Skip to main content

Best First Lines in Novels.

In a post dated 9th May 2006 on John Ling's site, he writes:
Most people ignore the power of that first sentence. It can kick things off and set a mood. And the best way to learn how to write one is to study the openings of some classic novels... (more on his site)
How true. One of my favourite things to do when I'm in a bookstore is to open a novel and read the opening line--to see whether the author can hook me into his or her story. If I find one that's really good, I make a mental note of it (and perhaps even buy the book in hand) so I can learn to write as good an opening line in my stories.

Check out the American Book Review's list of 100 Best First Lines in Novels. I don't agree with some of the inclusions but at least my favourite is listed:
30. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. —William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984)
But take note! It is usually advised (I think Elmore Leonard is a major proponent) that a story should not start with weather. Gibson got away with it because he was just good.

UPDATE:
Swifty shares with us the opposite of the spectrum: Worst opening lines in made-up novels.
Labels:

Comments

  1. peacenik9/5/06 6:49 pm

    Good stuff. I wish you well. Hope you write a best seller.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ted Mahsun9/5/06 6:53 pm

    Thanks! I'd have to finish it first! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Edmund Yeo9/5/06 9:25 pm

    For something entirely different, you can check out the worst opening lines for made-up novels. It's a contest of sorts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ted Mahsun10/5/06 12:06 am

    Ah, coolness! Thanks for the heads up, Swifty! I was vaguely aware of this before I think, because I seem to remember the winning entry of 2005.

    This could be a warning for what authors should stay away from... and should also elicit quite a few chuckles :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. KY10/5/06 10:31 am

    Gibson is excellent. Do you read Neal Stephenson too?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ted Mahsun10/5/06 10:42 am

    No, but I have heard a lot of good things about Snowcrash. Have been tempted to pick either that or Cryptonomicon in a bookstore before but I have to confess... the thickness of those book are a bit intimidating!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lesson: Commemorative Covers are Lame.

Well, I got the first day cover that commemorates the 35th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia that I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Except that it's not a first day cover, it's a commemorative cover, which is a slightly different beast. I guess I should read the news article properly next time! The difference between the two is that first day covers are specially-designed envelopes stuck on with specially-designed stamps, and marked with a specially-designed postmark. A commemorative cover is a specially-designed envelope... and that's it. All in all, it's an unremarkable affair, especially if you're used to well-designed first day covers (not that Malaysian first day covers are well-designed... but I digress). Oh sure, a commemorative cover has a stamp printed right on to it but that's just like an overglorified aerogramme. Lame. On the whole, what a disappointment. I haven't been collecting first day cover
5 comments
Read more

HOWTO: Get Rid of Silverfish

The bane of every book collecting person: the Silverfish. DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!! How to get rid of them? If one book has been infected, place it inside an air-tight plastic bag along with some silica gel desiccant. The silica gel is important to get rid of moisture, because you will now place the sealed plastic bag with the book in it inside the freezer. Leave it in there for a couple of days so that those bugs catch their death of cold. If you're feeling particularly paranoid, (like I usually am) feel free to leave the plastic bag in there for a week. If they're not dead, then you might likely have an infestation of zombie silverfish , which is out of the scope of this blogpost. But what if a whole colony of silverfish decided to invade your whole bookcase? Then you have to make sure you're ready for war. Place a generous amount of silica gel (or if you can find it, diatomaceous earth) behind your books at the back of the shelves so that moisture levels remain low.
23 comments
Read more

Send me to Clarion West! - My crowdfunding effort.

I just launched my crowdfunding page to help fund my Clarion West trip on GoGetFunding and I am nervous as heck. Anyway here's a link . Any help or support much appreciated even if it's just to share the link around. Thank you so much!
Post a Comment
Read more