I had it in my mind to write a post about opening lines - about how they mean so much, set the tone, can change whether a person reads a story or not. I thought about writing a post about first lines and how they change from draft to draft to final book, losing words, changing angle, sometimes taking on whole new meanings,

And then I thought - no. Not that. What's the best way to see how to do opening lines? Where's the best place to look to see it done right?

Good books.

Any list of good books is subjective and wrong. So, rather than 'good', maybe I should call these 'popular', or 'successful.' They're all award winners - from the UK, the Carnegie Medal, and from the U.S., the Newbery Medal, two of the many, many fine awards given out every year for children's books. Why only these two? They're established, have a good history, and I like them. Why only two awards? Because these posts can't go on forever.

Thankfully, good books can.

Read, enjoy, and maybe be intrigued, and then read some of these books. I know I hope to. I want to learn, as well, about the importance and the power of once upon a time. 

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls

"'War,' says Mayor Prentiss, his eyes glinting. 'At last.'"

Patrick Ness, Monsters of Men

There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

They'd stolen a march on the day. The sky was like dark glass, reluctant to let the light through.

Siobhan Dowd, Bog Child

Even the woods are burning.

Philip Reeve, Here Lies Arthur

The view is fine up here. I can look out across the world and see everything.

Meg Rosoff, Just in Case

In the end it was her grandfather, William Hyde, who gave the unborn child her name.

Mal Peet, Tamar

We have just moved house to 7 Comarty Close. The patron saint of moving house is St Anne (1st century).

Frank Cottrell Boyce, Millions

When summer comes to the North Woods, time slows down.

Jennifer Donnelly, A Gathering Light

Dallas leaned far out of the window, his eyes fixed on a bird flying lazily in the distance.

Sharon Creech, Ruby Holler

Rats! They chased the dogs and bit the cats, they --But there was more to it than that

Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

Sade is slipping her English book into her schoolbag when Mama screams.

Beverley Naidoo, The Other Side of Truth

Not knowing his way around, he set off back the way he had come. 

Aidan Chambers, Postcards from No Man's Land

I found him in the garage on a Sunday afternoon.

David Almond, Skellig

It didn't start with the river boy. It started, as so many things started, with Grandpa, and with swimming.

Tim Bowler, River Boy

A boy and a girl were spending the night together in the back sat of a Volvo estate car.

Melvin Burgess, Junk

Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening Hall,  taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen.

Philip Pullman, Northern Lights

My footprints track across the faint dew still lying on the grass.

Theresa Breslin, Whispers in the Graveyard

My fascinating life. Yes.

Robert Swindells, Stone Cold

Mr Cartright swung his legs to and fro under the desk, and raised his voice over the waves of bad-tempered muttering.

Anne Fine, Flour Babies

The hardcover is $18, and the e-book will be available on Friday, May 24. It's a beautiful book and the folk at Indigo Ink Press have done a fantastic job. Really hope you like it.

Happy reading,

SPC

Modern life certainly feels like it's getting busier all the time. Unless you're living in a yurt, or possibly some sort of make-shift tipi, chances are you're reading this on your computer, maybe in between several other tasks, with family and friends and fun nights out all stuffed in there as well.

[Full disclosure: I had to look up how to spell tipi. Who knew?]

Working as a writer is time-consuming enough. Getting reading done can become a luxury - a stolen moment when you get to escape, but secretly feel like you're not being Productive and Active and are therefore somehow ... cheating.

This post has one point to make: that reading is more than important for writers, it is essential, and you have to keep your mental attitude to it in check. Enjoy it - absolutely!- but never feel bad, or that it's 'down time' you could be using for Other Things.

Readers make writers, and every book you read - whether it's just for pleasure or because you deliberately thought 'Oh, this is in my genre / by an upcoming writer / the same audience as my book, and lo, I shall read it forthwith!' - helps you learn, hone, and improve your own writing.


That's great, but I'm too busy. I have children / no money / a small and lucrative banana smuggling operation to run.

