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Rated: E · Other · Writing · #1467271
How do I begin a story? Or end it for that matter?
How can I begin a story?
With the usual ‘ She sighed and closed the door’? , or ‘Leaning out of the window, John saw it was about to rain’?
It seems so banal, so predictable.
Or maybe I should begin with a friendly introduction of my hero.
‘This is Sam’, or better yet, in the first person: ‘ Hello, my name is Sam’
Or perhaps I could start with an explosive ‘Shut up!’ she yelled.’ Or even ‘Bang! The door was slammed shut with the force that only an angry teenager can muster up’.
What do you think?
Because for me the first line is the most important. It has to grab your attention, but not in a grabby way. More in a subtle, discreet way. I need to interest myself in the story with my first line. If I’m not all that bothered about it, then odds are that neither is my reader.
Then again, there are those first lines that lull you into a false sense of security. Like ‘ Jessica closed her eyes and counted to ten. Mondays were always the worst, her boss was unfailingly in terrible humour’. And here the reader thinks ‘ok, let’s see what’ll happen’. Then it turns out that Jessica has just shot her boss four times in the chest and is leaning against the mirror in the employee’s bathroom with her eyes closed, washing the blood off her new trouser suit. I like those ones, although sometimes I get snared by first liners that look like they’re about to lead to an instant key moment and then, as I read on, I slowly realise that nothing’s going to happen just yet. Jessica inevitably swallows her rage, thinks of last night’s sex marathon with the love of her life (who will turn out to be an utter bastard by the way) and sits back down at her computer. Then it’s up to me to decide if Jessica is interesting enough to continue or not.
And don’t even get me started on the last line. That’s even trickier to get right. I have no idea how to end even this short piece for instance! I have no idea how to end even this short piece for instance!
© Copyright 2008 R.J. Louis (beccajane at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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