tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post5475406615046138773..comments2023-03-30T08:51:55.643-04:00Comments on On Romance Writing: Hook ‘Em with the First ChapterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07797338879140793709noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-37565632728243727582012-07-17T21:06:33.810-04:002012-07-17T21:06:33.810-04:00One problem I'm having is figuring out who the...One problem I'm having is figuring out who the people are who are commenting. Any thoughts about a better way to do it? Like maybe people who want to be able to win a book need to e-mail me so I know who they are?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07797338879140793709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-29068603143413122422012-07-17T18:42:19.168-04:002012-07-17T18:42:19.168-04:00Thank you Rebecca!! And I'm so excited that I ...Thank you Rebecca!! And I'm so excited that I won the copy of "Sudden Attraction". I can't wait to read it. I've been loving the insight you are providing. So gracious of you to help struggling writers like myself. I'm learning so much.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08298481858654979077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-60415421532277334622012-07-08T10:41:52.015-04:002012-07-08T10:41:52.015-04:00Wow, Tara, thanks! You gave a great example. And I...Wow, Tara, thanks! You gave a great example. And I hope my blog is what gets you moving on your book.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-5127363811091641502012-07-08T10:16:39.900-04:002012-07-08T10:16:39.900-04:00Great insight Rebecca. Marsha Canham is one that t...Great insight Rebecca. Marsha Canham is one that tends to suck you in from the first line or sentence. In fact ironically I had just started reading her latest novel, "The Following Sea", when I stumbled across this wonderful post and thought this described it perfectly. <br /><br />"You WILL tell me what I want to know, little puta."<br />The words vibrated against her ear and sent cold shivers scratching down her spine.<br /><br />---<br />Great beginning.<br /><br />I so look forward to reading more of you blog Rebecca. I've had a novel in my head for nearly 10 years and have struggled with getting it on paper. I believe you will be your blog will be a wonderful aide to removing the block.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08298481858654979077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-75147679204088081762012-07-08T00:53:54.443-04:002012-07-08T00:53:54.443-04:00Thanks. I'm having a lot of fun w/ the blog. M...Thanks. I'm having a lot of fun w/ the blog. More on beginnings early next week.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-55124921941666783832012-07-07T23:23:23.290-04:002012-07-07T23:23:23.290-04:00As a longtime reader of yours and now a writer, I ...As a longtime reader of yours and now a writer, I really appreciate this blog, Rebecca. Just wanted to say thanks for posting such great info. :-)Angela Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-61772268719088824432012-07-07T21:02:36.094-04:002012-07-07T21:02:36.094-04:00Thanks.Thanks.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-18742122946829945012012-07-07T19:35:28.271-04:002012-07-07T19:35:28.271-04:00I enjoyed the blog and the comments.You do know ho...I enjoyed the blog and the comments.You do know how to grab a reader by her throat!Mary Marvellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12015719890476028848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-87224911579443515042012-07-06T19:36:19.468-04:002012-07-06T19:36:19.468-04:00Another good one!Another good one!Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-90323117136307742992012-07-06T19:07:02.840-04:002012-07-06T19:07:02.840-04:00I love first lines, they're my favorite. The ...I love first lines, they're my favorite. The problem is the other gazillion-extra lines afterwards that keep tripping me up. Still I have high hopes for my current WIP that begins: "Right off the bat, Nicole knew her inheritance needed fifty grand in repairs. Or a stick of dynamite and a blasting permit."Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11635127552324654460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-56531399953823295572012-07-06T13:40:53.251-04:002012-07-06T13:40:53.251-04:00Yes, Anita. Good beginning.Yes, Anita. Good beginning.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-49023413843955734212012-07-06T13:36:46.244-04:002012-07-06T13:36:46.244-04:00Rebecca, you're so right about strong openings...Rebecca, you're so right about strong openings and I loved the opening for Chained. Good openings are so difficult to get right. Here's the opening for Embrace the Highland Warrior, the second in my paranormal Scottish series. <br /><br />"It wasn’t that twenty-seven was too young to die; she just had too many loose ends in her life, things she needed to fix."Anita Clenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121439834252671730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-9926751816458701352012-07-06T11:21:37.452-04:002012-07-06T11:21:37.452-04:00Thanks, Connie. Yes, i do love the concept of &qu...Thanks, Connie. Yes, i do love the concept of "wundeling." I wanted to start off w/ two a week, but I will probably go down to one. Also, I'd like to have several under my belt, so to speak, before RWA.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-48427284486484962652012-07-06T11:18:30.395-04:002012-07-06T11:18:30.395-04:00Mallory, great lines!
