First Lines meme
Apr. 4th, 2021 11:47 amSwiping this from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alexcat
List the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there is any pattern. Choose your favorite opening line.
They're all Hades.
Isn't that nuts? The last twenty-eight things I've finished, not counting drabbles, were all Hades. Well, and the one Greek Myth But Mostly It's Hades story with Cerberus... And there's 14 drabbles too! Many of which are long enough most people would call them complete stories, frankly. So 42 Hades works started and finished since Jan 1st.
Fucking crazy.
Anyhow! First lines. Not including the drabbles in this one.
1. Once upon a time, there was a prince named Zagreus. By Leaf and Blade
2. Once upon a time there was a prince. Beast and Blossom
3. “It’s a curious assortment, lad.” Puppy
4. Myron clutched his obol in his hand, trying not to tremble. Serving an Underworld God
5. Hypnos drifted through unreality. Poppies Like Blood
6. Ares felt wonderfully at peace. Killing You Softly
7. Ares always did the violent things, so that other people wouldn’t have to. Hellspawn
8. Achilles stared into space, spear in hand, mind wandering, once again guarding nothing from nothing. By Nature
9. Achilles rested at the bottom of the pool, watching the way candlelight was thrown and distorted by the rippling surface above. Watering
10. “I’ve been wondering something,” said Zagreus, lounging with his head pillowed on Thanatos’ lap. Grande Mort
11. “Achilles? Could I have a moment to speak with you?” Planting
12. Aphrodite was having a perfectly lovely dream. Pretty Little Gods
13. Zagreus moved slowly through the nighttime city, all his senses alert. Wolf of War
14. “Don’t you dare hold back any longer!” Don't Hold Back
15. The first time Ares knelt before Thanatos was on the banks of the river Styx. Lay Upon My Altar Now Your Love
16. The room was dusty. Reunion Below
17. Thanatos, God of Death, Destroying Angel, Reaper of Souls, and a great many other such titles, was in his very favorite place. Matters of Life and Death
18. Thanatos heaved a deep, contented sigh. Separated by Death
19. Thanatos felt the tug of a fated soul, one of those touched by destiny or power, which he collected personally in order to keep the proper cycle of life and death turning as it ought. Evening the Score
20. “I am a complete and utter idiot,” muttered Thanatos into the empty air of Tartarus. Freedom's Price
Well, the first two amuse me. I have been on a minor fairytale kick here, admittedly. (Different princes, btw. The first is a Tam Lin and East of the Sun Hades mashup around Zagreus, Patroclus, and Achilles, while the prince in the second is Ares, in a Beauty and the Beast retelling where he's the beast and Beauty is Hypnos.)
The actual overall pattern is that my first lines are nearly always very short, even though my usual style is long and convoluted. I think that's very important! Short, punchy lines are more likely to grab people and get them to keep reading. So that's not just a habit, it's very much on purpose! They nearly always mention the central character by name, and say either where that character is, what they're doing, or what they're feeling, so that there's something almost like a summary of what's going on, in that first little punch.
I am very happy with all these, except 7, Hellspawn. It has the info I want, but something about the phrasing feels awkward. I just couldn't think of a better way to convey what it says?
Anyway, it's fun to look at all these gathered together. My favorite is hard to pick. 9, 14 (title drop in the first line, whee!) or 17 probably. 17 mostly because of how that first line pairs with the *second*, very NSFW line, lol.
alexcatList the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there is any pattern. Choose your favorite opening line.
They're all Hades.
Isn't that nuts? The last twenty-eight things I've finished, not counting drabbles, were all Hades. Well, and the one Greek Myth But Mostly It's Hades story with Cerberus... And there's 14 drabbles too! Many of which are long enough most people would call them complete stories, frankly. So 42 Hades works started and finished since Jan 1st.
Fucking crazy.
Anyhow! First lines. Not including the drabbles in this one.
1. Once upon a time, there was a prince named Zagreus. By Leaf and Blade
2. Once upon a time there was a prince. Beast and Blossom
3. “It’s a curious assortment, lad.” Puppy
4. Myron clutched his obol in his hand, trying not to tremble. Serving an Underworld God
5. Hypnos drifted through unreality. Poppies Like Blood
6. Ares felt wonderfully at peace. Killing You Softly
7. Ares always did the violent things, so that other people wouldn’t have to. Hellspawn
8. Achilles stared into space, spear in hand, mind wandering, once again guarding nothing from nothing. By Nature
9. Achilles rested at the bottom of the pool, watching the way candlelight was thrown and distorted by the rippling surface above. Watering
10. “I’ve been wondering something,” said Zagreus, lounging with his head pillowed on Thanatos’ lap. Grande Mort
11. “Achilles? Could I have a moment to speak with you?” Planting
12. Aphrodite was having a perfectly lovely dream. Pretty Little Gods
13. Zagreus moved slowly through the nighttime city, all his senses alert. Wolf of War
14. “Don’t you dare hold back any longer!” Don't Hold Back
15. The first time Ares knelt before Thanatos was on the banks of the river Styx. Lay Upon My Altar Now Your Love
16. The room was dusty. Reunion Below
17. Thanatos, God of Death, Destroying Angel, Reaper of Souls, and a great many other such titles, was in his very favorite place. Matters of Life and Death
18. Thanatos heaved a deep, contented sigh. Separated by Death
19. Thanatos felt the tug of a fated soul, one of those touched by destiny or power, which he collected personally in order to keep the proper cycle of life and death turning as it ought. Evening the Score
20. “I am a complete and utter idiot,” muttered Thanatos into the empty air of Tartarus. Freedom's Price
Well, the first two amuse me. I have been on a minor fairytale kick here, admittedly. (Different princes, btw. The first is a Tam Lin and East of the Sun Hades mashup around Zagreus, Patroclus, and Achilles, while the prince in the second is Ares, in a Beauty and the Beast retelling where he's the beast and Beauty is Hypnos.)
The actual overall pattern is that my first lines are nearly always very short, even though my usual style is long and convoluted. I think that's very important! Short, punchy lines are more likely to grab people and get them to keep reading. So that's not just a habit, it's very much on purpose! They nearly always mention the central character by name, and say either where that character is, what they're doing, or what they're feeling, so that there's something almost like a summary of what's going on, in that first little punch.
I am very happy with all these, except 7, Hellspawn. It has the info I want, but something about the phrasing feels awkward. I just couldn't think of a better way to convey what it says?
Anyway, it's fun to look at all these gathered together. My favorite is hard to pick. 9, 14 (title drop in the first line, whee!) or 17 probably. 17 mostly because of how that first line pairs with the *second*, very NSFW line, lol.