First Lines from the Muses
Their hair in great disarray and their fingers stained with ink, a few Muses gathered along the river bank to consult one another on their techniques. After some wine and chocolate, their kibbutzing netted a few "first lines" for a story. Armed with these first lines, off they went to seduce their writers.
Here are their first lines - please add your own (thus joining the Muses). Rules are simple - you may choose any first line from this post or its comments and use it to write a story, a poem, a play, what-have you. But of course, if you publish your work, you must change the first line - for it isn't really yours - it is the sole property of the Muses. And if you post your work online, you must acknowledge (via a link to this page) the source of your first line.
I want to live again in that house.
If I could have talked, I would have; if I could have written, I would
have; but I didn't.
"Look," he said, "she's really very uncomplicated - why don't you just bang her and be done with it?"
"You'll have to move the sun."
She sat in the car by the side of the road counting pills and
wondered, now that she had gotten fired, now that John had kicked her
out of the house, did she really need to take the damn things?
Here are their first lines - please add your own (thus joining the Muses). Rules are simple - you may choose any first line from this post or its comments and use it to write a story, a poem, a play, what-have you. But of course, if you publish your work, you must change the first line - for it isn't really yours - it is the sole property of the Muses. And if you post your work online, you must acknowledge (via a link to this page) the source of your first line.
I want to live again in that house.
If I could have talked, I would have; if I could have written, I would
have; but I didn't.
"Look," he said, "she's really very uncomplicated - why don't you just bang her and be done with it?"
"You'll have to move the sun."
She sat in the car by the side of the road counting pills and
wondered, now that she had gotten fired, now that John had kicked her
out of the house, did she really need to take the damn things?
posted by Bird | 7:39 AM
19 Comments:
bird,
...with these first lines, off they went to seduce their writers.
what role serendipity?
/t.
(not knowing how to do the link thing, yet...)
I want to live again in that house...the one where things always work out well.
Where love and hope and good wishes for all flow freely and makes everyone feel swell.
But that house is gone and I know not where it is anymore, and I wonder, "was I ever really there?"
And I think and think, but cannot find its location in my memory, only a fuzzy rememberance of do I share.
A dream, perhaps, from time ago long passed, forgotten till now, like in the eve, returning cows.
....now come to curse me with feelings of inadequacies, failures, doing things wrong...
how I long again to live in that house
Berry... build a new one.
If you worry about how to start, you will worry about how to middle, and worse, how to end.
The cure is not to have others suggest any or all of the above to you.
It's like someone saying here are some tomatoes and some salt and some potatoes and some parsley and some halibut. Now make me something original and fine.
Choose the ingredients yourself.
You'll feel better....however it all turns out.
Ah, Ardlair! While I disagree with your take on first lines, I am delighted to see you! How are the Scottish highlands faring - and you? Blogging again?
Jean - welcome - and good idea - build a new one - absolutely! though I am fond of boney's poem - it resonates.
flap/flap/swoosh
Boney--yeah, thas' it----an' old dream, an' ya's due a new one.
Hey Bird Beauty...looky, I'se done some research fer ya'...was at Ye Old Bookstore and fer fun jes' glanced at some opening lines...here is a few fer ya (at least ya know these caught an editor's eye)
1) After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper."
(from The Meaning of Night)
2) "The streetlights were dimmed by the threat of dawn." (from Fresh)
3)"There it is. Right there on the novel's first page. Right in the first line, staring the reader in the face. A lie" (from Tolstoy Lied. an' yeah, it is more than the first sentence, but since it refers to one of the MOST famous of all opening lines, mayhap it's worth it.)
On the muse bidness...youse inspirin' me!! Ain't shure how a Birdy could be mah muse...but strange thangs do happen! So....next FRONT Porch post will be on Aunty's most very favorite of all ever in history opening line ter a book.
