Writers write stories they want readers to read. This is certainly true for this writer. I sometimes say that a book takes two to truly come to life. The writer who spills the story out onto the pages and the reader who then invites those words into his or her imagination to experience that story. That’s not to say there isn’t pleasure in writing a story whether anyone other than the writer reads it, but we writers do like throwing the book out there to readers.
Soon I’ll be throwing out a new book for readers. An Appalachian Summer is almost ready to make its appearance on bookstore shelves, whether they are the brick and mortar kind of shelves or those electronic shelves. It’s due to release on June 29th but is available for pre-order at your favorite book sites.
I’m looking forward to readers opening up my book to give my story a try at capturing their imaginations. That’s what a book cover tries to do. The cover says look at me. Pick me up. And if that works, if the cover does entice a reader to pick it up, then the next thing most readers do is read the back cover copy. Those few words promise a little something about the story. Something like this will be on the back of An Appalachian Summer.
After the market crash of 1929 sent the country’s economy into a downward spiral that led to the Great Depression, the last thing Piper Danson wants is to flaunt her family’s fortune while so many suffer. Although she reluctantly agrees to a debut party at her parents’ insistence, she still craves a meaningful life over the emptiness of an advantageous marriage.
When an opportunity to volunteer with the Frontier Nursing Service arises, Piper jumps at the chance. But, her spontaneous jaunt turns into something unexpected when she falls in love with more than just the breathtaking Appalachian Mountains.
Romance and adventure are in the Kentucky mountain air as Gabhart weaves a story of a woman yearning for love but caught between two worlds—each promising something different.
So then if the reader has gotten that far with exploring this new book in her hand, she might open up the cover to look at the first lines of Chapter 1. This is where the author has the chance to truly invite the reader into the story with a few exactly right words. You can go online and find dozens of lists of famous first lines. Some are short. Some are long. Many of well known. But a great first line is something that all novel writers want to get right since a good first line makes the reader want to read the second line and on and on.
My hope for the first line of An Appalachian Summer (quoted above in the graphic) is that the reader will want to know more about this Piper Danson and not only why she’s smiling but also wonder why she doesn’t seem to be all that happy about smiling.
Sometimes I work a long time on first lines and perhaps change them several times. One story that I didn’t do that was my last Shaker book, The Refuge. I knew from the very beginning of writing that story what my first line would be. That line was partly the inspiration for writing the story. With that line I hoped readers would want to know more about my heroine and why she would think such a thing.
I enjoy exploring first lines of other books I read and I like to look back at some of mine to see if they worked for the story. Here’s my first line from Love Comes Home.
The news was good.
That one is so short and really doesn’t tell the reader a lot. But I had to hope the reader would be curious enough about what news that was to invest a bit more time and read the whole first two paragraphs.
The news was good. The news was wonderful. Kate Tanner grabbed her notebook and headed out of the newspaper building to join the people spilling out onto the Lexington, Kentucky streets. Tommy yelled that she could get a better view from the upstairs window, but she wasn’t worried about the best view. This wasn’t just the chance for another story. Her feet wanted to dance in the streets too.
The boys were coming home! Japan had surrendered. The bombs, the terrible bombs, had finished the fighting. The war was over.
I hope you have been invited into some of my stories through a first line that worked. As always, thanks for reading.
How important do you think a book’s first line is? Do you ever decide to read or decide not to read a book because of a good or a not so good first line?
Comments 7
I know if it is going to be good or not if i get to page 25 and i still don’t understand what is going on. I always read all of it though in case it gets better unless it is vulgar or sex then i toss it otherwise i read it . I have read comments from a lot of people that just read the first chapter and they are done if it doesn’t appeal to them. Or the first couple of pages also. I go a bit farther just in case.
I agree that first lines can really make a difference when reading a new book. You want to read more and more of the story.
Author
That’s what authors hope for sure, Linda. Some great first lines somehow set the mood for the whole story. I enjoy reading first lines and deciding if they work or not. But as one of the sites I looked at said, those last lines are important too.
Good first lines just drag me in, sure makes me want to read the rest of the book!
Author
As an author, I like to think about what makes a great first line. Sometimes it’s hard to know what will invite a reader in. The experts say not to lead off with information about the weather, but then Madeleine L’Engle in The Wrinkle of Time used the first line that has been something of a joke for years. “It was a dark and stormy night.” And it worked for her book. That’s the thing. Different things work for different stories.
When I choose a book or a new author, I usually read the first paragraph to see if it grabs me. If it doesn’t, it stays on my “maybe later” shelf. And when I find a new author that’s written at least 2 books that have pulled me into the story, then I read everything they’ve written.
I love this first line from An Appalachian Summer, and I’m eagerly awaiting reading it. Appalachian settings are my current favorite books.
Ohhh, and that first line from The Refuge? It grabbed me and I finished the book in a weekend! 🙂
Author
Some first lines do a better job of grabbing a reader than others, Lavon. Glad my first line in The Refuge worked, especially since that line had played around in my head for months. I’m also glad to see that you give a new author’s book at least one paragraph instead of only the first line. I do hope my first line of An Appalachian Summer will make readers want to know more about Piper.