of raw dough in anticipation of licking the spoon. I do not picture a child sucking the icing off each individual finger while decorating gingerbread men. I do not picture cookies downloaded from Pintrest to turn out looking like women’s breasts. I do not picture these things, yet sadly, they happen.
Exhibit A
I'm just saying.
Merry late Christmas to all!
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