First Line Meme!
Jun. 13th, 2019 07:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laurajvvia killabeez (because it seemed fun):
Rules: List the first lines of your last 10 published stories.
See if there are any patterns yourself, or have other people say what they notice.
Patterns: well, it's a little odd, because many of these are in the same series -- all but one of the Sherlock stories are part of every choice you make creates a universe. I feel like that skews things, although...they're not out of the general way of what I write. You can tell that I tend to drop you right into whatever POV I'm using, but I think most people who do any kind of tight POV on the regular will do that.
I like to start with an interaction or a direct mention of a primary relationship in the story. So, for example, in number 4, I wrote: I came home late from my club one evening to find Holmes laying papers out upon the floor, clearly hard at work on a case. but I could've started it I spent a long evening at my club, only heading home once the hour was late. I didn't, because I wanted to bring Watson's relationship with Holmes to the foreground from the start, and I will usually choose to foreground a relationship or interaction over scene-setting.
killabeez (because it seemed fun):Rules: List the first lines of your last 10 published stories.
See if there are any patterns yourself, or have other people say what they notice.
- Their Harmony Foretells (Good Omens): One of the first things Crowley noticed about Aziraphale was that he rang like a bell.
- the hours I spend with you (Good Omens): Crowley stopped by the bookshop, mostly because he hadn't seen Aziraphale for nearly a week.
- stable (may 2029) (Sherlock):"Who's Rosie?"
- while the iron is hot (Sherlock Holmes stories): I came home late from my club one evening to find Holmes laying papers out upon the floor, clearly hard at work on a case.
- THE BEDROOM DOOR, being a Treatise by MISS ROSAMUND WATSON on the Importance of Knocking in Preserving Familial Harmony and Protecting the Innocence of Young Girls (Sherlock): Ever afterwards, Rosie was proud that she managed not to scream and slam the door to her dad’s bedroom, but instead merely yelped out "I'm SO sorry"; and closed it quickly and quietly.
- the sunlight clasps the earth (Sherlock Holmes stories): I had long been aware of a certain aesthetic appreciation of my friend Watson; when first I met him, he was thin and ill, although anyone could see his features were good enough.
- that cell collided with this one (Sherlock): Ella had recommended his new therapist, and John had taken that recommendation to Mycroft.
- we're not free (2015) (Sherlock): Mary touched John's back as he did the washing up, and he smiled at her, but it was a brittle smile, thin.
- saturday morning, playground, coffee (22 June, 2024) (Sherlock): Caroline heard Freya scream in delight, and looked up from her book in time to see Rosie Watson grab Freya's hands and spin her around.
- the other side of an invisible wall (14-15 October, 2025) (Sherlock): Sherlock could not have predicted how much he loved sleeping spooned with John, John's body solid at his back, John's arm over his waist, John's breath on his neck.
Patterns: well, it's a little odd, because many of these are in the same series -- all but one of the Sherlock stories are part of every choice you make creates a universe. I feel like that skews things, although...they're not out of the general way of what I write. You can tell that I tend to drop you right into whatever POV I'm using, but I think most people who do any kind of tight POV on the regular will do that.
I like to start with an interaction or a direct mention of a primary relationship in the story. So, for example, in number 4, I wrote: I came home late from my club one evening to find Holmes laying papers out upon the floor, clearly hard at work on a case. but I could've started it I spent a long evening at my club, only heading home once the hour was late. I didn't, because I wanted to bring Watson's relationship with Holmes to the foreground from the start, and I will usually choose to foreground a relationship or interaction over scene-setting.