Let's talk about it | Beginnings

​Entering the new year, I can’t help but find myself thinking about beginnings.

We come into a new year and it’s all about starting afresh. It brings with it New Years' resolutions. And, how the year begins can really play a huge part in how the rest of the year will play out for us emotionally and mentally. What we will focus on, and what we won’t. 

We put so much focus into our beginnings. Hell, how many of us have gone on a Sunday night: “hey, I’m going to start x goal tomorrow”? Let’s be real, it’s because Mondays signify another beginning. And, we can attribute so much to how our lives begin, with so much about the first few years in our lives playing a huge role in the person we become when we’re older.

When it comes to stories and storytelling, beginnings are critical. A strong beginning that pulls people in can be the difference between people caring about the story, and people tuning out after the first few moments.

So, for our very first ‘Let’s talk about it’, let’s talk about beginnings.

​Throughout my schooling and in university, it was drilled into me how important a story’s beginning was.
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“Charlotte, if the first line of your book doesn’t capture the publisher’s attention, then forget about it—it’s not getting published. You can throw your dreams of becoming a published author right in the trash”

Not those words exactly, but the general sentiment is the same. If the beginning of your book, film, poem, videogame… whatever the form of the story, doesn’t capture the attention of those consuming said story, it’s probably not going to fly.

This sentiment sticks so deeply into my mind that any time I start a new book, videogame, or whatever, I am so drawn in to the first line or first few introductory moments. I think to myself: “OK, so this is what they went with” and then analyse to myself why that one-line, paragraph, or introduction got enough attention for it to become a published story.

As a professional writer and an aspiring author, I find I learn a lot when I let myself analyse the beginning of any book I read. I think to myself how I could write a similar beginning for the book I want to write, and if it would work in the same way. Will I finally get the chance to be published? Will my dreams come true with a perfect beginning?

Honestly, the pressure I put on myself just with the first line is enough for me to procrastinate a lot. And, I look forward to the day I find myself finally published and someone goes: “That’s what she decided to go with for her beginning?!”

Anyway, I digress. And, chances are you’ve already tuned out, so I’ve probably failed at my introduction to keep you tuned in. However, if I haven’t, what I would really like to do is share the first lines from books I rate 5/5 stars and consider whether their beginnings rate the same to me, and whether they played a role in getting to that perfect rating.

Some of these books are captured on my StoryGraph account. Some aren’t because I read them before I’d gotten around to downloading it.
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Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider

​“Run, Maric!”
And run he did.

Alright, let’s get this one out of the way and address the elephant in the room: of course I’m biased here. I love the Dragon Age series, and I’m currently doing a story analysis playthrough of the videogames on the TaleInferno YouTube channel (shameless plug).

I decided to get myself each of the novels written from the Dragon Age series around the same time Dragon Age: The Veilguard was announced. Three of them I rated 5/5. However, I see this book as the beginning of the series as a whole, so here’s the beginning of the beginning.

Anyway, back to the beginning. Putting my love for the Dragon Age series aside, opening a book and seeing the first few words be an instruction to run, which is then followed by said character running, the first question is: “why are they running?”

I don’t know about you, but this, to me, is a textbook grab for attention and interest. It’s short. It’s sharp. And you already want to know what’s happening next.

For me, I’d rate a beginning like this a 4/5. It does exactly what you need it to do, which is grab your attention, but it’s also a little obvious that it’s trying to do that. However, it’s still effective. And, for this book, it’s a great way to begin setting up for a fantastic book.
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I’ll be real with you, I think if you’re interested in fantasy books but not interested in playing videogames, you’d probably enjoy this book. But, again, that might just be my bias. Dragon Age will forever hold my heart, and this book only deepened my love for its story.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

There was a wolf at the gallery door.

​House of Earth and Blood is the first book of the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, and had me in a chokehold the second I opened this book. I love the way Sarah J. Maas writes, and this series is probably one of my favourites (and is easily my favourite of her series’).

I’ll note I also rated the third book of this series--House of Flame and Shadow—a 5/5 as well, but being book number three, it’s not really a ‘beginning’, you know?

Anyway, back to this one. It’s funny looking back at the beginning of this book knowing what’s to come not only in this book, but in the rest of the series. It’s a really simple sentence that begins this journey, and gets the reader to ask the question: “Why is the wolf significant? Why should I care?”. And then they’re drawn in to find out more.

It’s funny because the next line literally starts with “which meant it must be Thursday…”. It provides a bit more context about the wolf and its significance because it tells us there’s familiarity with said wolf, drawing us in further.

Anyway, reading further on the page, you are continuously drawn in as you become aware of this close friendship, and the relationship dynamics become very clear very quickly. Honestly, opening up this book again and reading the first line, I found myself reading the next, and then the next, and then the next.

