We all know the importance of the first three paragraphs to an agent, an editor, and a reader—hook ‘em right away, keep ‘em hooked. Excellent advice, to be sure. But what about the opening line? If all you could present was the opening sentence of your work in progress, would one of these three important people want to keep reading?
Let’s take a classic example.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
--C. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Interesting. “When?” we ask. “Why?” and “Where?” Always good to engender questions—it makes the reader want to continue, want to discover the answers.
Now a contemporary example:
“About last night,” I began awkwardly.
--J. Lanyon, Perfect Day
“Ooo,” you say. “What about last night? Sounds juicy.” And on you go, seeking the answer.
One more—from a modern day thriller:
When the first man woke up that morning, he wasn’t thinking about killing anyone.
--J. Sandford, Easy Prey
Yep, I’m going to keep reading.
But you can take it to ridiculous extremes. The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest seeks out “the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.” The contest is named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, who wrote:
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is I London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
--E.G. Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford
Certainly as purple as prose can get. Interest drowned in verbosity after the em dash.
What’s your opening line? Does it make the reader want to journey on, keep reading? Can it be stronger?
If you like, leave your opening line in the comments section.
~*~
BIO:
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. Years later, inventing characters and putting them through their paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee and a creating an adventure featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sex and the Single Teenager
Recently, I had a conversation about how “far” can you go in a GBLTQ young adult romance. I’ve beta-read young adult, but I write about adults for adults—this is unchartered territory for me. Can you have open-mouthed kisses, touching with naming of acts and parts? What if both characters are under age eighteen (read: legal consent)?
It’s a bit grey out there folks, and I don’t mean Shades of.
Middle grade fiction is pretty cut and dried in this area. New Adult books (kids 18-25—out of the parent’s house and on their own) can test the limits, just like adults only books. It’s the 14-18 year-old group giving us fits. Here’s my take:
Since both characters need to be under eighteen, I'd prefer them both at least sixteen--fifteen is too close to childhood to me, and at that age, a year can make an enormous difference in maturity. In some states, you can marry at sixteen, and that seems to be more comfortable.
With regard to the sex—shouldn’t have anything explicit. To me, "explicit" means graphic descriptions of the acts and naming of parts. The bedroom door is nearly "closed."
Is it okay to have the characters nervously shed their clothes and retreat to the comfort of the bed, burning with an unfamiliar need? Can one of them say, "Have you ever...done anything with another guy?"
There are YA books out there that push the envelope right past New Adult into eighteen-and-over audiences. To me, these are adult books that happen to be about teenaged characters.
Where would you draw the line?
~*~
BIO:
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
It’s a bit grey out there folks, and I don’t mean Shades of.
Middle grade fiction is pretty cut and dried in this area. New Adult books (kids 18-25—out of the parent’s house and on their own) can test the limits, just like adults only books. It’s the 14-18 year-old group giving us fits. Here’s my take:
Since both characters need to be under eighteen, I'd prefer them both at least sixteen--fifteen is too close to childhood to me, and at that age, a year can make an enormous difference in maturity. In some states, you can marry at sixteen, and that seems to be more comfortable.
With regard to the sex—shouldn’t have anything explicit. To me, "explicit" means graphic descriptions of the acts and naming of parts. The bedroom door is nearly "closed."
Is it okay to have the characters nervously shed their clothes and retreat to the comfort of the bed, burning with an unfamiliar need? Can one of them say, "Have you ever...done anything with another guy?"
There are YA books out there that push the envelope right past New Adult into eighteen-and-over audiences. To me, these are adult books that happen to be about teenaged characters.
Where would you draw the line?
~*~
BIO:
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Split Personality: Writing Under More Than One Author Name
I’ve seen this come up in discussion time and again. Write under my real name? A pen name? More than one name? And will it help or hurt my marketing efforts?
There’s more than one way to skin this cat (no offense to feline lovers).
First, consider the reason you want to write under a pen name. Do you want privacy from fans? Is the material not something you’d like your eighty-year-old grandmother to investigate? Would writing under your own name endanger your job? Do you have a business in your name, like Mabel Blime’s Plumbing? You may not want to use Mabel Blime, even if it is your own name. Is your name hard to pronounce or spell? Is it too common (Mary Brown, for example. There are over a million of these in the U.S. Census)? Do you have the same name as an already-famous author? This may sound like a huge advantage, but it isn’t—people get annoyed, believe it or not. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.
Second, consider why you might want a second writer name (either a second pen name, or a pen name). Are you planning to write something very different from your first writer name’s genre? For example, are you jumping from erotic romance to Middle Grade? Is your original author name something too suggestive for writing a different genre? Some erotica authors use names that are very suggestive of what kind of books they may write. Are you going to be writing with a co-author? You may want to consider a melding of your two names. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.
