Week 5 – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week 5 – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

You can read it here

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm

https://www.read.gov/books/christmas-carol.html

First published: December 19, 1843

Here's what the story is about: Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly and selfish miser, is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

First line/paragraph:
Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge’s name was good upon ’Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

This story starts with introduction of two characters, Marley and Scrooge. Marley is dead, so we expect not to see him in the story [Hah!]. Scrooge would then appear to be the main character. We also have the POV [third person or omniscient]. The fact that Marley is dead appears to be very important to the story. It is mentioned multiple times, with multiple witnesses attesting to his demise, along with terms like “no doubt whatever” and “dead as a door-nail”. At this point however, that's all we know about the plot.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this story in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Should I include my prologue?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm querying a fantasy novel that begins with a prologue which sets up the world and its mythology for readers before the main characters are introduced.  I'm getting conflicting feedback from other writer friends about whether to include this in the first 5/10/20/50 pages agents request with a query.  Some people tell me I should send the pages where the story starts, while others say I should send the first pages of the actual book - which are the prologue.

Do you have any insight into this?  I feel like the story won't make a lot of sense without the prologue, but at the same time, I have focused my query on the characters and their journeys and none of these characters appear in the prologue.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,

Unsure

Dear Unsure,

This is one of those questions that comes up all the time. 

In my opinion if an agent or editor asks for the first 5/10/20 etc pages, that's what you send them.  If they are intrigued and you've sent only the pages post-prologue, they will be confused when they receive your full manuscript and it's different to the pages you sent previously.

That said, make sure your prologue is really necessary.  Too many books start with a prologue that really has nothing to do with the story being told, or introduce characters that never appear again in the book.  Often a prologue provides an action-packed beginning to the story to grab attention, or is used as a way to info-dump a bunch of stuff the writer wants the reader to know before they start reading the story itself.

If your prologue is genuinely necessary, then send those pages.  If  it's only there to grab attention or give background that could just as easily be seeded through the main part of the story, then I'd rethink whether you really need that prologue.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby

Week 4 – The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Welcome to 2024!  Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week 4 – The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

You can read it here

https://poestories.com/read/raven

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven

First published: January 1845

Here's what the story is about: This poem, for which Poe received a payment of $9, was published by the New York Evening Mirror and then by The American Review. While the poem’s narrator is mourning the death of his beloved Lenore, a raven enters the room and perches on a bust of Pallas. The narrator asks the raven questions, but its only response is “nevermore”.

First line/paragraph:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

This poem starts with the time [midnight], some of the setting [bedroom], a bit of character [pondering, nodding/sleepy], and the beginning of plot [tapping on the door]. We also have the POV [first person], and a bit of the narrative voice and flavor of the story [somber, dreary].

The words and tempo of the poem adds to the dreary atmosphere, and we have the beginning of the character and plot in the first line. The end [which obviously we don't know yet] circles back to this beginning of “nothing more” and “nevermore”.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this story in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: What does publishing look like in 2024?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm a published author whose been out of the publishing arena for a few years (I had kids, had to get a day job, got out of the habit of writing....) and am hoping to dive back in this year with a new novel I've been working on for a few years. 

I know the world changed a lot through COVID and I'm just wondering what publishing actually looks like in 2024. Do you have any insight into trends or anything that might be useful to know as an author heading back into publishing after a period of time away?

Kind regards, 

Old Hat

Dear Old Hat,

I'm not sure how long you've been away or what kind of book you've written, or even if you're looking at traditional or self-publishing, so my answers may not be what you're looking for.  Feel free to check back in with me if you need to know anything specific!

Political books are popular.  Some of the biggest sellers in the past few years were books by political figures (Barak Obama, Bill Clinton) or about them (Donald Trump, Joe Biden).

In kidlit (children's and YA books) diversity is a must. Since publishing realised there was a distinct lack of diversity in books for young people, publishers have actively been seeking out books featuring people of colour, those living with disabilities, those from the LGBTQIA+ community and others who have historically been underrepresented in fiction. 

