WRITE To the Heart of the Matter: Have You Read Any Good First Sentences Lately?

Wired for Story
The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
by Lisa Cron

Anyone who has heard me speak about writing know my passion for first sentences.  First sentence do not a book, chapter or paragraph make, but it can be the deal breaker if it puts the reader to sleep.

Imagine my delight when I saw the title for this new book by Lisa Cron.  Like any good reader, I flipped to the back cover, skipped the endorsements, and checked out the book details. Not only was there going to be action on first sentences, there was also a promise to "ignite the brain's hardwired desire to learn what happens next."

I turned to the first page and read:

"In the second it takes you to read this first sentence, your senses are showering you with over 11,000,000 pieces of information. Your conscious mind is capable of registering about forty of them."

I fell in love with the first sentence and the layout of the page spread.  The left page showed THE COGNITIVE SECRET..."We think in story, which allows us to envision the future," and THE STORY SECRET..."From the very first sentence, the reader must want to know what happens next."

Above the chapter heading was the Flannery O'Connor quote: "I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one."

Every chapter follows the same format. Cron writes what every writer needs to know and shares in a way every writer wants to write. I knew I was in the right place and reading the right book

Looks like my Christmas gift list for my writer just grew a little bit longer.

To find out more about Cron, visit wiredforstory.com.

Read any good first sentences lately? "I am shown into a small, drab room, told to sit down and wait."

"I am shown into a small, drab room, told to sit down and wait."

I love this first sentence because it makes me want to know more. Who showed this person into the room? How old it this person? Where are they? What are they waiting for? Are they a man or woman? How long will they have to wait?

Tatiana de Rosnay wrote this first sentence to start her book A Secret Kept. The story revolves around the Rey family told from the perspective of Antoine Rey, a recently divorced architect. His journey takes him back to his childhood and forgotten memories which lead him to investigate the secrets of his families' past

Antoine's perspective and actions are so honest it sometimes hurts to read it, yet anyone who has tried to dig up the past knows the desire for the truth outweighs the pain.

After the first sentence, de Rosnay continues: "Six empty brown plastic chairs face each other on tired linoleum. In a corner, a fake green plant, shiny leaves coated with dust. I do as I am told. I sit down. My thighs tremble. My palms feel clammy, my throat parched. My head throbs. I think, I should call our father now, I should all him before it gets too late. But my hand makes no effort to grab the phone in the pocket of my jeans. Call our father and tell him what? Tell him how?"

This intriguing paragraph paves the way for the rest of the de Rosnay's adventure. Readers, writers and family historians alike will be glued to the Rey family history from the first sentence until the end on page 303. I love this book not only for it's great first sentence, but for the raw emotion it evokes as a seeker of the truth investigates his family's history and relationships.

"Heard" any good first sentences lately? Midnight in Paris

"Out of the past was the name of the store and its products consisted of memories."
Gil Pender, Midnight in Paris

I have seen the movie “Midnight in Paris” three times in the last three weeks.

Confession: No, I am not a Woody Allen fanatic. Yes, I have seen some of his movies. No, I don’t have to go to his movies on opening weekend. And, yes, you need to make some time over the next few weeks to see this film.

There are many reasons to enjoy this movie and, not in any particular order, here are seven.

1) Paris. Exquisite scenes of Paris. Walking in Paris, talking in Paris, eating in Paris. After a few minutes you will feel like you are actually in Paris.

2) Rachel McAdams. This actress is one of my absolute favorites. She captures each character she portrays so effortlessly, you may not realize all of the films in which you have seen her. The Notebook, The Family Stone, Mean Girls, The Time Traveler’s Wife to name just a few.

3) Owen Wilson. I am a fan of both The Royal Tenenbaums and Zoolander. Go figure. Wilson plays Gil Pender, the screenwriter turned novelist who is the protagonist of the story. He appears to effortlessly capture the “Woodiness” of Gil Pender, the screenwriter turned novelist who is the protagonist of the story.

4) Writers of all shapes and sizes. Writers who talk about writing, live writing and love writing. Writers I grew up with during school assignments or as I rambled through the library looking for classics to fill my summer reading list.

5) \Art, artists and art history. This movie should be required viewing for any art student. Period.

6) The sound of rain falling in Paris. I will leave it at that.

7) One of the best first sentences for a novel not in a novel. Pender, in Woody Allen tradition, is unsure of his book and literary talent. My favorite part of the film is when Gertrude Stein reads aloud the first sentence of Penders manuscript, the only part we hear. Stein says:

“Out of the past was the name of the store

and its products consisted of memories.”

You knew I was going to return to the first sentence. I have heard there are no coincidences, but to be writing for weeks about first sentences and to experience a first sentence in a movie feels like serendipity. Stein, Hemingway and Pender all realize the value of the first sentence. Gil fears ridicule when it is read aloud however the character Adriana immediately loves it and “is hooked.” I was hooked, too. I was hooked, too.

The first sentence of a book in a movie which encompasses the crux of the film. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Could I have asked for anything more as I continue my quest of first sentences? I think not.