First Lines

https://bookswelove.net/martin-paula/

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

A modern editor would probably use a red pen on Jane Austen’s first two paragraphs, both of which are author statements. He/she might say the story should begin at the third paragraph – or maybe even later in the conversation between Mrs. Bennet and her husband. Thus we would lose one of the most quoted ‘first lines’ of any novel.

I’ve sometimes wondered about the emphasis that the ‘advice givers’ put on the first lines of a story. The first line, ‘they’ say, must hook the reader, but is that true? Do readers really get pulled in by the first line of a story? Do they decide whether to buy or not to buy based on the opening sentence or paragraph?

It seems to me that this advice is based on an image of someone standing in a bookstore and picking up a book. In that scenario, the cover, the back cover blurb, and the first few lines of a book are probably the most important ‘hooks’ for a reader.

However, in this digital age and with Amazon’s facility of ‘click to look inside’ i.e. a sneak peek at the first few pages of a novel, the reader is sitting at a computer or using a laptop or tablet. They have more time – and therefore, in all probability, will read more than the average person standing in a bookstore.

I’ve done this many times before downloading books to my Kindle, and have usually read far more than the first sentence or even the first page (unless that happens to be riddled with grammatical errors or typos etc). Therefore I’d hazard a guess that the majority of readers with e-readers will make their decision based on part or even the whole of the Amazon excerpt, and not just the first line or paragraph.

Therefore, instead of agonising over our first lines, perhaps we should be thinking more about whether our first few pages will hook our potential readers into downloading our books. Those pages should pull them in somehow and stimulate their interest and curiosity about the story. It’s been said that a character doesn’t come to life for the reader until he/she speaks, so a conversation of some kind on the first page can be a good way of attracting a reader.

In my experience, as a reader rather than a writer, any long introspection or back story at the start of a novel is a big turn-off. Neither should the first page contain a lengthy description of a place. A couple of well-chosen sentences can be equally effective.

Finally, while it’s not essential for the main protagonists to meet on the first page or even for some kind of ‘conflict’ to be introduced immediately, it’s probably better to introduce some kind of surprise (pleasant or otherwise) or an unexpected event for the main protagonist in the first couple of pages.

I’d be interested in your thoughts about the first few pages of a novel – what attracts you and what puts you off?

Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulamartinromances

Link to my Amazon author page:  author.to/PMamazon

Virtual Writing Conferences VS Physical Writing Conferences by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

In the time of virtual everything because of Covid, I took part in my first virtual writing conference last year. I was both a panelist and in the audience for some sessions. I have attended physical writing conferences in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton and there is a definite difference between the two. In my opinion each has its own pros and cons.

     There is a lot of coordinating and cost for the organizers of the physical conference. They have to find a venue usually a hotel with boardrooms. This allows the panelists and attendees to book a room and stay close to the conference. There are usually guests of honour who have to be paid. Besides monetary costs it takes a lot of time to figure out the panels: subjects, panelists, and the timing of sessions to accommodate writers or editors publishers who are on more than one panel. They also have to recruit volunteers to look after the rooms. These volunteers make sure the moderator runs on schedule, the audience clears out in time for the next one, and there are fresh glasses and jugs of water for each new session.

     There are also costs for the panelists and audience members of the physical conference. If they don’t live in the city where the conference is being held they have to travel which entails gas, hotel, and meals or plane tickets and car rental plus hotel and meals. If a presenter wants to be in the audience of any of the sessions they have to pay the registration fee just like everyone else. There is the also the extra cost of a banquet ticket if one is planned.

     I lived on Vancouver Island at the time and in order to attend any physical conference off the island I had to drive 1.5 hours to the ferry, and to make sure I get on it I have to be there about an hour early or pay for a reservation. Then it is almost two hours ferry travel to Vancouver. So that is four hours. If I am going to Calgary or Edmonton, it is another day’s drive. I could fly which is quicker but I would still have to pay for the ticket and to rent a vehicle to get around once there.

     Like the physical conference it would have taken a lot of time to plan the arrangement of the panels and panelists of the virtual conference. Monetary costs were probably low because there was no venue, no banquet, and no guests of honour.

     It cost me, and everyone else who took part, nothing to attend the virtual conference either as a panelist or an audience member. I had no plane ticket or vehicle gas and parking to pay for, no hotel room to book, and no new clothes.

     The length of the physical conference has to work around the time frame of the panelists and attendees. Unless they take a day off work the first panels can’t start too early on the Friday because of ability to get there. For that same reason, it has to close early on the Sunday so those leaving can start their long drive home or get to the airport in time to catch their plane.

