Beginnings

[Donna]

Nice!  Intriguing opening and you don't tell us the name of the book!   

The book sits on my nightstand, innocent in its trappings: a simple diary, encased in a simple cloth, the muted floral print stained and dirty. The small brass lock is jammed in the open position. The whole ensemble gives the impression of a child's diary, lost in the sandbox in school.
   It scares the hell out of me.

                 The mist comes and we dare not separate. That was how we lost Charles.

It's a story within a story, so both opening lines had to grab the reader.

[Mickey Finn]

It's not a book, it's the story I won the Fencon contest with

It used to be posted, but not any more...I need to get with Hastur and get it up, plus a few pics I've promised.

[Dayna Barter]

I think that a killer opening line can go a long way toward encouraging me to read the rest of the book, but what follows needs to be good as well.  I'll usually give a book the first chapter.  If it hasn't hooked me by then, I put it down.

Having said that, I do think that the killer first line is WAY more important to a first novel than it is to later books in a series or from an established author.  Good authors build up an account of "good author credit" with me.  I'll spot them a slower opening if I've already read several of their books and enjoyed them.  But for a freshman author, a boring first chapter is the kiss of death.

[Mickey Finn]

Strangely, I felt that way about Terry Pratchett. My first book of his was Mort, and I couldn't get past the first chapter.
Years later, I picked up Soul Music, and devoured every book of his I could find.

[Amber]

Grave Peril worked the second time I read it, but the first time, I kept feeling like I missed a book somewhere along the line, where Michael was introduced.

Grave Peril is the one book of Jim's where I just do NOT like the structure.  I don't like the whole flashing back and forth thing.  It bugs the hell out of me.  *grumble*

As for beginnings of books- the opening of Dead Beat has got to be one of my favorite openings EVER.  All the way up to the "for freaking caine" line.  It's ranked in my mind just slightly above flaming monkey poo.

[Ghoulfish]

For some reason the Dresdon files just flow - each sentence just draws you into the next.
That is what I look for in the beggining of a book (minus textbooks)




I'm sort of sad right now I started to write a story but I can't get it to flow.  no flow = no go 

[novium]

I am sort of odd...the first lines to things are not as important to me as the last. I have no problem trudging through a slow beginning. I may put it down for good if I get bored and I am still bored a few chapters in....but by that point,you can realize the characters are dull and that there's no spark. Which is different from just lacking a hook.

If I am wavering about a book- trying to decide whether to get it or whether to read (or keep reading) it...I'll often flip to the last page and see how it ends.  The last paragraph at the very most. (I'm sure there are many gasps of horror, now).  The truth is, if it's a book worth reading, the very very end won't reveal anything, or if it does, I'll have no context for it so it will be just as mysterious. If it's a book that ends in a cliffhanger, I know to wait until the next book is out to read it. Last lines leave a bigger impression on me. A book can have a fantastic beginning, but leave me with 'bad vibes' if it ends poorly. Or pointlessly depressing. Then I know to avoid it.

[Benchleyfan]

A great first line, paragraph, and/or chapter is wonderful, but the rest of the story has to follow through.  Jim's books consistently do this.  I thought maybe I missed a story at the beginning of Grave Peril as well, but it didn't take long to figure out, "Oh, we're joining a story already in progress". 

I have read some books (drawing a blank now) that the first few chapters were great and then somewhere in the middle it's as if the plot went out the window and the writer was just churning out so many pages to fulfill a contract.  It's like seeing a trailer of a movie thinking, "That will be so cool!  Can't wait till it comes out" then to discover while sitting through it-the trailer had a the best bits.  Know what I mean?

Anyway, thanks Jim for being a wonderful storyteller!    Shelley

[Paige]

How's this for an dual opening:

The book sits on my nightstand, innocent in its trappings: a simple diary, encased in a simple cloth, the muted floral print stained and dirty. The small brass lock is jammed in the open position. The whole ensemble gives the impression of a child's diary, lost in the sandbox in school.
   It scares the hell out of me.

                 The mist comes and we dare not separate. That was how we lost Charles.

It's a story within a story, so both opening lines had to grab the reader.

Wow, if the rest of the story is as good as that opening it's no wonder you won with it. 


As a writer I've been very aware of the importance of a killer opening line. A lot of editors and agents brag they can tell if a book is any good in the first 5 pages. (Some just wish they could/ or are fooling themselves ) But I've spoken to several editors who say if that first line doesn't grab them, the submission is pretty much toast. They might force themselves through the first few pages but for the most part they're either already turned on or off.