Share a poem wif us.
ooooh - i love these AB - good stuff.
i'll have to wing by the front porch and see what you've got. seems like this muse business is good for bloggers - hahaha!
i've been writing up a storm, but at this point, my work isn't even at the stage where i can share it as a rough draft. you know what i mean? i am not sure if the words are worthy yet ....
or rather, the words are certainly worthy, but i may not have rendered them with worth. hmmm... that's an odd sentence, now ain't it?
"The night was so very sultry"
"it was a cark and rainy night"
i think thats how snoopy started all his novels.
maybe sitting on top of a doghouse will help your writer; and a few milk bones for sustenance.
A-MUSE-ment fer muses:
San Jose State English dept sponsors a Dark and Stormy Night contest--the worst opening line takes the cake--print some out fer yore muse-ee and see if ya doan git a hee-haw outa him that sends him to the keyboard.
Also, get over to the SF SWIG Bar, they have a libation named "Dark and Stormy Night"
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/#The%20rules
BTW, ain't no charge fer this invaluable research. Muses of the world UNITE!
well, i was looking for a new post idea, and BAM you gave it to me. i will write for you and your uninspired student.
maybe as punishment you could have him read a book that's worth reading and then write a book report, then give him the option to write the assignment.
OH and congrats on the barry BONDS thing. Sweet Lord a Mercy, you neglected to mention what a total BABE he is. Color me a FAN!!
yum.
It was a dark, stormy, and so very sultry night and as Deliah sat perched on the oak bar stool, a pink-colored cosmo in her upraised glass, she thought to herself, "it's the best of times, it's the worst of times..."
BONDS? A BABE?
Well, he can be rather sweet - that smile of his - when he's not being an asshole.
ab: thanks for the aMUSEments - hahahaha! ANd yes, that contest is a hoot - some great lines come out of that ... hee hee.
I am glad he broke the record only because 1)it was exciting and 2) (and most importantly) I knew once he broke the record, he would not be coming back to the Giants for the next season - which gives us lots of money and now we can rebuild the team around a team concept instead of a around-Bonds concept. i am hopeful for next year, and amazed that with only a few games left in the season, my boys are now kicking ass! They whupped those Padres last night good, and they played a good game on Sunday (my last home game - yay - we won!).
Yes, I know, many may wonder how I can be so enthusiastic about a team that is dead last in its division and perhaps the proud owners of one of the worst records in baseball this year (we suck) - but hey - that's my team - and they won - two days in a row - and at home!
GO GIANTS!!!!!
no boyed. did you see the braves meteoric drop to the bottom as well? i hate baseball. grrrerhha
now its on to college football. perfect for dark and stormy nights or saturday afternoons.
hate baseball??? you blasphemer you! you shall be struck a mighty blow for such heresy!!!!!!!!!
Giants won Sunday and Monday, and looked like they were winning last night - up by two during the 8th..but ... of course, with two men on base, the batter hit a homerun and that was that. Typical Giants behavior. Sigh.
Nonetheless, I am getting pumped up for the last series of the season - GIants go to LA to close out the season in the Dodger's house.
GO GIANTS!
I don't know what I will do without baseball through the long, cold winter.
yeah...strike me just like tippy hedren got it in "the birds". man i just watched that again....she smoked like a chimney! i always root for the birds...theres not one person in the entire movie to care about...maybe suzane pleshette....but i digress
for your baseball withdrawal; you could tivo the games you dont go to and then watch them during the long dark cold bitter winter.
i thought the dodgers were ATL's mortal enemies... but everybody hates LA. some of our better players' contracts end this season....we could lose some heavy hitters. andruw jones for instance. so make that *sigh* a ditto on my end.
how is your project (the writer) coming along?
This comment has been removed by the author.
i have given up the muse buisness for that particular writer - there is nothing can be done. i think the tables have been reversed - he is my muse - i am writing up a storm (sheer garbage - but still writing).
I thought I posted here. I guess I will now. I love those pictures.
Sorry about that! Wrong post.
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