     Because there is no travel involved, the first session of a virtual conference can start around the time people get home from work on the Friday. The only thing everyone has to remember is the difference between time zones. Being on the west coast the morning sessions started very early for me. The evening sessions ended before my supper time.

     When it was time to be a panelist I set my computer up and clicked on the link a few minutes before the session was to start. Pictures of the other panelists showed up on my screen and we visited a few minutes before the moderator started the session. When I was in the audience I clicked on the link and waited for the panelists to show up on my screen.

     Being on a virtual panel, the guests only see a shoulders and head shot of me so I just have to wear a good top and comb my hair. I have to make sure there was no light like a window behind to put my face in shadow. Also, depending on where I was I could have some unexpected interruptions—pets, children, phone ringing.

     Getting ready for a physical conference I have to pack enough clothes for the weekend. If I am on a panel I have to make sure I have all my material with me when I leave home. If I forget anything, I am out of luck. No packing for a virtual conference and all my material will be in my house somewhere.

     At a physical conference there are many panels taking place at the same time which can be frustrating if I want to attend more than one of them. For this virtual conference only one panel was offered each hour so I was able to take part in as many as I wanted. When I finished my panel or the presentation was over I could leave my office and pet my cats, pick strawberries, sit on my deck, or train my chickens to run an obstacle course.

     The downside to the virtual conference is that the only people I see are my fellow panelists. I don’t see the audience expressions so there is no interaction between me and them. I like to watch them to see if they are bored or glad that they came. I am happy to see that ‘ahah’ moment when something I say answers a problem they have been having.

     At both conferences there is time for the audience to ask questions. When answering a question at a physical conference I can speak with the audience face to face, I can judge to see if my answer is making sense. The questions at a virtual conference are typed so I don’t see the person asking. When I answer it I am only looking at my fellow panelists.

     Part of the fun of going to a physical conference is the contact with my fellow writers. We can meet for meals or a drink or have a quick chat between panels. I can walk through the conference centre soaking up the writing atmosphere. I meet readers, talk about books, and get feedback on my own books. It is wonderful when someone comes up to me and tells me they enjoyed a presentation I made or want some advice, or liked one of my books. This does stroke my ego because we writers need to have our egos stroked once in a while. We spend months, years even, alone writing a book, wondering if a publisher is going to like it and if a publisher does, will the readers like it and if they do will they tell us. It is a great feeling to go to the Vendor’s Room and see my books displayed on my publisher’s table. Even better to have someone buy one of mine and ask for an autograph.

     During a virtual conference, there is a Vendor’s Room showing a picture of all the panelists and their books. There is also a chat room where authors and readers can connect.

     There are a lot of differences between the two conferences. Most physical conferences have been cancelled for this year or turned into a virtual conference which is perfect in today’s time of lockdown and social distancing. In the future I am sure they will return as writers and readers decide what they like best: the convenience of the virtual conference or the comradery of the physical conference. I like both and if, in the future, I am able to attend either of them, I will.

February new books from BWL Publishing Inc.

 

RELEASED FEBRUARY 2022

CLICK THE BOOK COVERS FOR DETAILS AND PURCHASE INFORMATION 

Visit https://bwlpublishing.ca  for the best in genre fiction

Scraps of paper and lost ideas

 I was deeply into a fast-moving part of a manuscript when my wife sat down beside me with a computer problem. After several minutes of unsuccessful troubleshooting, I referred her to our children, who are much more familiar with the workings of her Apple computer.

Turning back to my work in progress, I looked at my partially completed paragraph...and had no idea where the plot was going. I'd been on a roll, but the interruption took me away from the flow of ideas. I re-read several pages but couldn't recover the train of thought I'd been on. I deleted several paragraphs and went in a different direction. 

Today, my character told me he'd been inspired to pick up his guitar and play Vincent, by Don McLean. The lyrics, "Starry starry night," remind him of a painting by the artist who is the subject of an upcoming cozy. After queueing up that song on my computer, YouTube decided I would also like to hear Gordon Lightfoot music.

I was writing with music playing in the background when YouTube played a live performance. Gordon Lightfoot was talking between songs while tuning his guitar. He said the next song, Carefree Highway, had nearly been lost if not for a slip of paper with a few lines of lyrics he'd jammed in the pocket of his jeans. Armed with those few words, Lightfoot later picked up his guitar and composed one of his most famous songs. He quipped that if he hadn't found that slip of paper before the pants went into the wash, that song would never have been written.

As an author, I get that. I can't count the number of times I've had what seemed like a brilliant idea, only to lose the thought when I was distracted or fell asleep. To overcome that, I've sometimes rolled out of bed at 3 AM and written a brief outline, sent myself an email with a few key words, or sometimes written few paragraphs on a blank page, just so the idea isn't lost.