If I’m not careful, I’m going to read this book and the whole series again.

Anyway, back to the beginning: If I read this in another book, removing the context that I’m familiar with the author and their writing style, I’m actually not too sure I’d be super drawn in right away. With that in mind, I’d give the first line as a beginning a 3.5/5.

Sure, I’m intrigued about the wolf and the reference to a gallery. However, there’s something about this beginning that has me thinking like… Twilight vibes? And while a very famous book and series, it’s got that supernatural kitsch vibe.

It’s an intriguing beginning, but I think it could turn people away as well if they weren’t so big into wolfy supernaturalness.

When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope

It’s raining hard.

Here’s an interesting one to analyse. When the Dust Settles isn’t a fictional tale. It’s a telling of Easthope’s experiences in the response and recovery to emergencies. Real emergencies. We’re talking about the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London, MH17, the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, and a whole lot more.

As described in the blurb, Lucy Easthope is a world-leading authority on recovering from disaster. The subtitle to this book is Searching for Hope After Disaster. I’m sure you’re catching the vibe at this point.

If you’re picking up this book, you’re probably interested in reading about people’s experiences, or curious about the world of emergency management, response and recovery. This book, in particular, focuses on the people aspect and how important it is to never forget the people during and after an emergency or disaster.

So, the beginning of this book—​It’s raining hard—suits this book perfectly, because it’s already setting the scene of bad conditions. We don’t know at this point what the rain has to do with the emergency or disaster that we’re going to read more about, or if it has anything to do with one at all. However, it provides that ominous feeling, and you can already get the vibe that something isn’t good right now.

However, context of book aside, what do I think of this as a beginning to a book generally? If I’m honest, I’m on the fence with this one. On one hand, it provides good context to the setting. As I mentioned before, it creates an ominous feeling. No one wants to be out in the rain, so is the character out in the rain? Are they driving in it? Are they watching it from a window?

Honestly, my mind instantly goes to a crime/thriller book. So, maybe if this was at the beginning of one of those, it would be fine?
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However, it also doesn’t say much at all. It’s simple. It’s straight to the point. And whatever follows has to be good, otherwise I think you’re losing the reader.
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So, I rate it a 2.5/5 – right down the middle.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

​First the colours.
Then the humans.
That’s usually how I see things.
Or at least, how I try.

​Alright, that might be cheating as that’s four lines rather than just one. The same could be said for the Dragon Age book before where I included two lines. Sue me.

Actually, please don’t. That wouldn’t be very nice.

Anyway, I’ll do the right thing here and talk about the very first line. However, I want to note that the way this is written in this book, it’s hard not to see it as one opening statement, rather than four lines.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a powerful, profound and beautifully tragic story, written from the perspective of death. To begin this story with the line--First the colours—is very intriguing because it’s unique.

Add on the rest of the lines, and the reader is drawn in by wondering who this narrator is, and what they mean by this. To know that it’s from the perspective of death before reading the book, it’s a very poetic beginning, and allows the reader to start to understand how death sees thing very early on.

However, taking the context out of it, if this beginning were for any other book, is it setting it up well? Am I generally drawn in and wanting to read more?

Honestly, absolutely. The first line alone piques my interest. Are we talking about art? Is it an artist? What’s so important about the colours? This would suit many, if not all, genres and story types.

Then, if we include the other lines that make up the opening and beginning of this book… Well, it adds layers. We’re showing priority of something over humans, and then we’re seeing intent and personality in the perspective.

Overall, I’d give this beginning a 5/5. It’s creative and draws you in without being obvious about it. Ultimately, I love this kind of beginning and is something I would love to try emulate for one of my own stories.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

​I often think of what Hendrich said to me, over a century ago, in his New York apartment.

​Now here’s a book I hold onto tightly. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig is so marvellously beautiful and continues to be one of my favourite books of all time. With that in mind, I’m conflicted by the beginning here as this is part of a one-pager introduction to the book, but isn’t like… the first line after we get into ‘Part 1’. That line is: I am old.

One would argue that the line I’ve chosen above is the beginning because it’s the first line of the book. Others may argue otherwise. Anyway, I’ve made my choice because it makes sense to me. Either way, both lines are interesting and bring in their own intrigue.

Ultimately, the first lines both show us that the narrator is old. One just states it. The other casually let’s slip that they’ve had a conversation ‘over a century ago’.

The one I believe to be the first line of the story, and therefore the beginning of it, is another one of those textbook grabs for attention and interest. It makes the reader go: “Oh yeah, what did Hendrich say to you?”.

However, the twist is the casual ‘century ago’ drop. That’s a unique touch to the line, making us think: “Hang on, there’s more to this than just simply casual advice being given from one person to another”.

