Writing meme

[littleheaven]

Snagged from a good proportion of my f-list:

Post the first lines from your last 25 stories. Do you see any patterns?

I don't have 25 stories, so I'll give you what there is, in chronological order...

Cordelia sat in her darkened bedroom, her knees pulled up against her chest. (Deja Vu, ATS, 2002)

Bob locked his apartment door behind him. (The Case Of The Missing Santas, ATS, 2003)

At first it was like being asleep. (Blurry, ATS, 2003)

The sky above L.A. churned and boiled, a dark seething mass. (Deluge, ATS, 2003)

The words ‘Wine Bar’ illuminated the footpath outside in blue neon. (Overtime, ATS, 2003)

Pain. (Ghost Of A Chance, ATS, 2004)

Fresh raindrops spattered against the windshield as Angel eased the Plymouth into a parking space near Cordy’s apartment. (Oblivion, ATS, 2004)

Sam blinked and pressed her fingers to her eyes as the computer screen began to blur. (Solace, SG-1, 2004)

Daniel blinked hard and pushed his slipping glasses – the only pair he had left on base after she sat on his good ones – further up the bridge of his nose. (Downpour, SG-1, 2005)

Outside the night was warm and still, and crickets; or whatever this world’s equivalent was; sang in unison, making the humid air vibrate. (All-Nighter, SG-1, 2006)

Uh-oh. (Descension, SG-1/ATS, 2007)

The old house sat in an otherwise tidy street in North Hollywood. (Shadow Of Doubt, ATS, 2007)

Patterns...?

In the earlier stories, I tended to start with short sentences, but they've grown over the years.  No dialogue in any of them.  Stargate stories seem to involve a lot of people blinking at computer screens, LOL.  I like to set the scene straight away.  Rain and bad weather, or bad weather metaphors abound!

Comments

[auntyk.livejournal.com]

For me there's also an emotional pattern as well. They mostly convey a certain time of day, a particular range of emotions and the sense of being by oneself.

[littleheaven70.livejournal.com]

Ah, the benefit of a fresh perspective :o) You're very right. (((HUG)))

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I like "The sky above L.A. churned and boiled, a dark seething mass." and "Outside the night was warm and still, and crickets; or whatever this world’s equivalent was; sang in unison, making the humid air vibrate."

I like the strong imagery; very rich, very visceral.

[littleheaven70.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! For some reason atmospheric description really appeals to me. I find it so much easier to visualise.

[http://users.livejournal.com/mazal_/]

What I noticed is the ACTION in virtually all of these first lines. That bodes well for their content as a whole. One of the best things I ever heard about writing (at a slashcon, back when I had the ability to go to such things) was "The story begins on the day something is different," and I'm guessing that you, perhaps unknowingly, have followed that advice.

[littleheaven70.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's a great observation and one that I'd not made myself. My beta and mentor slammed me way back on my first story for not using enough active text, and really beat the "show, don't tell" into me, so perhaps that is evident here. Thanks for your comment!