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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Those Favorite Lines

One of the things that makes writing worthwhile, and makes it easy to sequester yourself in that room and focus for hours on end, are all those little jewels that pop up when you least expect them. You know those lines I'm talking about. They snap into place like they were specifically crafted for that spot in the WIP. They come out of nowhere and make you giggle, or snicker, or tear up.

Weeks later, when you're re-reading the manuscript for the fourth or fifth time, they still make you giggle, or snicker, or tear up.

Every manuscript has them. Heck, almost every chapter of every manuscript has them.

So let's share some here.

Post your favorite line from your first chapter and then your second one. A bit of set up is fine..or you can just let that line shine on its own.

I'll start.

From The Cat's Meow.

Chapter One: Rianna's syrupy response sounded eerily familiar, like something Bree might have said herself, oh--say--a dozen or so times in the past.

Chapter Two: The wreck clung to life with one determined belch after another. He was about to knock on the driver's window and tell her to pop the hood so he could yank the distributor cap when it cut loose with one last elephantine fart and lapsed into blessed silence.

Okay so I cheated on that last one. :LOL:

So what are your favorite lines?

Share by posting in the comments section.

9 comments:

  1. Great lines, Theresa!

    I'll play, too. This is from the first chapter of a book I stopped writing and might get back to some day:

    Energy burned through Dara’s veins, and she curled her hands into fists, the skin on her knuckles splattered with her date’s dried blood.

    From Chapter Two:

    She scarfed down all six spring rolls, two containers of peach yogurts, half a box of Ding Dongs and a pitcher of pink lemonade.

    That's not a favorite line because of the wonderful prose, but because my heroine can eat all that and more -- and NOT GAIN WEIGHT! I'm living vicariously through her. lol

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  2. Edie, loved those lines and Dara sounds like a heroine you don't want to lose. You need to write her book! She might even come after you with those bloody fists if you don't! *grin*

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  3. If I go back to it, I'll have to do some restructuring. It was going into a direction that I knew wouldn't sell.

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  4. Doesn't that just figure.
    She sounds like a great character. I hope you can figure out a way to rework it to make it marketable.

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  5. Edie, I love that line from your first chapter. If that was a first line, reading on would be a no-brainer!

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  6. See Edie,

    Two to one and majority rules, you're going to have to finish that sucker now. :lol:

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  7. Ooo...ooo...I wanna play. Hope I'm not too late! Umm...one line right? Okay, got one.

    In conjuction with the situation, that's one hell of an understatement.

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  8. Ooo...ooo...I wanna play. Hope it's not too late! Umm...one line, right? Okay, got one.

    In conjunction with the situation, that's one hell of an understatement.

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  9. I'm so Sorry Jodi,

    Somehow I missed this, in fact when you mentioned your comment posting twice, I got confused-- since the one above only posted once. :lol:

    Great line, too-- really makes me want to continue reading to see what the situation is. LOL

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