You know I took a break from writing for a little bit cause I was curious as to what my fave first line was from something I've written. So I actually looked LOL.
It's actually from Undead and it's nothing innovating. But it really sums up everything Nick's entire character arc throughout the story. And I like that it happens in the very first line of the story LOL.
"I guess a lot of people say that through every tough thing, you find more of yourself. "
On the same note anyone know of a final line that they love in their stories? Mine is from RMTW. It's so simple and yet so final. "I shut the door behind me." Because of Brian's visit with Nick being the end, it's sort of shutting the door on his acceptance of who/what Nick's become.
That article and writing more in general got me thinking about this stuff.
I think that first line of Undead is true not just of Nick, but of many of the characters! So in that respect, it actually sums up one of the themes of the whole novel.
I would say my best beginning is probably Guilty Roads. The first line is "If Nick had known the impact his choices that night would have on the people closest to him, he would have just stayed at the hotel," which I like because it foreshadows something bad happening. And that inciting event actually happens in the very first chapter. No messing around with back story and the slow building of suspense in this story!
As far as endings go, I think my favorite actual last line is from a short story, In Pieces. It's AJ's dialogue: “She didn’t love us. She just left us there in pieces.” I like it because it's catchy and incorporates the title in a way that is both figurative and literal.
My favorite overall ending to a novel has to be By My Side, though. They say you're not supposed to end with a wedding or a funeral, and I did both, but for that story, I think it worked. It was an epic ending for an overly long, completely over-the-top story. The actual last line is "Yet it was here their bodies could finally rest, side by side," which I think is a fitting ending after all the drama and suffering the characters went through.
Endings are tough, though... maybe even harder than beginnings! I think I put more pressure on myself to come up with a great last line than I do for a first line, especially for a novel I've been working on for a long time and am really attached to. I feel like I owe it a worthy ending. I probably should spend more time on my beginnings because that is really what makes or breaks the story as far as attracting readers. If the beginning sucks, they'll never bother to read the ending!
Which do you guys think is harder, writing beginnings or endings?