Comments on: Grab 'Em, Keep 'em, Bring 'Em Back

By: Top Picks Thursday! For Writers & Readers 06-06-2019 | The Author Chronicles

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 17:00:56 +0000

[…] Getting started can sometimes be the hardest part. Mary Kole discusses choosing your main character, Nathan Bransford shows how to outline a novel, A. Howitt explores beginnings, and Laurie Schnebly explains how to make the first scene grab and keep your readers. […]

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 21:59:42 +0000

In reply to Laurie Schnebly Campbell. I could have gone with the opening of A TALE OF TWO CITIES, but I don't reread it.

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 14:53:30 +0000

In reply to dholcomb1. Denise, isn't that a great beginning? When I was going through the illustrations up above, trying to decide which one best illustrated the line "Think about the books whose opening you still remember vividly," it seemed like the perfect choice!

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:24:57 +0000

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” from Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

denise

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 01:03:37 +0000

Okay, as promised earlier, I did one more drawing to allow entries for the people whose comments hadn't arrived when I did this morning's -- and the winner of THAT one, again for free registration to https://writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes/craft-class-boffo-beginnings-fab-finales/, is #26.

Congratulations to Ruth Dell, and just contact me at Book Laurie gmail com with your email address so I can send you (or the friend of your choice) an invitation to the June 10-21 group!

Laurie, just back from Phoenix Symphony Celebrates Broadway and loving how they credited the authors of Broadway-musical source material at the very end...yay, writers 🙂

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 17:33:55 +0000

In reply to Nita Shoemaker. Nita, talk about a wonderful conclusion -- I love "get it right. Maybe we don't have to." You're absolutely right on target, and the Fitzgerald and Michell books are perfect proof. It's cool, too, knowing where that line about the rich being different came from...I've heard it for years, but never could've told you where it came from. Thanks!

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 17:31:38 +0000

In reply to Sharon. Sharon, I'm so glad you liked the examples -- and I feel bad about the drawing happening too early; I should've realized it might take time for the posts that arrived overnight or early today to get moderated. So I'm gonna do another drawing tonight, and whoever wins that will have you to thank for it. :)

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 17:29:35 +0000

In reply to Sarah Andre. Sarah, you're so right about Kristan Higgins -- isn't she amazing? And now that you're the second person to mention Darynda Jones, I'm all the more interested in checking her out as well. When it comes to gritty suspense, I know I can trust any recommendation from you...so now Karin Slaughter is going on my list, too!

By: Nita Shoemaker

Nita Shoemaker — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 17:12:29 +0000

When I think of beginning and ending lines, I think of two classics. F. Scott Fitzgerald's beginning line in The Rich Boy: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me." Teases us into reading his short story about the blessings and curses of having money from the cradle to the grave. And then, there's Margaret Mitchell's last line in Gone with the Wind. "After all, tomorrow is another day.” Fitzgerald writing his short story in Paris where he admitted he spent a thousand days partying and Margaret Mitchell toiling away on her classic (and only full length book) in a hot room in Atlanta, GA. He gives us a warning. She leaves us with what sounds like optimism. However, she did everything wrong. Described Scarlett's looks in the first sentence and completely ignored the HEA. Laurie, lead us to write the perfect novel. Thanks, even if we're too hard-headed to get it right. Maybe we don't have to.

By: Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:43:46 +0000

Wow, talk about a bunch of great responses -- thank you to everyone who's brought up so many good points about boffo beginnings & fab finales, not to mention all kinds of recommendations I'm looking forward to checking out.

And this is a bizarre month over at random-dot-org, because last Friday I fed in the numbers for an end-of-class prize drawing and it chose the very first one as my winner. Then just now, I fed in the numbers for this blog's prize drawing and it chose the very last one...which means congratulations go to Iola!

Just email me at Book Laurie at gmail com with the address where to send your invitation...or if the June 10-21 class at https://writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes/ doesn't fit your schedule, feel free to send me a friend's address instead. 🙂

Laurie, who'll check back for later posts and can't wait to see Ane, Aubri, Audra, Calvin, Carol, Cathy, Christine, Dee Ann, Don, Ginger, Iola, Justene, Karen, Kim, Kris, Krishna, Lisa, Natalie, Patti, Sarah, Steph, Susan, Suzanne, Tracey, Varina and whoever else joins next week!