It is a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a muse must be in want of the perfect opening line. From Jane Austen to Dostoyevsky, from 'once upon a time' to 'it was a dark and stormy night', the memorable beginnings are the ones that hook you in immediately and are often plagiarised, memorised and bastardised by the rest of us. Whether you're writing the next War and Peace or the next Mills and Boon, a weekly column for The Times or something as frivolous as this blog, a good opening - a good introduction - is important.
Which I suppose is why I now need to offer humble apologies to Jane Austen for stealing her best line and then messing with it. (Well, it worked for Seth Grahame-Smith in 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', and I like to think that Miss Austen would have raised a wry smile at that modern classic). I started this blog after a) severe nagging from a friend - who remains nameless for their own safety/to protect the incredibly guilty - to not start and stop on the blogging/journal front as so many times in the past (ah, the joy of a new journal every Christmas...to be faithfully written in a la Anne Frank every day. I usually stopped after a week, although at the age of 13 I believe I managed an entire fortnight); and b) because someone very wise - my English teacher at secondary school - told me that it was important to write every day if I wanted to be serious about my scribbling. I am still awaiting the 'serious' part of the writing project to unfold, but with hindsight this actually does appear to make sense. Who knew? But in preperation for the five-book deal from a top publisher (every girl has to have a dream, after all), this blog will be my attempt to write something every day, even if it's just a five line rant about the idiot who attempts to run me over every morning. I don't take it personally...
But it's not just in writing where a good beginning is important. In life, too, a 'good first impression' or 'a good start to things' is something we pride ourselves on. Whether it's job interviews, the first day of school or meeting new people, we remember what our mothers told us and do our best to ensure that we leave a positive impact. And sometimes this is more difficult than we imagined; in my case, for example, I either revert to 'shy girl' type and never say anything unless directly addressed (usually with much blushing and stammering), or I overcompensate for my nerves and become completely over-the-top bubbly and hyperactive. Still, either way I must be doing something right because I have actually managed to make friends with other people rather than being the completely socially-inept weirdo I always imagine myself to be. I don't necessarily subscribe to the whole 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet' theory, but there must be something in it: some of the people that I consider my dearest friends only came into my life in the last 12 months; before that, we were strangers (and some of us were just, well, strange. It's what makes you so endearing...) The first impression was obviously good enough to make them stick around - my grandmother would be so proud!
But as well as a good beginning, every writer needs to have a good ending. I haven't figured out what mine will be yet, mainly because I'm hoping that there's a lot more to come, but whatever the next chapter is like I'm reasonably sure that my English teacher was right - practice will make perfect...
Which I suppose is why I now need to offer humble apologies to Jane Austen for stealing her best line and then messing with it. (Well, it worked for Seth Grahame-Smith in 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', and I like to think that Miss Austen would have raised a wry smile at that modern classic). I started this blog after a) severe nagging from a friend - who remains nameless for their own safety/to protect the incredibly guilty - to not start and stop on the blogging/journal front as so many times in the past (ah, the joy of a new journal every Christmas...to be faithfully written in a la Anne Frank every day. I usually stopped after a week, although at the age of 13 I believe I managed an entire fortnight); and b) because someone very wise - my English teacher at secondary school - told me that it was important to write every day if I wanted to be serious about my scribbling. I am still awaiting the 'serious' part of the writing project to unfold, but with hindsight this actually does appear to make sense. Who knew? But in preperation for the five-book deal from a top publisher (every girl has to have a dream, after all), this blog will be my attempt to write something every day, even if it's just a five line rant about the idiot who attempts to run me over every morning. I don't take it personally...
But it's not just in writing where a good beginning is important. In life, too, a 'good first impression' or 'a good start to things' is something we pride ourselves on. Whether it's job interviews, the first day of school or meeting new people, we remember what our mothers told us and do our best to ensure that we leave a positive impact. And sometimes this is more difficult than we imagined; in my case, for example, I either revert to 'shy girl' type and never say anything unless directly addressed (usually with much blushing and stammering), or I overcompensate for my nerves and become completely over-the-top bubbly and hyperactive. Still, either way I must be doing something right because I have actually managed to make friends with other people rather than being the completely socially-inept weirdo I always imagine myself to be. I don't necessarily subscribe to the whole 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet' theory, but there must be something in it: some of the people that I consider my dearest friends only came into my life in the last 12 months; before that, we were strangers (and some of us were just, well, strange. It's what makes you so endearing...) The first impression was obviously good enough to make them stick around - my grandmother would be so proud!
But as well as a good beginning, every writer needs to have a good ending. I haven't figured out what mine will be yet, mainly because I'm hoping that there's a lot more to come, but whatever the next chapter is like I'm reasonably sure that my English teacher was right - practice will make perfect...
No comments:
Post a Comment