Maybe on this occasion the whole first page...(even more updated than before)

Is the importance of the first line in a story overrated? After posting it yesterday, I wondered about the first line for my picture book Tatty and Tremble. Okay its a picture book - a completely different beast to novels, short stories etc...but where word economy is key and each word must work extra hard to do its job (or the job of many in other genre) is the first line any less or more important? What should a first line do? What is its job? What are our expectations? So here for your edification is the first paragraph/page that follows that spare enigmatic first line:-


Old Tatty. That’s what Mr. Edgar called her. She didn’t seem to mind. There was fresh fish on her plate everyday. He could have called her Smelly Pants as long as there was fish.

When I first included it in yesterday's post I suddenly thought there wasn't enough in those two short words but I've changed my mind. What did they make you think?

This whole exercise has been very thought provoking for me and I am still musing on the topic. But perhaps this is the antidote to my current 'first line' obsession - check out the results of the 2009 Bullwer-Lytton Contest - it certainly puts a whole different spin on the concept (heh).

First lines and dangling carrots...

Saw an interesting meme on Lili Wilkinson's (young australian author) blog t'other day and thought I'd give it a go. Its all about first lines from your own writing. So here goes:

Published
Clever Moo (PB) - Margaret was not like her best friends, Daisy and Bossy

The Were-Nana (PB) - For Stella Rosa's older brother Simon, there was no better fun than scaring his sister

Jack the Viking (novel) - "Ready Jack?" asks a blond boy my age, carrying a sword and shield.

The Gift (ss) - Everyone says I talk too much.

Unpub'd but completed Work
Pirate Eye (junior chapter book) - "What's wrong with you?" the big boy at the school gate asked.

The House That Went to Sea (PB) - Granny Gale's house smelt of fish, and rocked with the booming of the waves.

Jack the Viking: Magnetic North (novel) - I don't dream so much anymore.

The story I'm working on now begins with the first line of an essay the main character is writing for school which I quite like - Apparently my older sister Michelle was perfect.

I found it a fascinating exercise with slightly surprising results. What do you think? The new picture book I just finished has my shortest first line ever - Old Tatty. I guess if it gets picked up an editor might have something to say about the punctuation of my first few lines and that first sentence will get longer. I have a bunch of short stories pub'd and unpub'd I haven't included in this exercise. Maybe I'll do them another day. I'm now up to ten short stories either pub'd or signed up for publication. If I can increase that number just a wee bit more I might start dreaming about assembling a collection one day.

I have other dreams for my writing including: to be published overseas (especially in a different language) and to (be paid to) travel overseas for my books. One of the blogs i check out regularly had a very interesting snippet of information in it the other day. Moon Rat (who hangs out at Editorial Ass) talked of a children's novel that took 5 years to find a publisher and the first print run was a miniscule 1,000 copies. I would love to have me a copy from that first print run today - it would be worth a wee bit. Go check out the book she's talking about. It shows that you have to hang in there and believe in your work even when things seem to be going badly, although things don't always turn out as well as this has :) I need to hear this kind of stuff as I have been grumpy about recent events and feasting on far too many crabby patties lately. Sorry to the two workmen working next door who got a terse comment or two from me yesterday when i asked them to move their van from my driveway so I could go out. I am finishing up (at LONG last) the rocket-science-like university assignment I have been working on since Adam was a boy and trying to finish up my current WIP which is going okay but which I am now having enormous doubts over. Too late I guess, to wonder if its saleable - less then 10,000 words to go (although thats to the end of the first draft only). But these two things are not filling me with joy - they are filling me with huffing and puffing, sweating brow grumpiness. I need a carrot dangling. The overseas trip we are planning is too far away to perform this function so I will have to find something else.

Hello out there...

You win some, you lose some. This little chick, still in egg, got all the way to the acquisitions meeting but fell off the table and broke. I have had a number of positive remarks regarding this particular manuscript but then for various reasons they still say no. Its fair to say I'm disappointed. The agent has smacked some sticky tape on the crack and its off to another publisher. The more I hang around in this business the more I appreciate how slow it all goes. I think this manuscript has legs so I will continue to have faith. I will try and bolster my patience with some patience bolstering vitamins...

In better news, as the result of my son's rubbish collecting habits and my eavesdropping on idle 11 year old boy chit-chat, I have a new story idea. I like it. It could be loads of fun and action. Question though - can I wait to finish my YA before I get started on this? And do I stick with the boy protagonist or should I make it a girl this time. My inclination was to have a boy but I'm not sure if its intuition or habit speaking.

