I usually start writing a story and write it straight through to the end no matter what. Even if I know I'm going to have to come back and re-write 90% of it at a later date, something that can be called a first draft gets written before I move onto another project. It takes a lot for me to say there is no way to make a story work. In fact it's only happened twice since I started writing seriously.
By the Hour is the third time. I've tried to start it 7 times, and I finally worked out what the problem is. The characters can't have sex. They are perfectly nice characters, but there is no way people in their situation can get it together (let alone get kinky) without being transformed into characters I don't like. I don't want to write about characters I dislike that much, so I'm not going to.
Now, that story is gone and I've been looking through my files for a story to take it's place at the end of the Perfect Timing line up. I've found one and I started it yesterday. I love it. It's called The Morning After. It's sooooo nice to start something from scratch after spending so long doing re-writes.
My other writing project this month is another completly new story (Yay!). It's going to be the third book in the Collared series, but I still haven't picked which story idea I'm going to write yet.
All this means, I've been looking through my file of first lines quite a bit while I was trying to pick the right story idea to fit into each series.
(Yes, I really do have a file dedicated to first lines...)
Many of the lines don't have a story to go with them yet. They're just hanging around, waiting for me to decide what happens next.
For some reason I also note down the first lines of stories I've already written. I thought I would share the first lines of the stories I've had accepted with TEB so far with you.
Five things that... I've started books with.
1. Flickering firelight lent an enchanting glow to Nicky's body.
2. The twirling spotlight hit the table dancer for one perfect moment.
- Turquoise and Leather3. Luke Anderson was not going to come first.
- You First
4. "Don't waste your time."
- Silent Night
5. Brennan Talbot was not going to stare at his best friend's arse.
- Time To Do (I'll come back and put a link in when I've got something to link it to.
....
And that's it for today.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
2 comments:
Interesting...
Two start with lights on something and two start by tellin what you cahracter is NOT goingot do.
Very good first lines. they would hook me!
Yeah, I was surprised at how close some of the first lines came to each other when I put them all together - especially since the actually stories and characters are all very different.
But, I've been thinking about it since and I think I know why. Time To Do and You First are both about men who are fighting against what comes naturally to them at the start of the books. Their lives really do revolve around what they are trying NOT to do.
As for the lights in The Gift and Turquoise and Leather. Well, George and Charles are both very visual men and for them, their relationship does start with that first look at their lover.
Glad you think they work as hooks :)
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