Self-publishing is booming. With the popularity of e-books skyrocketing during the COVID years, the number of authors choosing to take control of their own work and career is growing. And with readers increasingly using social media platforms to access information about what's good, authors are becoming more digital savvy in the ways they market to them.  There's a reason people are talking about "Book Tok" and "Bookstagrammers".  If you're going to sell books in 2024, you'd better be good at social media if you want to stand out!

While the publishing giants keep trying to consolidate and become one giant publishing machine, some small presses are seeing significant growth.  Some of these presses are very niche, but they are also more likely to take risks on unknown authors or books that don't fit neatly into a specific genre.

Audiobooks continue to grow in popularity.  And as self publishing tools make creating audiobooks simpler, we are likely to see even more growth in this area.  

I don't think we can talk about publishing in 2024 without mentioning AI.  As far as I can tell, AI hasn't managed to write a good novel yet, but as its use becomes more and more normalised across other types of writing (marketing, PR, articles etc) and the machine consumes vast quantities of other peoples' writing to "learn" how to write, I  suspect it is only a matter of time.  Personally, I don't think this is a good thing as writing is an art and good art is created in response to human experiences and emotions. But I don't think the people who stand to profit from more use of AI give much creedence to what I think.  There are already AI-written novels out there, I'm sure, even if they are not brandishing that fact on the cover (which is probably also AI generated).

And that's just a few of the things I'm seeing in publishing.  Just let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

X O'Abby

Suzanna's Writing and Reading Goals for 2024

 

(Image source)

Wow, I can't believe that January is halfway over already! I decided to do something a little different this year. In December 2023, I took the Heart Breathings HB90 Bootcamp by Sarra Cannon to break the year into quarters by making goals and planning projects each quarter. I've been trying for years (and years) to develop tools from others and discover my preferences with planners, tracking progress, making goals, and completing goals.

And with all those years of experimenting, I have had little success with follow through. I make all of these wonderful goals at the beginning of the year. I start off great, but then the Suzanna Train loses steam and screeches off the track. Sure, I've reached some of my goals, but I have been anything but consistent, except during NaNo. Somehow, I can do NaNo. I even made it to 100 K with my double NaNo goal in 2023. YAY!

While I am still experimenting with my planner system, I'm thrilled that I took the HB90 Bootcamp course. I can already feel a difference with the progress I've made so far on my goals. 

• I'm not beating myself up when I fail to meet my daily or weekly to do list.
• Each day is a fresh start. Today is a good day to have a good day.
• It is really hard to make habits, but progress is progress.
• Life will throw curveballs no matter how much I plan. Gotta get up.

So, I want to continue writing, reading, and making progress on my personal goals. Here goes the start of a new quarter.

Here are my writing goals for 2024:

1. Write 50,000 words in 30 days as part of a NaNo project (Camp in April, Camp in July, or NaNo in November).
2. Write at least one children's book.
3. Write at least one new short story.
4. Edit at least one short story from my undergrad days.
5. Write at least twelve poems.
6. Put together a poetry collection.
7. Work on the draft of the graphic novel.
8. Take a course on publishing.

Of course as a writer, I also need to read. Can I make it to 250 this year? I made it to 247 last year.

1. Read 12 literary magazines.
2. Read 12 novels.
3. Read 12 short story collections.
4. Read 12 poetry collections.
5. Read 12 graphic novels.
6. Read 12 children's books.
7. Participate in every Kindle Reading Challenge this year and get at least 90% of the badges. 

What are some of your writing and reading goals for 2024?

Week 3 – The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Welcome to 2024!  Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel 

Week 3 – The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

This short story was published by The New Yorker magazine on June 26, 1948.  You can read it here

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

First published: June 26, 1948

Here's what the story is about: A small American community observes a long-standing annual tradition known as "the lottery", conducted to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens. No spoilers! Members of the community pull papers out of a hat, but the winner doesn't exactly “win”....

First line/paragraph: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took only about two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.”

This story starts with the season and weather, which is one of the cliché openings we are advised not to use. But line 2 begins the plot, giving us setting and an introduction to the villagers and what is happening. We haven't met any of the characters yet, but we know they live in a small village with a communal “square”, and they are currently gathering there for what appears to be an annual summer tradition called the lottery. We also have an idea of the POV [third person or omniscient], and a bit of the narrative voice and flavor of the story.

