Let's Look at Leads and a Giveaway

by Suzy Leopold

Time to learn about leads and opening lines of well-written stories.

The first lines of a story use the just right words to give a reader a quick peek at the character[s], setting, and story line.

The opening lines must hook a reader. The lead is filled with power to keep the reader turning the page. Coax the reader to continue reading.

A writer must spend time crafting a compelling opening to support all of the hard work of planning, researching, writing, and rewriting a manuscript. These first words help to shape a story.

"The lead must do real work."

--Wiliam Zinsser

How can a writer bring color and cadence to one's story idea through a carefully crafted opening line? 

My students and I begin by examining mentor texts. Recently published books are studied and analyzed. Students are encouraged to read like a writer.

"If I don't like the opening sentences, I put the book back 

[on the shelf]--even if I like another book by that author."
--Peter, 5th grader

As an educator, I need to support students in understanding the lead sentence--the opening sentence, and how it must compel the reader to continue.

Together let's take a look at three nonfiction picture books.

THE PEACE TREE FROM HIROSHIMA
THE LITTLE BONSAI WITH A BIG STORY
Written by Sandra Moore
Illustrated by Kazumi Wilds

Author Sandra Moore begins with these two sentences with a POV from a bonsai tree:

"I was born nearly four hundred years ago on the island of Miyajima. As I pushed up through the dirt, I saw my reflection in the mountain lake."

PAPER SON
THE INSPIRING SOTYR OF TYRUS WONG,
IMMIGRANT AND ARTIST
Written by Julie Leung
Illustrated by Chris Sasaki

Does this opening line, written by Julie Leung, capture your interest?

"Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo who traveled with his father across a vast ocean to America, clutching a bundle of papers in his hand."

LITTLE LIBRARIES,
BIG HEROES
Written by Miranda Paul
Illustrated by John Parra

This opening line, by Miranda Paul, includes two sentences and a page turn.

"For thousands of years, people have loved stories about heroes.

Mythical heroes, historical heroes, and
even . . . "

All three of these leads use the element of "show, don't tell". Each book depicts sensory images. Color and cadence are used in the opening lines. Do you note specific nouns and strong verbs? 

Additionally, I note the three authors' voices included many of the Five Ws. The illustrator, too, incorporated images to support the opening lines.

TITLE	WHO?	WHAT?	WHEN?	WHERE?	WHY?
THE PEACE TREE	Through pictures: an inanimate object	Through words, “As I pushed up through the dirt, . . .” Through pictures: a tiny seedling pushed its way through the soil	Through words, “. . . nearly four hundred years ago . . .”	Through words: “ . . . on the island of Miyajima.” Through pictures: In a forest	Through pictures: a tiny seedling with a big story
PAPER SON	Through words, “. . . an artist named Tyrus Wong . . . Through pictures: Father & son aboard a ship	Through words, “ . . . an artist named Tyrus Wong, . . .” Through pictures: Immigrant, Tyrus & his father	Through pictures: People aboard a ship from years ago.	Through words: . . . “Across a vast ocean to America,  . . . “ Through pictures: Immigrants aboard a ship from years ago	Through pictures & words: An implied theme of immigration to seek better opportunities
LITTLE LIBRARIES	Through pictures: heroes	Through words, “. . . people have loved stories about heroes.” Through pictures: heroes	Through words,  “For thousands of years,. . .”	Through pictures: An implied location of everywhere.	Through words: “. . . Throughout the years, people have loved stories about heroes.”

An opening line may:

• Begin with a question.
• Start with a fascinating fact.
• Share an enticing andecdote.
• State a quote.
• Dive immediately into action.
• Start off with a conversation that includes dialogue.
• Depict a memorable image.

Spend time developing a compelling lead, to make every sentence that follows live up to the lead's power. 

Keep the reader wondering, inquisitive, and wanting more.

###

In the comments below share and write a compelling first line from a nonfiction book to be eligible to win a hand-crafted bookmark painted with watercolors. If you follow the instructions, I'll put your name in a hat and draw two winners. U. S. mail only.

I will announce the lucky winners on the next GROG Blog, March 25th. Good luck. 

1. Write the lead that compelled you to read further. 
2. Include the the title of the book, the author, the illustrator, and the publication date 
[2015-2020].
3. Remember to include your name and email address.

Post script thoughts: During this time, with many schools closed, I note many generous folks sharing read alouds, story time, activities, drawing tips, writing lessons, and more online. Thank you bloggers, authors, illustrators, etc. for encouraging children to avoid "The Spring Slide". 

