It was the best of lines, it was the worst of lines

A great first line can stick in a reader's mind forever. So can a terrible first line. Ultimately, a story or poem or essay is far more than just the opening sentence, of course, but just for fun we're going to look at bad beginnings today.

First, check out this satiric article by McSweeny's. (McSweeny's publishes a lot of humor writing, so if that's something you want to read or to write, check 'em out.)

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/first-drafts-of-the-greatest-opening-sentences-in-literature?fbclid=IwAR1tydvOzbosZwJCqAa8D4UH6AdXoh9NvoaNw2aneLUz-36IuV4LJdnTiaU

Next, check out the Bulwer-Lytton contest. This is a contest named after a famously bad novelist (he was good at many other things, just not so much at writing) who was the actual originator of "It was a dark and stormy night." This isn't that bad an opening sentence, honestly, but maybe that was the pinnacle of his career. In any case, this contest is for terrible opening sentences. Scroll through them, enjoy, and pick one to use as the start of a story!

https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/winners





 

Comments

  1. Letitia MoffittMay 9, 2022 at 7:14 AM

    Also you can consider creating your own "worst first line" for the Bulwer-Lytton Contest. Post here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RylandMay 9, 2022 at 9:16 AM

    I regretted eating asparagus earlier; it ruined such a perfect scene of the long golden stream arcing pulchritudinously through the windless air and down into the bright green ruffage below.

    ReplyDelete

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