I love a beginning like this. It pulls you in with an obvious tactic but puts a really nice spin on it. And, for a book like this one, it sets it up perfectly. This book takes the concept of living for a very long time (not quite immortality) and the challenges of that but homes in on areas such as loneliness, the amount of memories and experiences that we would carry with us over such expanses of time, and how important it is to focus on the present.

Ultimately, I think this beginning is perfect, and I rate it a 5/5.

All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church

​The line of Aunt Tate’s jaw was fierce and unyielding, like a hammered steel length of railroad track, but her eyes were soft and puffy from furtive crying.

​Now this is a beautifully written book. A story about survival, resilience, reinvention, reclaiming oneself, and learning to love after trauma. It follows the story of Lily Decker as she navigates a life of deep trauma and loss as a child to becoming a shining star in the world of Las Vegas in the 60s.

This is one of those stories that, as a woman, made me feel like I could overcome anything. There is strength in femininity, and that through love, heartbreak, loss, and more, we can reclaim our lives and define our worth.

However, the beginning… isn’t giving for me. With both the context and without the context of the book, it’s not exactly a beginning that has me gripped in and wanting to know more.

Sure, I’m asking the question: “Why was Aunt Tate crying? Why does she have such a fierce impression right now?”. However, those types of questions aren’t really getting me excited to read on. It’s more general curiosity than anything else.
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I’d rate this beginning a 2/5. This story rises because it’s about the journey, so for anyone who sees this and thinks: “Nope, I don’t like that beginning, I’m not interested”. Read. This. Book.

It is so worth it.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

​When the letter came I was out in the fields, binding up my last sheaf of wheat with hands that were shaking so much I could hardly tie the knot.

This. Book. Changed. My. Life.

That sounds really dramatic. However, I wouldn’t be overreacting when I say I think about this book at least once a day. This story is perfection. It’s tragic. It plays on the powerful and their ability to hide truths that hurt their reputations. It explores forbidden, queer love that is so violently erased.

And, it focuses on the power of books. Because in this world, books contain memories, not stories. They literally hold people’s experiences. And, the act of doing so removes those memories.

Truly, this book is just astounding.

However, going back to look at the beginning, I’m actually a bit disappointed. As I said, this book goes through my mind daily, and when I was thinking about writing this blog, I was really excited to see what the first line was.

It’s not terrible, but for some reason it’s not what I expected. I guess that shows how much I put into the beginnings of books that I rate highly!

Similar to All the Beautiful Girls, this doesn’t necessarily have me screaming to read the next line. It does, however, pose the questions: “What’s in the letter? Who sent the letter? Why is the character’s hands shaking so much?”

It does also give us an insight to the whereabouts of this character. Binding up a sheaf of wheat suggests a farm, so we start to build up who this character is and paint a picture of that character.

I can assure you it’s not a burly farmer.

Anyway, in saying that, this beginning isn’t necessarily trying to grab your attention, but it does well enough to grab interest in the statement of the letter, and the disposition of the character (the shaking hands).

So, I’d give this beginning a 3/5. It’s better than halfway, but not necessarily the greatest hook in.
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But, please, do yourself a favour, and read this book.

​Overall feelings about beginnings
I think this journey looking at a few of my 5/5 rated books and reflecting on their beginnings has shown me that while beginnings are important, maybe they’re not as critical as I thought to lock in a perfect rating.

Don’t get me wrong, all these beginnings do what they need to do: They intrigue us. The line pushes us to read the next line, which we can only hope will then urge you to the next, and then the following.

And it might be line five or line 305, rather than line one, that locks you in and sets up the story to get that perfect rating.
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I think that is a beautiful thing to consider when we think about it from how we see our lives. The beginning may not be the best, but line 305 may be the turning point to ensure it becomes great.

Or, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones, where the beginning is fantastic, and what follows also stacks up.

Ultimately, I appreciate the lessons I have received from teachers and mentors in my life. And, I do believe that I probably need to make sure I write a really good, interesting and attention-grabbing beginning to be published one day.

But, maybe it doesn’t have to be as polished and perfect as I’m thinking it needs to be, because the magic comes with the journey, and wraps us up in the end.

Anyway, this has become a whole lot longer than I thought and intended it to be. This has been a fun deep dive into the topic of ‘beginnings’. I’ve really enjoyed writing about it for this first ‘let’s talk about it’ instalment.

What do you think about beginnings? Do you think they’re overhyped? Are they important to you when you open a book, turn on a film, or hit ‘New game’ on a videogame? Let me know in the comments!
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I think I’ve come up with a good beginning for that book I want to write. Eh, I’ll start it on Monday.