Sunday, January 3, 2010

First Lines

First lines are more than just important. They are vital to the overall success of the book because that one little line is responsible for drawing the reader into the story and hopefully, enticing the reader to keep turning the page. The first line in Once Bitten was: I met my vampire lover on Wednesday. As first lines go, I really liked it. The tone was casual and direct. I wanted to know the circumstances that led up to the introduction between characters.

What draws you into a book? Does the first line have a big impact on you as a reader? What tone did you derive from the first line in Once Bitten? Was that tone consistent with the rest of the book?

5 comments:

CrazyStar180 said...

I think that the first line drew me in but then became very disappointed in the rest of the writing it was a good story and i liked the plot and everything but there was so much more that could be written or described to help lead me through the story. I guess I felt like there could of been more to the writing aspect of it other then that its a very good book.
The first line gave me the tone that it was going to be like a personal account of everything that's going on in the story. I am an artsy person and just think I want a little more picture in my head.
I think the author should keep writing and develop her style more.

Cyd said...

My in person book club loved the 1st line, they said they were intrigued to read more.

Anonymous said...

Intrigued. That's a good word to use. I want the first line, or at least the first paragraph, to really draw me in. If that part is lacking then I am not as tempted to keep reading.

What in person book club do you have?

Jen D. said...

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year. Wishing you nothing but the best in 2010. Moving on to the discussion questions....

Reading a line I wasn't expecting draws me into a book. If I was a cat curiousity would have killed me more than once.

Unfortunately, the first line of this book didn't have a big impact on me. The second line pulled me in way more. 'I almost missed my destiny that day by oversleeping, ...'. That's the kind of line that makes me want to find out what destiny she's referring to. I hate to say it but, 'I met my vampire lover on Wednesday' is a little generic.

The tone of the first line sets up the book to be a romancey type story with a hint of danger and that's pretty much what it was.

Anonymous said...

Jen D- I think you may be right. The second line is definitely the more mysterious of the two which plays nicely into the story. I hadn't thought of it before.

Hope 2010 is all you wish for! Glad you stopped by:)