In the Judeo-Christian tradition, my husband and I regard Sunday as a day of rest. We sleep until 7:00–if our dog allows–and drink coffee and confections while perusing the morning papers. Despite being retirees, this is the only leisurely morning in our week. Five days/week, we participate is exercise programs and Saturday is a day of chores.
My husband dives for the sports sections while I unabashedly begin with the funnies, then move on the the Calendar and book reviews. The headlines of top stories in the news section are attention-grabbing, often alliterative, and my eyes go there, and then he reads the rest, the newsy content. It’s largely a review of the news of the past week, augmented by opinion pieces.
One of my perpetual favorite comics is Willy ‘n Ethel. Willy is the archetype ‘born loser’ whose one-liners are often laugh-out-loud. However, a recent one stopped me in my writing tracks: “Murphy’s best years are behind him, like most astrophysicists and barflies.”
What an opening line! Don’t you want to know more, explore, and make sh*t up? Doesn’t that make you itch to write a story?
Like the flirtatious opening line, often called a pickup line, that starts a one-night stand or a relationship, an awesome first line of a story begins an author-reader relationship that extends to the end, proceeding to a positive review.
“The first time I saw her, she made me remember and she made me forget.” Matt Coyle. He’s a friend and says that he’s never topped that opening line of his first book, Another reliable resource for opening lines – especially those that set up a comedic scene – is my writer friend, Wendall Thomas. Here’s a laugh-launching example: “I just found a grape in my bra.”
Mid-story lines can capture one’s heart, too, and ring true, too.
This one, in particular, sparks me: “The secret, Alice, is to surround yourself with people who make your heart smile. It’s then, only then, that you’ll find Wonderland.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
What book – and its opening line – appeals most strongly to you, Constant Reader?
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