It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, but today’s first line is, in my opinion, kind of a stinker, even though it leads into...

I’m a big fan of meta fiction. I love stories about writers and their stories. Movies like “Barton Fink” or books like Slaughterhouse F...

Here’s another way to open your novel: Just start throwing stage directions around. Don’t worry about giving us a verb- just start namin...

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, but I came across a good one the other night and thought it worth sharing. It’s from ...

Back to our first line series. We’ve examined opening lines that establish setting , lines that present an axiom , lines that kick thin...

Whaddya say, shall we break the fourth wall today? Do what with the which now, you ask? Break the fourth wall- that imaginary barri...

Back to our First Line Fridays series. We’ve covered setting, axioms and dialogue, now let’s take a peek into the future. Sometime...

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” Wait, what? Who is  Mrs. Dalloway? Who’s she talking  to? And what is it she...

Last week we covered first lines that set settings. This week, we pay tribute to the axiomatic opening. Here’s a well-known example th...

For the next few First Line Fridays, I thought we’d try something a little different. Rather than giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to a p...

Last week we looked at the first lines of Mitt Romney’s books. Today we examine the first lines of President Obama’s. First, from   Dreams ...

When I’m not bloviating about books and literature, I’m a pretty hopeless political junky. And with the two major party conventions taking...

We’ve covered some amazing first lines and some others that tend to… fall flat. This raises some questions: Is a first line truly any differ...

Today’s first lines comes to you courtesy of my bedside table, where sits William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways   at the moment. Take a ...

Today’s first line is one that absolutely grabs you by the ears and demands you pay attention. Have a look: “I was born twice: first...

If you’ve had a sneaking suspicion that this blog has been on auto-pilot for the past two and a half weeks, you’re very astute. (Was it...

We all know the first line of Moby Dick  by heart. Melville’s “Call me Ishmael” Is probably the most recognizable first line in al...

MacEvoy has been putting a bug in my ear as of late about The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.  I haven't read it, but I did take a l...

I've been a little bit of a downer recently with the first lines I've highlighted.  I haven't love them all.  And I am going to ...

Greetings all! Today, I'd like to look at the mediocre first line of a tremendous novel. Your rebuttal is welcome, as always. Here is ...