Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Beginnings

This is topic Beginnings in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Jo1day (Member # 7800) on :

Since beginnings are a heavy focus in the forums where people post fragments, I've been looking at beginnings of books that really draw me in, and others that work all right but that maybe aren't quite as strong. All of these are novel-length works (and all from the children's/YA section, which just goes to show which area of the library attracts me the most), but some of them just fascinate me with how well they connect me with the story:

In the Wow category:
The Black Cauldron (Lloyd Alexander)--begins with a description, but one that does two jobs at once, setting the scene and telling us that trouble's brewing.

Archer's Goon (Diana Wynne Jones)--begins right off the bat with what the trouble is, slips in explanations without anything seeming too contrived. (I may be prejudiced towards this beginning, because I love the book).

A Girl Named Disaster (Nancy Farmer)--Does begin with the "unnamed" disease, but corrects it the sentence right after, and gets you involved with several different imbalances--hunger, injustice, etc.

The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm (Nancy Farmer)--a "wake up" beginning that works quite well, and works in elements of both fantasy and science fiction (future setting) very well, so that we know what to expect.

In the not quite so effective category (at least for me)

Goose Girl (Shannon Hale)--gets me into the story, but the beginning doesn't seem quite as immediate for me as the ones above

The Raging Quiet (Sherryl Jordan)--Effective, immediate, but a bit too painful for me right off the bat. (This may be just personal--I've been known to walk away from watching a movie my family rented because things get too personally painful for me.)

Never Trust a Dead Man (Vivian Van Velde)--does the job of getting me into the story, but not quite as drawing as the books in the 'Wow' category.
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Do any of you have examples of story beginnings that you love, ones that didn't work that well for you, or story beginnings that turned you away from a book completely?

Posted by Cheyne (Member # 7710) on :

The first sentence of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" made me a John Irving fan for life. It tells so many elements of the story even before we meet the characters.

I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice – not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

Posted by Jo1day (Member # 7800) on :

That's an intriguing first sentence. Made me check on the University website to see if we have the book at the library (We do.)

Posted by Cheyne (Member # 7710) on :

Read it. Not an overly or even overtly Christian book, but one hell of a story.