And yesterday my SO and I talked holiday. I am desperate for one and our conversation has given me hope. I do love anticipation... especially when its about a holiday.

And last but not least I have a challenge for anyone reading. If you haven't already - say hi! Introduce yourself! Leave a comment! I'd love to know who you are...

Speed date an author...

I am one of the lucky folk all signed up for the Spinning Gold conference in Wellington this September. I love, love, love winey whiny gossip with other writers, and talking books and writing, and listening to others talk books and writing (major bliss), and I am anticipating this event with great relish (although I'm not packing just yet). I don't get down to Wellington too often and had been wondering about maximising the opportunity with some school visits or similar down there when I was given the chance to participate in what sounds like the most excellent fun and a great alternative to school visits - a speed-date-the-author event on the friday morning organised by the NZ Book Council. You deliver a 15 minute talk on a set topic (I really like my topic on 'tone' and I can't wait to attack a whiteboard with my ideas) 5 times to different groups of intermediate age children, who rotate through 6 different authors/illustrators, each with their own topic, during the morning. I'm not sure where the idea originated but whoever thought of it deserves a prize. It seems like a very smart format, and I'm interested to see how well it works. I am very excited...

I am also excited (and very lucky) as an illustrator has done a couple of pics on spec for one of my picture book manuscripts, and ms and illustrations have gone off to an interested publisher. I adore the pictures and hope the publisher does too. Fingers, toes and eyes are crossed for luck...

BTW I have been following a very interesting discussion over at editorial anonymous and Justine Larbalestier's blog about racism in book covers (and sadly beyond). It is eye-opening and depressing and I am watching and reading to see what may come of having this raised and aired and debated....its certainly got me thinking.

There's always one in the crowd...

There's always one in the crowd. One child who puts up their hand and says something that, no matter how many school visits you've done and how many comments and questions you've heard, manages to surprise and delight and wow you beyond expectation. Today it was the little 7 or 8 year old who, after I'd read my picture book The Were-Nana to the assembled year 3 and 4 classes (around 250 plus children) raised her hand and said the colours of the pictures changed depending on whether the story was at a scary part or a happy part; dark for scary and lighter for happy. I hadn't picked up on this till the book's illustrator pointed this out at a joint presentation we did together last month. I wanted to take this young lady aside and have a chat with her about stories and illustrating and what she liked and didn't like and then I wanted to go forward twenty years and see what she was up to. Talking to 800 children today (divided into 3 groups) was full on, especially after an hours drive to the school, but this one comment has got my brain a-buzzing. Kids rock. I was fascinated too that they all laughed when I said the new picture book I'd just finished had a chihuahua in it.

Small reveal...

Okay I can now confirm that I have had three short stories accepted for inclusion in an anthology to be published by Scholastic NZ next May. Yay! I love these three stories and I'm very happy they are making it in to print. And checking back on my list/egg incubator I've realised that this particular egg wasn't even on it. So I still have 7 eggs, some looking more robust than others. And there is the potential for more eggs to be laid as I finished my new picture book and the agent has already sent it off. Also very happy with that. Its a funny story. There's a chihuahua in it.

Glad I made sense...

Update - for the moment you can find my interview here if you scroll down.

Okay - so I've gotten over myself but I haven't sorted out the link yet for my interview last Saturday. Will stick it up as soon as I figure it out (shows what a good university education will do for ya).

I have slowly been processing the whole interview experience and so far wonder why Emily Perkins - on the radio before me last saturday - disapproves of Harry Potter. Also wonder why we really didn't talk so much about writery things but more about my wild and misspent youth (ha ha). I had anticipated more writery questions and was a bit surprised about the direction it all took. For those who tuned in I'm glad I still made sense though. My facial expressions would have been fun to watch.

(One of the questions was, Where do we draw the line on how scary a story can be? I've had a go at adding to my interview answer here.)

Now awhile back I mentioned secrets. None were big ones, just lots of small but potentially cute chicks incubating. Out of eleven little robust eggs, sadly four chicks didn't make it out of the shell (there were tears) but one burst forth yesterday looking very fat, fluffy and pleased with itself. Still keeping 6 remaining eggs suitably warm and waiting to see what hatches. Will tell more as soon as I am able.

In other news I have just finished the first draft of a new picture book. Yowza - happy with that. And just came across this excellent write up on advice for writers on how to act in public. I like that there is just one simple rule - be nice. I even think I can manage it. Thanks to Moonrat hanging out at Editorial Ass.