Want more information? Click on Avoid the Spring Slide to find a list of links. I will continue to update the post with more resources overtime.

May our children continue to learn, grow, stay engaged and be healthy. 

It Was the Best of Lines, It Was the Worst of Lines ~ by Patricia Toht

Perhaps you've seen the cartoon. The Peanuts character, Snoopy, sits atop his doghouse. He taps out the opening line: "It was a dark and stormy night..."

This line is often mocked as the absolute worst opening line of a novel.  Perhaps the beginning of Edward Buller-Lytton's PAUL CLIFFORD might not have become so thoroughly ridiculed had the author not crammed 51 more words into his first sentence. Today, his words have even inspired a yearly contest  for a novel's worst opening.

Yet one famous children's novelist, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, used the same seven words to open a Newbury-Winning book. "It was a dark and stormy night." So begins A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle. And it works quite well, I think.







So, what makes for a great opening line (or two)? 

It can be short: "There is no lake at Camp Green Lake." (HOLES by Louis Sachar)

It can be long: "I was ten years old when my little brother Louis began driving my mother's car, and by the time I was eleven, he had put over 400 miles on it." (MY BROTHER LOUIS MEASURES WORMS by Barbara Robinson)

It can be in between: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." (THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER)

It can be ominous: "Sometimes there's no warning." (OATH BREAKER by Michelle Braver)

Or cheeky: : “This chapter is a very short one. It should really have been called ‘Preface’ or ‘Introduction’, but I knew that you would never read it if I called it by such a boring name, so I have called it Chapter One.” (THE DRAGON’S QUEST by Rosemary Manning)


I recently listened to a podcast, "Tim Key's Suspended Sentence", in which comedian/author Tim Key tried to unravel the mystery to a great opening. I think he nailed it when he stated:

"A good first line is a piece of cheese in a mousetrap. 

The reader takes a nibble and, SNAP!, is caught."

Humor can be a tasty nibble. Surprise can be tasty, too. So can mystery. Or shock. The key, I believe, is to touch a basic human emotion. Make your reader feel, wonder, laugh.

But, hey, I'm still working on this whole opening line thing. Let's see what others have to say. In a post from Writer's Digest, Jacob M. Appel lists seven scenarios that could make for a great start:

A statement of eternal principal.

A statement of simple fact.

A statement of paired facts.

A statement of simple fact, laced with significance.

A statement to introduce voice.

A statement to establish mood.

A statement that serves as a frame.

Check out the way that Maureen Lynas pairs picture book openings with these scenarios.

Can you have examples of your own? How do the openings shared in Monday's post fit with these?

Speaking of Monday's post, I have answers to the first lines quiz, (reading left to right, top to bottom, and color-coded, too!):
1. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
2. THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE by Jonathan Stroud
3. SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR by Matthew Quick
4. THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater
5. THE FINAL FOUR by Paul Volponi
6. DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
7. GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray
8. THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd
9. DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
10. EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. King

How did you do? (Better than I did, I'm sure!)

First Lines -- A Quiz ~ by Patricia Toht

I love my local library!

Photo by Richard Roche

The public library in Wheaton, Illinois has been ranked a Top 10 Library (2006) by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings. It sprawls over three floors, with the entire lower level being devoted to children's books. On the top level, there is also a section dedicated to Young Adult novels. It was in this section that I recently saw a display, topped by this sign:

Below the sign were pieces of paper, each containing the opening line or lines of a different book:

Beneath each piece of paper was the corresponding book. Well, each book was supposed to be under there. But the opening teasers worked so well that most of the books were checked out. Of course, that drove me crazy! Thank heaven, the thoughtful librarians had a cheat sheet with the answers. 

Do you know the answers? 

Would you like to? 

Well, you will have to wait until Wednesday. Until then, please join me in wondering -- 

What makes a good opening line?

Also, I have a little unfinished business to attend to. A winner has to be drawn for last week's giveaway. 

It's times like this that I wish I had an adorable guinea pig named Cookie. When author Cynthia Lord has a book to give away, she fans out strips of paper and waits for Cookie to go nibble on the winner's name. I tried to enlist our dog, Sanji, but this is the look he gave me --

So I relied on the old shake-in-the-bag method, and the book WHERE DO FAIRIES GO WHEN IT SNOWS? by Liza Gardner Walsh and Hazel Mitchell goes to...

JANET SMART!

And the winner of the Winter Fairy Kit is...

CATHY BALLOU MEALEY!

Congratulations, Janet and Cathy! We'll be in touch. 
Thank you to all of our readers who entered the drawing.