“The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did end-began as far as I know or can tell, with a boat made with a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.” It-Stephen King

Ok, I have to admit, I had to look it up-that is a long first line. Stephen King was always my favorite writer, since I lean to reading horror and /or mystery novels, plus, I just went and saw the remake at the movies. This one actually had a better ending and while the clown was terrifying, I’ll take Tim Curry any day of the week, thank you very much.

Some of my favorite of his books didn’t actually have the best first lines, I was disappointed to go back to The Shining and see the first line again, that was my absolute favorite of his books, not that great of a first line (in my humbe opinion). “Jack Torrence thought: Officious little pr*ck.” Doesn’t grab you from the get go like some books do.

I remember many of my favorite books, but not the first lines, not because they weren’t great, just because my memory sucks. Therefore, I can’t tell you the music of the time or anything else unless I look it up, which somehow feels like cheating.

Now, as far as my own writing goes, I’m not good yet so when I went and looked up a few of my short stories and/or flash fiction pieces, what I thought was great at the time, sounded rather boring now, this is a great exercise in showing me I have a lot of work to do! I did have a favorite though, I just don’t know if I can link to it. It’s from a chapter story I did called Angels of Arvada, and the first line of the first chapter goes like this,

“Huddled inside their warm, cozy cabin in the foothills of Arvada, Colorado, Amanda and her five year old son Ethan cling to each other as the avalance sends snow down the mountain.”

I’d like to fantasize that it sounds good enough to make one want to take a peek. :)