Photo by Anton Lammert on Unsplash
In the day 18 post, I offered some thoughts on crafting opening lines. While thinking about this again recently, I thought of an exercise that may help in the discovery process. If we take a few of the great examples of opening lines and plug in our story details to try them on for size, we may produce some instructive results.
So while I’m not ready to consider opening lines for my Wreck of the Ten Sail story idea, I will take a crack at possible opening lines based on the examples from the first post on this topic. First, I want to break down the elements of the examples I shared.
Here are those examples with the elements I’ve identified:
Action: “A dragon was trying to hide in the storm.” —Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland
The subject of the sentence is a type of individual (dragon), but they are not identified by name. Because I’m familiar with the story, I know that the dragon referenced who is trying to hide is not the protagonist.
The action shows that the individual is actively engaged in pursuing a specific goal. Note that hiding creates intrigue. We don’t know who or what the character us hiding from.
The weather is the context. The storm adds drama. It could help or hinder the character.
Character(s): “This story begins within the walls of a castle with the birth of a mouse. A small mouse. The last mouse born to his parents and the only one of his litter to be born alive.” —The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The work is explicitly identified as a story, and we’re directed toward its inception.
Though the overall focus is on a character, we’re given the location and an event in the first sentence. The character is the protagonist, though we don’t know that yet, and he’s unnamed.
The contrast of the castle and the mouse begins to emphasize the character’s size.
The second sentence provides a physical feature of the character. We would typically assume this is the most important physical characteristic.
A mouse is typically small, so this one must be extraordinarily so. The repetition of mouse emphasizes the character’s identity.
In the final sentence, we learn where he fits within his family. Because of the prior sentence’s setup, we can assume his parents will not be thrilled about his birth.
Story world: “In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.” —Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
In the first sentence, we learn the story’s setting and two unique facts that tells us the story is intended for someone unfamiliar with it.
The facts also convey that this is a fantasy story.
The rest of that first sentence tells us the way misfortune works in this world.
The second sentence uses second person point of view to elaborate on this truth. This is immediately helping us to put ourselves in the shoes of the protagonist who has not yet been introduced, but also establishes a conversational tone, as if the story is being spoken rather than written.
In another post, I’ll apply these elements to aspects of my Wreck of the Ten Sail idea.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.