Despite this first line being a bit cliché, I think it works well here especially because the second line gets right into the story.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: How do I start?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've been wanting to write a novel for years and years, and this year, I have resolved to actually do it.  I have an idea I think is pretty solid, but I'm just not sure exactly how t physically start writing a book.

Any tips for a newbie?

Happy New Year,

Greenhorn

Dear Greenhorn,

I wish it was a simple as that, but like many things, there is no one way to write a novel.  Every writer has their own process for starting, and finishing a book.  And the only way you're going to figure out how you like to do it, is by trying it out.

That said, I can give you some things you can try to see if they suit you....

Some writers like to do a lot of planning before they start writing the actual book.  This may include writing detailed character studies to better understand the way these individuals will behave in certain situations.  If you're writing fantasy you may want to do some work on developing the world of your story so you understand the way things work there and the way your characters might fit into the societies you're creating.  If you're writing a mystery or thriller you way want to write a timeline so you can make sure things are revealed and hinted at in the right places.

Some writers like to have an outline of their novel written ahead of time so they know basically what is going to happen in each chapter and that the scenes they plan to write fit nicely and drive the story toward its conclusion. Other writers just wing it and start writing and find their stories through the writing process.

But you can do both. Outlines can be as detailed or loose as you want them to be. Personally, I never write more than a page or two, just outlining the bare bones of what I think the story might be.  And if I veer away from that in the writing process, so be it.  One thing I've learnt though, is writing the ending early on is generally a good idea if you're basically winging it, because it gives you somewhere to aim.  Again, if you end up going elsewhere and it works better, so be it...

Another thing I personally find useful is to write a query letter for my novel pretty early on.  That helps me see if the story has enough stakes and if I can easily find the throughline and spine of the story.  You can even try to get the entire story into a single sentence or logline to test the strength of the story.  If you can do that, then you've definitely got something!

So my best advice to you is to just sit down and start.  You'll learn pretty quickly what works for you and what doesn't doesn't.

Best of luck with the writing.  Have fun with it.

X O'Abby

Week 2 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

Welcome to 2024!  Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week 2 – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

https://www.jkrowling.com/book/harry-potter-philosophers-stone/

First published: June 26, 1997

Here's what the story is about: Harry Potter is an orphan who lives with his emotionally abusive aunt and uncle. On his eleventh birthday, he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learns he’s actually a wizard.  During the school year while studying magic, he learns he has an archenemy whose goal is to destroy him.

First line/paragraph: “Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.”

This book starts by introducing the reader to characters. We know they are a husband and wife, we know their last name, we know a little about where they live, and we know how they see themselves. We also know that something “strange or mysterious” will happen in the story, which will be a surprise to them. We also have an idea of the POV [third person or omniscient], and a bit of the narrative voice and flavor of the story.

Compared with the first line of the Agatha Christie book from last week, this first line is [in my opinion] much more intriguing and a better hook.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Week 1 – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Welcome to 2024!  Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week 1 – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

https://www.agathachristie.com/stories/murder-on-the-orient-express

First published: January 1, 1934, exactly 90 years ago today!

Here's what the story is about: Poirot was on the Orient Express returning to London from Istanbul. The train was stopped in Yugoslavia [now divided into 6 countries] by a heavy snowfall. While stopped, a passenger was stabbed 12 times and died. Poirot resolves the murder.

First line/paragraph: It was five o’clock on a winter’s morning in Syria. Alongside the platform at Aleppo stood the train grandly designated in railway guides as the Taurus Express. It consisted of a kitchen and dining-car, a sleeping-car and two local coaches.

Modern readers are much more fickle than readers 90 years ago. I've read that earlier readers loved description because most of the places in books were out-of-reach to the average person. Today, however, we can use the internet to see photos and video of anywhere in the world. There is also much more competing for our attention spans – smart phones, videos, internet, etc. Therefore, modern readers will get bored and put the book down if nothing interesting happens on the first page. Therefore, most modern stories start with characters and action/plot.

This book starts by introducing the reader to where [Syria] and when [winter, 5am]. The rest of the paragraph continues with the specific city [Aleppo], the specific location [train station], and a brief description of the train. No one is introduced yet, and nothing is happening.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story or Agatha Christie, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, how would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!