In an effort to help me overcome the random and unpredictable recovery process of my mind, one of my consultants supplied me with piles of recipe cards. After reading a few sample chapters of my first cozy, "Whistling Pines", Brian met me for lunch with three stacks of recipe cards. "These are characters. This pile is locations. The final pile is plot twists." He's continued to supply me with information, primarily via email now, but his ideas are boundless and well documented. He understands how many thoughts fly around while I'm writing, and he's determined to help me overcome the volume of ideas that are forever lost by my unreliable mental retrieval system.

My cop consultant, Deanna, sends me imperatives. "DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE..." or "THAT CHARACTER CANNOT..." Messages sent in capital letters seem to stick in my mind better than lowercase texts.

Book signing events are often chaotic sources of plots and characters, supplied by the attendees. "You should set a book in the old quarry. My Aunt Harriet was killed by a burglar who set her house on fire. My neighbor was found tied to a chair in the basement with a gunshot wound to the back of his head-the coroner ruled it a suicide." In addition to the plot suggestions, colorful fans abound, giving me inspiration for quirky characters. The problem with a book signing is that the ideas fly at me while I'm politely inscribing books, trying to not misspell my own name. Most ideas originating from that setting are lost, but others stick in the dark recesses of my mind. Kirsten, a friend and librarian, suggested using images from a GoPro camera, a plot twist later used in "Devils Fall".

Like the bit of lyrics Gordon Lightfoot found in the pocket of his jeans, some ideas get randomly pulled out of my memory and inserted into books. Others end up in the mental equivalent of the washing machine: If ever recovered, they're blurred images on a water-soaked piece of paper that may or may not be recognizable.

Check out "Grave Secrets" the latest Doug Fletcher mystery from BWL publishing.

www.bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

Grave Secrets is a mixture of memories from a Florida trip, research, suggestions from my cop consultant, and the voices of the characters. There may have been some notes on scraps of paper involved...

My dear friend Kathy, a celebration of life and crazyness, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

“A rich plot with building suspense, the writing is perfect and flows well. I loved this story.”   ~History and Women~

To purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

On January 3rd I lost a dear friend to cancer. She flew into the realm of the gods and goddesses, the fairy world we often spoke about. She liked to envision chants around bonfires and other mystical rituals.

We met in an on-line critique group, nine years ago. When my mother passed, Kathy was there for me, understanding the difficult relationships we both had with our respective families. We spoke almost every day over the internet after that. Her loss, her advance to a higher plain, is a big hole in my heart.

We almost met in person, while three hours apart when I attended the Historical Novel Society conference in Portland, OR, six years ago. She was to drive down from Seattle to meet. But that was when she'd found out her cancer had returned after fifteen years in remission. She cancelled to set up doctors appointments.

But I want to celebrate our dark humor, talk of witches, and fairies, the pagan souls we both shared.

Kathy was a dedicated Pagan, in her thoughts, not her actions. Our bon fires were metaphorical, as well as our flying away on brooms to cure the world of its ills. We had the 'what's the matter you-snap out of it!' attitude, and laughed at the craziness of life, the perilous political scene, and the irony of so many things. Her father had soured her on religion, so this was her 'feel good' place.

We had a third witch in our imagined coven, but for privacy reasons, I won't name her. We Three had a ball whirling through the flames of the pretend bon fires, stirring our cauldron. Imagining we had some control over the insanity of the world.

I'd send her funny jpegs to cheer her, though Kathy rarely complained about her own health. She was the strongest woman I knew.

When the doctors had to put a new port into her for her chemo, I sent her the above jpeg and she loved it. When things got iffy in the world around us, we'd say 'gird your loins' because that phrase is often found in historical novels and people scratch their heads about it.

Her last completed novel was a fictionalized tale of when, after a divorce, she took her two boys to England to research another novel. Her bravery to do that amazed me. (also available at https://bookswelove.net/pym-katherine/  )

It's difficult not to mourn such losses, but I need to celebrate what we had, short though it seems now. I'm girding my loins! I'd like to think that she's flying about the stratosphere on a magic cloud, laughing at us mere mortals. We never did get to meet in person, and only spoke once on the phone (she sounded so young). But maybe that's how we kept the mystical part of our friendship intact. I was blessed to have her as my friend. We made each other laugh right to the very end.

A funny, brave woman with wit and talent, the gods must have needed her wry and steady advice. She told me she wasn't afraid of dying, she said 'energy' never dies, but she often wished she could stay longer. 

Fair winds, my dear sister of the heart! And strength to your loving husband who also had to say goodbye.

Kathy's expertise was the seventeenth century; check out her other wonderful historical novels.

Katherine Pym Novels

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund.

She's trying to set up a new website on Blogger: wish her/me luck!