tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post5544532370175198250..comments2024-03-26T15:49:05.333-07:00Comments on Criminal Minds: It Was the Best of Lines, It Was the Worst of LinesJosh Stallingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09913654176433125233noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-10267453716589011022019-08-25T06:30:53.513-07:002019-08-25T06:30:53.513-07:00Good points, Diamond Dog.Good points, Diamond Dog.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-63572266815970812862019-08-25T03:46:20.977-07:002019-08-25T03:46:20.977-07:00A good opening is like a catchy song. You need a h...A good opening is like a catchy song. You need a hook and you need to keep the reader there, wanting the chorus to come.diamond_doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973898287446131840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-48992506962975013582019-08-24T18:51:06.439-07:002019-08-24T18:51:06.439-07:00Thank you, JJ.Thank you, JJ.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-32034238376955300222019-08-24T17:56:25.284-07:002019-08-24T17:56:25.284-07:00Terrific post.Terrific post.JJSticknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-77310334016681278122019-08-24T15:34:10.085-07:002019-08-24T15:34:10.085-07:00Thanks, Susan. I agree that a good opening line c...Thanks, Susan. I agree that a good opening line can sweep you into the book, and if the writer keeps it going for a page or two they've hooked me.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-1064682070335569412019-08-24T07:41:49.160-07:002019-08-24T07:41:49.160-07:00I really like posts about opening lines because th...I really like posts about opening lines because they're so hard to write but so important for the story and the reader. A good opening line sweeps me into a book, and if the writer sustains it for a page, I'll stay with her or him through the book. I also appreciated the variety in your choices. Good post.Susan Oleksiwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-16808675546199670562019-08-24T06:32:38.562-07:002019-08-24T06:32:38.562-07:00Thanks, Jake. And thanks for your opening, too.Thanks, Jake. And thanks for your opening, too.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-5344942667692762582019-08-23T19:16:24.930-07:002019-08-23T19:16:24.930-07:00Great article, Paul. Fun AND informative.
Here&#...Great article, Paul. Fun AND informative.<br /><br />Here's the opening lines from an 1100-word satiric story I wrote probably two decades ago, entitled A Politically Correct Medieval Fable<br /><br /><br />'Twas an illumination-challenged and stormy night.<br />'Twas raining Feline-Americans and Canine-Americans.<br />'Twas a night out in which no human personage of any gender nor non-human Americans should be.<br />('Twas also a night in a time when way too many human personages of any gender said "'Twas" and other intellectually-challenged [and yet idiomatically appropriate to the community standards of the time, and, of course, not to imply that there's anything wrong or demeaning or disrespectful in the term "intellectually-challenged"] things like that.)jake devlinhttp://jakedevlin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-3180540323858230902019-08-23T17:58:58.902-07:002019-08-23T17:58:58.902-07:00Thanks, Ellen. I like Nightmare Alley a lot, but y...Thanks, Ellen. I like Nightmare Alley a lot, but you really are obsessed, aren't you ;) ? It's a great book. What do you like so much about it? And thank you for your comment on my opening lines.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-13275945175447442852019-08-23T17:51:01.309-07:002019-08-23T17:51:01.309-07:00OMG, I can't believe you quoted "Nightmar...OMG, I can't believe you quoted "Nightmare Alley." I'm obsessed with that book. I have a first edition I've been carrying around for years.<br /><br />And LOVE your opening lines.Ellen Byronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03491931917758692660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-13067043004726068722019-08-23T16:28:36.279-07:002019-08-23T16:28:36.279-07:00Thanks, Maggie. And I love that G. Roberts opening...Thanks, Maggie. And I love that G. Roberts opening. I hadn’t read it, but it’s hilarious and fun (if those aren’t the same things).Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-51233854285170403422019-08-23T16:28:18.159-07:002019-08-23T16:28:18.159-07:00Thanks, Larry. Can’t beat Chandler. And thanks for...Thanks, Larry. Can’t beat Chandler. And thanks for your comment on White Heat.