And now, a few reasons why you might NOT want to write under a pen name. Do you want to maintain two separate personas, including separate fan emails, Facebook sites, Twitter accounts? Are you organized enough to not cross-post by accident? Do you want to pay a web designer, publicist, and/or promoter to get the stuff in place you for a publishing platform? Do you plan to write more than one genre? If the answer to these questions is “no,” you may not need a second writer name.
In the end, it’s a personal decision. It’s more work, but it can also save you heartache if you choose to go avante garde in your choice of material, or want to write a variety of genres.
Questions? Comments?
~*~
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
There’s more than one way to skin this cat (no offense to feline lovers).
First, consider the reason you want to write under a pen name. Do you want privacy from fans? Is the material not something you’d like your eighty-year-old grandmother to investigate? Would writing under your own name endanger your job? Do you have a business in your name, like Mabel Blime’s Plumbing? You may not want to use Mabel Blime, even if it is your own name. Is your name hard to pronounce or spell? Is it too common (Mary Brown, for example. There are over a million of these in the U.S. Census)? Do you have the same name as an already-famous author? This may sound like a huge advantage, but it isn’t—people get annoyed, believe it or not. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.
Second, consider why you might want a second writer name (either a second pen name, or a pen name). Are you planning to write something very different from your first writer name’s genre? For example, are you jumping from erotic romance to Middle Grade? Is your original author name something too suggestive for writing a different genre? Some erotica authors use names that are very suggestive of what kind of books they may write. Are you going to be writing with a co-author? You may want to consider a melding of your two names. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider a pen name.
And now, a few reasons why you might NOT want to write under a pen name. Do you want to maintain two separate personas, including separate fan emails, Facebook sites, Twitter accounts? Are you organized enough to not cross-post by accident? Do you want to pay a web designer, publicist, and/or promoter to get the stuff in place you for a publishing platform? Do you plan to write more than one genre? If the answer to these questions is “no,” you may not need a second writer name.
In the end, it’s a personal decision. It’s more work, but it can also save you heartache if you choose to go avante garde in your choice of material, or want to write a variety of genres.
Questions? Comments?
~*~
Once upon a misspent youth, Whitley read and wrote stories under the covers at night. At some point, real life intervened, bringing with it responsibilities and a career in the medical field. After years of technical writing, Whitley became enamored of romance and took on the challenge of giving it a try. Inventing characters and putting them through paces in interesting ways turned out to be addictive, and along the way, Whitley discovered that two heroes is twice as nice. A pot of coffee, quiet, and a storyline featuring a couple of guys makes for a perfect day. Stop by www.whitleygray.com and feed your fix for heat between the sheets with erotica and M/M romance.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Queer as Folk as a Resource for Writers
Familiar with this ground-breaking Showtime presentation that ran for five seasons 2000 to 2004? Good. Not acquainted? Here’s a brief introduction.
It’s likely the first time a television show tackled the grittier aspects of gay and lesbian life. There’s quite a bit of nudity in these episodes, including portrayals of sexual practices. Some of the scenes are graphic, but never pornographic in my opinion. The plots are fast-moving and engross the watcher. The characters—gay and straight—are compelling, and range in age from fifteen to a man in his sixties; lesbians are also represented.
The topics presented on the show are still relevant today: clubbing; casual but responsible sex using condoms; long-term love interests; HIV; gay bashing; discrimination; gay marriage; kids. This is only a sampling.
Where the gay/lesbian character stands with his/her family figures in as well. Ranging from a colorful PFLAG mom who embraces her son and the surrounding culture to outright familial rejection, these are believable interactions.
Whether you’ve never seen the show, or want to reacquaint yourself with the characters, it’s good entertainment, and an easy way to get some information. It could inspire your next manuscript.
I'm sure not everyone agrees. Comments?
~*~
Whitley writes erotic and M/M romance. Find her books at
www.whitleygray.com.
It’s likely the first time a television show tackled the grittier aspects of gay and lesbian life. There’s quite a bit of nudity in these episodes, including portrayals of sexual practices. Some of the scenes are graphic, but never pornographic in my opinion. The plots are fast-moving and engross the watcher. The characters—gay and straight—are compelling, and range in age from fifteen to a man in his sixties; lesbians are also represented.
The topics presented on the show are still relevant today: clubbing; casual but responsible sex using condoms; long-term love interests; HIV; gay bashing; discrimination; gay marriage; kids. This is only a sampling.
Where the gay/lesbian character stands with his/her family figures in as well. Ranging from a colorful PFLAG mom who embraces her son and the surrounding culture to outright familial rejection, these are believable interactions.
Whether you’ve never seen the show, or want to reacquaint yourself with the characters, it’s good entertainment, and an easy way to get some information. It could inspire your next manuscript.
I'm sure not everyone agrees. Comments?
~*~
Whitley writes erotic and M/M romance. Find her books at
www.whitleygray.com.
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