1 Marley was dead, to begin with. A Christmas
Carol Charles Dickens
2 “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,”
grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. Little Women Louisa May Alcott
3 All children, except one, grow up. Peter Pan J M Barrie
4 Once there were four children whose names were Peter,
Susan, Edmund and Lucy. The Lion the Witch and the
Wardrobe C
S Lewis
5 A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson
6 They were not railway children to begin with. The Railway
Children E
Nesbit
7 In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. The Hobbit J R R
Tolkein
8 Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their
names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter
9 I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. I Capture the
Castle Dodie
Smith
10 Matilda told such dreadful lies/ they made one gasp and
stretch ones eyes. Matilda Hilaire Belloc
And now for the Not-so-famous first lines. At least, we all hope that some of ours may
eventually become famous, but in order for any to be that quotable, they need
to EITHER have been around for some time OR be so memorable that they stick in
the mind instantly.
Because, inevitably, writing this quiz made me think about
writing the first lines of my own books.
Even if, or maybe especially if, it’s a little book for early readers, the
first line is so important – not only must it grab the reader right away, it may
also be used to introduce the main character, or the setting, or the weather,
as well as, if possible, setting the the tone of the whole book. Sometimes this seems an impossible task - which may be why I often end up writing and rewriting the opening many times before
I’m happy with it. And even then I might
go back and change it a few more times before I send it off.
Somehow last lines are different. For one thing, you’ve usually finished
writing the book by the time you get to it, so you know exactly what’s going on
and how the story ends. In fact I often find I’ve written the last
line without realising that was what it was until I’ve written it. Then I think, “That’s it! I’ll finish there!”
And I think I’ll finish this blog there, too!
1 comment:
Thanks, Lynne, for the first lines. A neat way to end your post too!
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