I know, it's rough. But the fact is, really, that reading is what you have to do so you can do what you want to do (which is writing, remember?). Books are the 101 class of how to write good and proper like what other writers do.

I am a rebel! My work is unique. I don't need to read what's come before.

Yes, you do.

Books cost money.

They do indeed, but libraries don't, and you'd be surprised how flexible they are about things like hours and access. Look 'em up and boggle at the fact they let you take books without charging you anything. it's like state-sponsored intellectual theft but it's ALL OKAY.

Reading is just a layman's writing. Why would I spend time seeing what others have done? I'm not others. I'm me!

Because to invent the jet plane you have to have the biplane first. It's the old 'standing on the shoulders of giants, pretending you're really tall' thing.

Reading is boring.

You're not a writer, are you? You're just spamming my blog. Go away.

I love reading! Why would you even write a piece about making time for it? Who doesn't make time for it? Weee!

Calm down, eager beaver. Lots of people who love reading still let it become a rarity because of the kids / bananas / commitments. This post is meant to be about making sure you don't let it become a secondary activity.

So you'd actually suggest reading instead of doing Fun and Social things?

Yes.

Doesn't sound very fun.

You're clearly reading the wrong books. And if the book doesn't exist yet that would make you say 'NO!' to friends ... well then, maybe you should write it.

Gosh, books are hard. Aren't they? They're so long, for one thing. Have you noticed? Thousands of words, at least. And not even the same word. All different words, put together, to make stories that are supposed to make sense. Flippin' heck.

Writing a book. That's something people do. Why not you? You're too busy, probably. You'd like to. You'd love to. You easily could, as well. It's easy. You just don't have the time, what with being so busy and all.

Or ... are you too busy? Really? Or are you, in fact, just putting it off without realizing? Hm.

There have been some fantastically busy people who wrote books. Churchill did it, and got a Nobel Prize. He was also basically a very large sausage with a cigar in his mouth who beat the Nazis through a serious of well timed quips.

JK Rowling was a single mother with a job. Neil Gaiman appears to exist in some sort of perpetual whirlwind of creativity and action, and he has, like, a billion books coming out this year. John Buchan (The Thirty-Nine Steps) was also called  His Excellency the Right Honourable the Lord Tweedsmuir, PC GCMG GCVO CH, and was Governor General of Canada (oh my gosh what) when he wasn't writing. Wow. Tolkien was a full time professor. Tolstoy founded thirteen schools. Hemimngway appears to have crashed, shot at or fallen in love with pretty much everything you can imagine.

Busy folk, busy writers.

So do you have enough time to write?

I have all these ideas, just haven't written them down yet.

Awesome. Ideas fuel books. But don't kid yourself. You haven't even started yet. It's like standing at the starting line and boasting about running a marathon.

I have a full time job / kids / I'm a member of a cult that doesn't believe in time / I'm the King of Spain.

Your life is your own, and that's awesome, as well - but it doesn't make you busier than a lot of people. get up half an hour earlier, or take a shorter lunch break, and write.

I can't type.

Then write it by hand and learn to type later

I want to write. I do. But I'm worried it isn't going to be any good.

It isn't. it'll be pretty bad, to begin with. You'll make it better, though, by working on it. Get it down first, though.

I'm worried that the story in my head is too complicated to do justice to. It scares me / excites me / intimidates and overwhelms me.

Baby steps are key. Write a page, then a chapter, and keep track of subplots. Take your time. Take years. Take me in your arms and tell me I'm pretty, or something.

I'm a genius of unparalleled proportions. I will write it when I'm ready / when the world deserves it. I am a god.

No you're not, you're a dick.

I am dead.

You are excused from writing your book.

Yes, I said it. Plenty of other people have, too. Writer's block isn't a thing. It's not actually a very good excuse for not doing something you want to do. It's not a good reason for stopping and not carrying on - especially if you don't feel your writing life has got "there" yet - wherever "there" may be for you.

Calvin and Hobbes © Bill Watterson