Many books start out with action.  That is an alright start, but not my favorite kind.  It doesn't really draw you in, you don't really care why the character is doing that, and so, you loose interest... fast.

No, I prefer openings like, well, for instance, the beginning of Moby-Dick: "Call me Ishmael"

But, for me that isn't quite my favorite type, possibly more like this:  "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit.  Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."


Most of you would know where that comes from, if you don't, if comes from the very beginning of the Hobbit book.


I like both beginnings, but something isn't quite there.  Both of them are intriguing, however, they do not stir up suspicion in you mind.  That, for me, is one thing I really like to have in a first sentence.


Obviously, there is no "perfect" sentence, but there are certain sentences that fit better than others.  Some wouldn't ever work for a fantasy novel, but then they might be one of the best for a historical-fiction, who knows?


It's hard to incorporate mystery and intruige into your first sentence, one thing that is even harder though, is once you have put in both of those things, you still need to fit one key point into it is theme.


Theme is easy by itself.  After all, it's just the main point of your novel (writing, or story) so it's just communicating it.  But what I find hard about it, is that once you have already created the other two parts, you still need to add in your theme.  For somethings, it's actually quite easy... however, for others, it's a grueling task.


To be conti-


Näkemiin!  (That means Goodbye! in Finnish) 

The Kid Tekijä.(That means The Kid Author in Finnish)
10/8/2012 06:31:20 am

Lol. "To be co-"

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