As a reader though, the cover is what makes me pick up an unknown author and/or title.
After the cover I read the back blurb. (I hate hate hate books that don't give blurbs...authors that are so popular the publisher assumes readers will buy whatever they put their name on...true in some cases, but still damn irritating. **cough**Nora**cough** Ahem.)
It's usually not until after I've liked the cover and liked the blurb that I read the first lines/pages to decide...and still I'm a hard sell.

That's just me.
~Paige

[harryismyhero]

If you haven't grabbed me within the first few pages, you rarely keep me. Because usually, if the writing starts poorly, it's going to be poor all the way to the end. On a few occasions I've kept reading, if it's an author I generally like, but even then, if the book hasn't gotten better after a few chapters, I'm very likely to put it down and never pick it up again. So yes, the beginning of a book needs to be grabs-you-in-a-choker-hold-and-doesn't-let-go good; otherwise, you'll likely be in serious trouble as a writer.

That's why I love the Dresden Files so much. They always start off with a bang.

Sometimes literally. 

[novium]

I sort of disagree. Not all books lacking a hook in the beginning are poorly written.  They can't all start with a flash and a bang. I've read several good books in which a careful, quiet, slow beginning was necessary to the book.... books in which it was artfully slow.

[harryismyhero]

This is why I shouldn't make grand generalizations. In my personal experience, I've found that most novels that lack that special something to grab your attention at the start tend to be lacking in other areas as well. It might be the writing, the characterization, the plot, all of the above, etc. Good writers, however, tend to know that the beginning is important to a story, and thus start a novel off right, simply because they are good writers. The beginning doesn't have to be bombs-exploding, ninjas-dueling epic or anything, but it needs to capture your imagination. That's what I mean when I say a book needs to "start off with a bang": it doesn't necessarily have to be an action-packed start; it just needs to have a hook of one kind or another--it has to be interesting.

The book sits on my nightstand, innocent in its trappings: a simple diary, encased in a simple cloth, the muted floral print stained and dirty. The small brass lock is jammed in the open position. The whole ensemble gives the impression of a child's diary, lost in the sandbox in school.
   It scares the hell out of me.

                 The mist comes and we dare not separate. That was how we lost Charles.

^This, right here, is exactly what I'm talking about. It's not a fight to the death or "a flash and a bang" kind of start, but this opening grabs your attention and makes you want to read more to find out what's going on. That's what I meant by an interesting opening. An opening can be both artful and still hook you like a fish. 

[Darrington]

In a day and age of short attention spans and eyes set for sparkly, flashy things, I can imagine books without strong openings one way or another would be hard pressed to do very well.  Of course, they'd have to have flashy cover art before any of that matters.  But there has to be some sort of intriguing element to open a book, whether it's all bombs-exploding or just "that's so weird I have to keep going."  I have a real problem with openings myself, wanting to make the perfect first impression and just trying too hard.  Some chapters I've written start out better than the book or story itself.  I suppose I should practice that, as those with short attention spans or who are a bit more discerning than the average person may not give me a second glance.

Anyway.  Now that I've accomplished adding absolutely no new points to the discussion, I shall take my leave for the moment.

[terroja]

I typically decide whether or not to buy a book based on its opening paragraph, but I've read good books with bad (or mediocre) openings. Sometimes the story needs to start slow.

If anyone cares, the current opening lines to my NIPP (Novel In Perpetual Progress) are:

Hammer-shaped warships tore across the throbbing crimson sky, louder than thunder.

Almost loud enough to drown out the screams.  

I like it because it establishes two things right off the bat.

1.) I'm a fan of overwrought adjective use and have no qualms whatsoever about being corny as hell.

2.) I'm willing to use incomplete sentences in a third-person narrative, goddammit! And I'm willing to use them right off the bat. 

 

[Danielle/Evie]

If anyone cares, the current opening lines to my NIPP (Novel In Perpetual Progress) are:

Hammer-shaped warships tore across the throbbing crimson sky, louder than thunder.

Almost loud enough to drown out the screams.  

 

I usually read a few pages in order to judge whether or not I'll give it a chance, but if the first few lines/paragraphs absolutely captivate me, it's likely the rest of the story will too.
Terroja- I am captivably curious! What's your NIPP (mines the same way) about?

(Okay, so captivably is probably invented by moi, but is it not an amazing word?)