CRAFT: How good is your opening line? (part 1)

No, I'm not talking about a pick up line for a date but the opening line of your latest work in progress.

When I realise my WIP has a sucky start, and I get stuck trying to create one, I like to head for my bookshelves and explore. Analysing what other authors have written can sometimes trigger my own creativeness or give me one of those infamous "lightbulb" moments.

But what makes a good opening line? The way I see it you need to ask yourself these three things...

1. Do the words chosen by the author catch your attention?
2. Does the sentence raise a heap of questions you want answered?
3. Is there any implied conflict in the information given?

If you're like me you need some practical examples so let's look at an opening sentence from one of my favourite authors.

Julie Stanford took a deep breath before shoving aside the curtain to walk into the massage room where Nathan was laid out in all his glorious, naked splendor.
(SWEET SEDUCTION by Maya Banks)

Do the words chosen by the author catch your attention?
What words jumped out at you as your read this? For me they were - deep breath, shoving, massage, glorious naked splendor. Why? I'm going to make a list.

• deep breath - this is sensory and implies nervousness or bracing oneself for something
• shoving - a strong verb
• massage - my curiousity is pique
• glorious naked splendor - adjective, adjective, noun

Does the sentence raise a heap of questions you want answered? Absolutely.

• Why is Julie Stanford feeling nervous or feel the need to steel herself?
• Who is Nathan to Julie?
• Do they share a past history?
• Why is Nathan naked and not covered with a towel or pants?
• What sort of massage parlor is this? 

These are enough to draw me on.

Is there any implied conflict in the information given?
You betcha. Just look at the questions I just asked. There's a possible shared history between Julie and Nathan, or something that makes her nervous or apprehensive about this meeting.
Despite her trepidation she's attracted to Nathan when she describes him as being "...in all his glorious, naked splendor." If he'd been butt ugly or repulsive there's no way she'd have used these words to describe that.

So, this meets my criteria for a good opening sentence. It hooks me into wanting to read more.


We'll continue looking at more examples of good opening lines next post.

What are you reading and enjoying?

Sometimes we forget in the busyness of life to take time for ourselves and do something we enjoy. I love getting out and spending time in my garden, creating patchwork (not that I've done a lot of that lately) and curling up with a good book.

There are times I get so busy I don't read for weeks. It's only when the stress levels get to unmanageable that I realise I've ignored my need for down-time. I've become to tangled up in "everything else". That's when I make an effort to pick up a book from my To Be Read pile and spend a few hours escaping.

So, have you been taking time out to read for pleasure? And if not, why not?

And continuing in the spirit of my October Blog Anniversary month, a free give-away* will go to one commenter (local or international) who can tell me about a book you've recently read and why you enjoyed it.

Just a couple of sentences, it doesn't have to be an essay. Was it the character/s you identified with, the excitement of the plot, the interesting setting, a favourite theme running through the book? Leave a comment along these lines by midnight (Aussie EST) 16th October, and you'll go into the draw!

*Give-away prize is an autographed copy of COLTER'S WOMAN by Maya Banks.

!!! Don't forget to leave a contact email address or check back in on the day I announce the winner! If you haven't claimed the prize in 48hrs I'll draw another name from my coffee cup.