Many thanks to the authors who blog together at The Outfit.
During the summer, Libby Hellman, Michael Allen Dymmoch, Kevin Guilfoile and Marcus Sakey conducted crime writing workshops for teenagers and adults in a program sponsored by the Chicago Public Library.
Among the many topics the authors discussed were the importance of opening lines.
Anyone who writes or reads — and that would be all of us, right? — knows the importance of opening lines to engage the reader, the keep the reader and to motivate the reader.
Likewise, this opening line does the same thing for author, making them engage with the plot and characters, keeping them in the story and motivating them to find out what’s going to happen with their creations.
In her blog, Libby says that she ”often can’t start writing a new book until I have the first line. I may change it later, when a better line materializes, but that first line is critical – if it’s good, it gives the reader — and me — an indication of the pace… setting… and mood of the story.”
(By the way, the other authors who blog at The Outfit include Laura Caldwell, Sean Chercover, David Ellis, David Heinzmann, Barbara D’Amato, and Sara Paretsky.)
In her blog, Libby talks more about the importance of first lines.
And she very kindly included some opening lines that grabbed her. No, that famous one by James Crumley isn’t there — but we all know that one. (If you want a refresher, just look at some of my previous blogs.)
Meanwhile, here’s a few that Libby posted that made me smile, remember and motivated me:
“I was trapped in a house with a lawyer, a bare-breasted woman, and a dead man. The rattlesnake in the paper sack only complicated matters.”
Fat Tuesday, by Earl Emerson
“My bodyguard was mowing the yard wearing her pink bikini when the man fell from the sky.”
Dead Over Heels, by Charlaine Harris
“The man with ten minutes to live was laughing.”
The Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth
“Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them.”
Before The Fact, by Francis Iles (basis for Hitchcock’s Suspicion)
“For a week, the feeling had been with him, and all week long young Paul LeBeau had been afraid.”
Iron Lake, William Kent Krueger
What’s your favorite first line?
Photo: Libby Hellman photo by Jason Creps
HOLIDAY ISSUE #107
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008Hi everyone,
Once again we’ve searched high and low for items for the annual Mystery Scene Gift Guide. In fact, Kevin Burton Smith found so many great gifts that we couldn’t fit them all in. You’ll see a couple of ideas on this page and there will be even more on our blog in the coming weeks. Feel free to post suggestions! And we’d love to hear your thoughts on the first ever color section in Mystery Scene.
Left: Dust jackets are at the intersection of the literary and visual arts and Diane Plumley’s engaging jewelry proclaims your love of both. Prices range from $10.00-18.00 for pins, necklaces, earrings, and tie tacks. Visit picture-perfect-designs.com to see more offerings.
Reading the financial news these days is more horrifying than anything Stephen King ever dreamed up. Don’t you wish that someone as competent as John Putnam Thatcher of the Sloan Guaranty Trust were in charge? Jim Huang is a long-time fan of Thatcher’s creator, Emma Lathen, and in his timely article, “Right on the Money,” makes a convincing case that you should be, too.
As the hometown of our next president, Chicago is also in the news. Sean Chercover gives a rousing tour of “the ultimate insider town” in his well-reviewed sophomore effort, Trigger City. In this issue, he talks to Oline Cogdill about writing, politics, and his ongoing love affair with the Windy City.
After you read the news, you’ll need some cheering up. May we recommend Donna Andrews? Her funny, sweet-tempered mysteries are just the thing to get you back on the sunny side of the street.
It’s not only criminals who are crafty these days. “The Arts & Crafts of Crime” takes a look at a variety of sleuths who interrupt their knitting, pot-throwing, doll-making, home-canning, and quilting to catch bad guys.
Brian’s hands-down favorite article this issue is “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered,” Scott Ratner’s look at puzzle mystery films from the 1930s. Also in this issue, we’ll look at the intriguing Baroness Orczy of Scarlet Pimpernel fame, check in on Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan who is crossing boundaries yet again, and find out what happened to Erle Stanley Gardner’s missing “Fiction Factory.”
This coming March, Brian and I will be travelling to Left Coast Crime, our first ever trip to this conference as well as to Hawaii. (Hmm, coincidence? I think not.) Mystery Scene is sponsoring a “Meet the New Authors” Breakfast and a “History of Mystery” lecture showcasing fantastic art from the Mystery Scene archives. Hope to see some of you there!
Best wishes from all of us for a happy, healthy, and highly entertaining New Year.
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief
Posted in Announcements, Commentary, David Morrell, Donna Andrews, Emma Lathen, Erle Stanley Gardner, Gift Guide, Laura Lippman, Scarlet Pimpernel, Sean Chercover | 3 Comments »