New Home

I'm sure you've noticed the lack of posting this week. I recently bought a new home. I'm currently in the process of moving. This may continue for a few more days, but be assured I will be back posting regularly soon.

Famous Opening Lines

What makes an opening line become famous? Is it the words chosen? The rhythm produced? It's length? It seems strange that so much is put upon that first sentence of a piece of writing, but throughout history this has been the case.

Call me Ishmael.--Moby Dick (1851), Herman Melville

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.--1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) (1949), George Orwell

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.--The Old Man and the Sea (1952), Ernest Hemingway

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.--A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Charles Dickens

From short, to long, these sentences are proclaimed to be some of the most famous first lines in our history.

A table, two metal chairs, and Anthony Tyner occupied the small musty room.--The Keeper(2010) Cher Green

It seems like a good opening line. What do you think, does it compare?

How do your first lines compare? Share some of your most admired first lines in history.

Rewriting your story

When I began writing, I had a tendency to recreate my stories rather than rewrite them. This resulted in multiple versions of my stories and confusion. I recently became aware that I am not alone, and this may be an issue that many new writers have.

Time and experience has pushed me passed this issue. I now rewrite the existing story and use any alternatives to create new stories.

For those of you experiencing this problem, my suggestion is to get a clear picture of your story line, write the story from beginning to end, and then edit. Your story line may change slightly as you write, or even majorly, but the point is once you get it complete, unless it is just not working, stick with your story line during editing and rewrites. If new ideas present themselves, take note and use them for your next story.

Share your experiences with this issue, and your solutions.

THE KEEPER

In October, my story 'The Keeper' was accepted by A Long Story Short.

It has been published in the March 2010 issue; my first official fiction publication.

If you'd like to read 'The Keeper', go here.

I welcome any feedback you wish to share.

Can writing be learned?

This is a question that has been asked many times over the years. Here is my opinion on the subject.

We go to English class and learn how to spell, the correct structure of a sentence, and the different parts of a sentence. We learn the correct way to create a paragraph, an article, and a story. We enroll in workshops to help us improve our writing skills.

Can writing be learned? Yes.

A writer is a person with a unique perception on life. He thrives to create new worlds, educate others, and/or entertain an audience (even if that audience is himself). He enjoys the process of building words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into stories or articles.

Can you learn to be a writer? No.

Share your opinions on the subject.