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-43351708490867479452019-08-23T16:27:52.577-07:002019-08-23T16:27:52.577-07:00Thanks, Dietrich. I think sometimes we get bogged ...Thanks, Dietrich. I think sometimes we get bogged down in some guru’s advice and feel like we have to follow it completely. But, while a good opening line is a good thing I think we should give a book a little more time than that.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-32426177763973808082019-08-23T16:27:32.696-07:002019-08-23T16:27:32.696-07:00Thanks, Gayle. And I agree re: older classics. The...Thanks, Gayle. And I agree re: older classics. They tend to wind up a lot slower, but often are still worth the ride.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-30430245994442357052019-08-23T16:27:10.006-07:002019-08-23T16:27:10.006-07:00Thanks, Terry. I like your opening. And that’s rea...Thanks, Terry. I like your opening. And that’s really the way it is, isn’t it?Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-3438018142882616142019-08-23T15:32:21.873-07:002019-08-23T15:32:21.873-07:00Great post! Here’s a favorite of mine from With Fr...Great post! Here’s a favorite of mine from With Friends Like These, by Gillian Roberts:<br /><br />It was a dark and stormy night. Honestly. Earlier, it had been a dim and stormy day. Demonstrating no originality, March had indeed come in like a lion---a wet, angry one who blew ill winds every which way.<br /><br />And here I was, not home cuddling by the fire with whatever was available---a man, a cat, a book---but driving in the rain with my mother, wearing my sisters’ panty hose and fulfilling social obligations that were not mine.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-44571430497060050082019-08-23T14:11:15.303-07:002019-08-23T14:11:15.303-07:00Excellent post, Paul. Chandler’s great openings al...Excellent post, Paul. Chandler’s great openings always fulfill their promise. Your White Heat opening is brutal, like repeated blows from a hammer. Good stuff.Lawrence Maddoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057386966178865691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-41522562091518245412019-08-23T10:12:12.927-07:002019-08-23T10:12:12.927-07:00I agree, Paul, a good opening line isn't the o...I agree, Paul, a good opening line isn't the only thing needed, but it's the hook. And from there you need a consistent and well-told story to go with it. Dietrich Kalteishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-35963789417444863852019-08-23T07:40:45.237-07:002019-08-23T07:40:45.237-07:00I always like an opening that either sets the stag...I always like an opening that either sets the stage or introduces the main character so I can see if I want to go along for the ride. Older classics might not always do that, but their reputation as a book you really should read compels me to keep reading. But most older books do grab my interest. I can't say that for many new authors. So your point about a grabber being something writers should consider in their work is really a good thought. Another great post, Paul.GBPoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190573764848658894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-9546046756282723122019-08-23T06:59:33.930-07:002019-08-23T06:59:33.930-07:00Great post. Has me thinking about opening lines. H...Great post. Has me thinking about opening lines. Here's the working opening lines of my current WIP:<br /><br />Wendy Gleason and I have been keeping company for nine months, so I suppose it’s high time for our first big argument. If it weren’t over something so silly, it would have been worth it. But the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally?Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478393430722574447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-37915212205577108272019-08-23T04:41:08.154-07:002019-08-23T04:41:08.154-07:00Thanks, Jacqueline. I think it is harder these day...Thanks, Jacqueline. I think it is harder these days with people's shorter attention spans. And I'm glad you enjoyed it and especially my openings :-) .Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-89761017369531729882019-08-23T03:38:54.272-07:002019-08-23T03:38:54.272-07:00Paul,
Excellent blog! You provide so many fine ex...Paul,<br /><br />Excellent blog! You provide so many fine examples of opening sentences, paragraphs and narrative hooks. These days in particular with short attention spans of readers, we need to intrigue the reader's attention immediately. Not easy to do but necessary. I really like your openings. Jacqueline Seewaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com