Stephanie, you are a scream...Mallory, great lines! <br />Stephanie, you are a scream. You know I'm flattered by your alternate name for the blog.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-91896271564383676602012-07-06T11:18:08.672-04:002012-07-06T11:18:08.672-04:00Rebecca, This is a great blog and I love your sub...Rebecca, This is a great blog and I love your subject matter. It's one that's near and dear to my heart. I call it writing "precise and concise." Not nearly as inventive as "wunderling" but perhaps easier to remember. <br />Great job and 20 comments -- well, I make 21 -- that's not bad for a Thursday blog.Connie Flynnhttp://connieflynn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-69861417130640803452012-07-06T10:59:28.257-04:002012-07-06T10:59:28.257-04:00You should have named this blog "What Would R...You should have named this blog "What Would Rebecca York Do?" Because this is how I'm going to think of it, and use it all the time!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07729283374222314144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-51266664085150520302012-07-06T10:38:42.979-04:002012-07-06T10:38:42.979-04:00Hi Rebecca,
My favorite of my Intrigue first lin...Hi Rebecca, <br /><br />My favorite of my Intrigue first lines is: "By the time the woman struggled out of the taxi, Dawson knew the color of her panties. They were pink." It's the first line of PRIVATE SECURITY, my May, 2012 Intrigue. Okay, oops. I gave you 2 lines. But you needed to know the color--right?<br /><br />One of my favorite lines of all time is from C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3, CROWN OF SHADOWS. "There was lipstick on his cheek." I don't know if I can fully explain it, but picking up a Fantasy novel with a young warrior brandishing a long sword, then reading that first line, hooked me immediately!<br /><br />Great topic!Mallory Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00463697244982448158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-4273300021612531602012-07-06T10:18:43.691-04:002012-07-06T10:18:43.691-04:00Patricia, great first line. Yes, villain's po...Patricia, great first line. Yes, villain's pov always a good start. The famous example is from Ken Follet's Key to Rebecca. "The last camel died at noon."<br /><br />Marsha, I agree, it's a fine line. You need to know something, but too much detail can bog down the action. However, you can slip in the details, as in the CHAINED example above.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-41831420615664460132012-07-06T10:09:38.791-04:002012-07-06T10:09:38.791-04:00Great post and examples. I've been dithering ...Great post and examples. I've been dithering about this issue, because I just read another post that said make sure you give enough of the present situation so readers will care about the characters before plunging them into the crucible. It's a very fine line, it seems to me. <br />My first line example is from Linda Howard's VEIL OF NIGHT:<br />"Six weddings in five days. Holy Sh..!" You know there are going to be issues for this heroine. LOL Thanks for sheding more light on this topic.Marshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08010048187355215576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-57244079990293130612012-07-06T10:09:03.188-04:002012-07-06T10:09:03.188-04:00From my indie thriller SKIN:
HER SCREAMS gave him...From my indie thriller SKIN:<br /><br />HER SCREAMS gave him a hard on that ached so bad he could hardly move. But if he didn’t run, the hunt would be over; his prey would get away.<br /><br />I love starting thrillers from the villain's POV.Patricia Rosemoorhttp://patriciarosemoor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-843067010410223482012-07-06T09:33:08.878-04:002012-07-06T09:33:08.878-04:00Both great examples! Love them.Both great examples! Love them.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-13292252268673708582012-07-06T09:25:43.685-04:002012-07-06T09:25:43.685-04:00"It was one hell of a night to throw away a b..."It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby." Julia Spencer-Fleming's debut mystery, In the Bleak Midwinter. It's impossible not to read on. And it only gets better. <br /><br />In a very different way, I also love the (much longer) opening sentence from Jennifer Crusie's Faking It: "Matilda Goodnight stepped back from her latest mural and realized that of all the crimes she'd committed in her thirty-four years, painting the floor to ceiling reproduction of Van Gogh's Sunflowers on Clarissa Donnolly's dining room wall was the one that was going to send her to hell."Jennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442754671445893599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-90247354795550200232012-07-06T09:22:49.646-04:002012-07-06T09:22:49.646-04:00Great first line examples. I think a lot of us ar...Great first line examples. I think a lot of us are guilty of trying to tell too much too soon (often because we're the ones who need the info on the page). <br /><br />Thanks for the reminder that it's okay to open with dialogue as well. All too often, I see people saying you shouldn't start that way, but I find it often really pulls me into the world of the characters.<br /><br />Great post! Thanks for sharing it.Molly Katehttp://www.mollykategray.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-27918691551441433372012-07-06T09:05:54.692-04:002012-07-06T09:05:54.692-04:00"Murder can spoil a spring morning." Gr..."Murder can spoil a spring morning." Great first line.Rebecca Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00868406006575223127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2190272161363326208.post-29279075211944881592012-07-06T09:00:34.876-04:002012-07-06T09:00:34.876-04:00Good post - I love it when I read great openers - ...Good post - I love it when I read great openers - it could be in the pretext as well as I did in NIght Noise - Murder can spoil a spring morning - I think was the line. Don't get why dialogue does not work - works for me - judiJudihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06417122704515451754noreply@blogger.com