Baaaa. First Lines
Aug. 30th, 2008 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantSince everyone else is doing it....
Post the first line from your 25 most recent fanfics and try to find a pattern.
1.) The cold, watery sunlight drizzled in through the window on Colonial One, and Felix Gaeta woke up in a bed he instinctively knew wasn't his. (Unnamed WIP BSG fanfic that I'm not writing. No. Really.)
2.) Her name was Cedrella Weasley, and Abraxas had hired her because she came from the Black family, and she was known as a strict tutor who got good results. (WIP "The Road Not Taken")
3.) "So what time does Lover Boy get here?" Lily drawled, sprawling across Petunia's bed and propping herself up on her elbows. (The Grass Is Always Greener)
4.) "You want to WHAT?" Professor McGonagall asked, eyes popping out of their sockets. (Fic To Be Left Unnamed)
5.) "YOU DID WHAT?" Sirius roared. (The Line In the Sand)
6.) "Loser sucks the winner off." (Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix))
7.) Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was not where Sirius would have chosen to spend Christmas. (Christmas Reading)
8.) It was a night made for storms. (Just Forget the World)
9.) "Kreacher, hold this here, please." (Ten Reasons To Love Bikini Girls)
10.) "You're not big enough. You're not old enough. You're not strong enough. You're not brave enough. You're not exciting enough." (Not Enough (With the Someone's Future Coda))
11.) Dirt. (We Could Be Heroes)
12.) When Sirius Black was fourteen, he told James Potter that it seemed ironic for his parents to go to church, because anyone who approved the mass genocide of Muggle-borns didn't exactly have a Christian attitude. (Though I Speak With the Tongues of Men and Angels)
13.) There was a tiny plot of land attached to James' and Lily's flat, with two stately old trees. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 14: Wayward Son)
14.) The Knight Bus came to a stop, and Fenrir squinted at the lights, sighing in relief. (Taking Offense)
15.) "You're a virgin. That's the only explanation." (For Educational Purposes Only)
16.) Sirius was stretched across the bed, arm flung over his face in a rather dramatic manner, and dozing restlessly when the bed dipped under someone's weight. (Book Club)
17.) "You want me to what?" Sirius demanded, gaping at Andromeda. (Sparkles and Sugarplums)
18.) The sun was still rather high when Remus Apparated to the location given in the message. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 13: Washing of the Water)
19.) "Check." (Brotherly Love)
20.) "So, four fags walk into a pub, and there's only one stool left," Scrimgeour was saying. (WIP Sirius/Kingsley fic)
21.) "Psst. Prongs." (A Boy Thing)
22.) "Will you please leave me alone?" Remus begged James, clutching his head. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 12: Holding Out for a Hero)
23.) "Padfoot, what did you get for number eighteen?" (Replace the Fear)
24.) The Sorting Ceremony went exactly like Theodore Nott thought it would. (A Little Respect)
25.) Every glass jar in the kitchen had shattered, and a few tins had exploded too, just for good measure. The Need to Apologize)
So, about half my first lines are dialogue. Of those, three of them are the speaker asking their conversation partner to repeat what they just said. Of the other 9, 4 of them are an attempt to be a little shocking and the other 5 are mundane. One first line is a thought. The rest are pretty much setting- either putting you in the place or anchoring you into the series' time line.
Titlewise, of these fics,
-9 come from songs. (The Line In The Sand (lyric), Just Forget the World (lyric), We Could Be Heroes, Accidentally In Love, Wayward Son, Washing of the Water, Holding Out for a Hero, Replace the Fear (lyric), A Little Respect)
-4 are references to other written work (Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix) (two for the price of one!), The Road Not Taken, Fic Not To Be Named, Men and Angels).
-5 are cliches/common phrases (The Grass Is Always Greener, Taking Offense, For Educational Purposes Only, Brotherly Love, The Need to Apologize) (The tentative title for the BSG one was "Hell Hath No Fury", which fit here, but I'm not sure that I'll use that title if I finish it.)
-4 are simple statements of the fic's plot (Ten Reasons to Love Bikini Girls, Book Club, Taking Offense, Christmas Reading.)
-A few are actually vaguely original (Sparkles and Sugarplums, Not Enough)
My favorite titles are actually We Could Be Heroes, Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix), The Fic Not To Be Named, and Men and Angels, although typing out the full title is a pain in the ass. I like Hell Hath No Fury, too, but if I actually go with what I'm thinking, it would expand beyond where the title covers.
Hmmm. Naptime should be over soon. Enough naval gazing for now, I suppose!
Post the first line from your 25 most recent fanfics and try to find a pattern.
1.) The cold, watery sunlight drizzled in through the window on Colonial One, and Felix Gaeta woke up in a bed he instinctively knew wasn't his. (Unnamed WIP BSG fanfic that I'm not writing. No. Really.)
2.) Her name was Cedrella Weasley, and Abraxas had hired her because she came from the Black family, and she was known as a strict tutor who got good results. (WIP "The Road Not Taken")
3.) "So what time does Lover Boy get here?" Lily drawled, sprawling across Petunia's bed and propping herself up on her elbows. (The Grass Is Always Greener)
4.) "You want to WHAT?" Professor McGonagall asked, eyes popping out of their sockets. (Fic To Be Left Unnamed)
5.) "YOU DID WHAT?" Sirius roared. (The Line In the Sand)
6.) "Loser sucks the winner off." (Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix))
7.) Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was not where Sirius would have chosen to spend Christmas. (Christmas Reading)
8.) It was a night made for storms. (Just Forget the World)
9.) "Kreacher, hold this here, please." (Ten Reasons To Love Bikini Girls)
10.) "You're not big enough. You're not old enough. You're not strong enough. You're not brave enough. You're not exciting enough." (Not Enough (With the Someone's Future Coda))
11.) Dirt. (We Could Be Heroes)
12.) When Sirius Black was fourteen, he told James Potter that it seemed ironic for his parents to go to church, because anyone who approved the mass genocide of Muggle-borns didn't exactly have a Christian attitude. (Though I Speak With the Tongues of Men and Angels)
13.) There was a tiny plot of land attached to James' and Lily's flat, with two stately old trees. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 14: Wayward Son)
14.) The Knight Bus came to a stop, and Fenrir squinted at the lights, sighing in relief. (Taking Offense)
15.) "You're a virgin. That's the only explanation." (For Educational Purposes Only)
16.) Sirius was stretched across the bed, arm flung over his face in a rather dramatic manner, and dozing restlessly when the bed dipped under someone's weight. (Book Club)
17.) "You want me to what?" Sirius demanded, gaping at Andromeda. (Sparkles and Sugarplums)
18.) The sun was still rather high when Remus Apparated to the location given in the message. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 13: Washing of the Water)
19.) "Check." (Brotherly Love)
20.) "So, four fags walk into a pub, and there's only one stool left," Scrimgeour was saying. (WIP Sirius/Kingsley fic)
21.) "Psst. Prongs." (A Boy Thing)
22.) "Will you please leave me alone?" Remus begged James, clutching his head. (Accidentally In Love Chapter 12: Holding Out for a Hero)
23.) "Padfoot, what did you get for number eighteen?" (Replace the Fear)
24.) The Sorting Ceremony went exactly like Theodore Nott thought it would. (A Little Respect)
25.) Every glass jar in the kitchen had shattered, and a few tins had exploded too, just for good measure. The Need to Apologize)
So, about half my first lines are dialogue. Of those, three of them are the speaker asking their conversation partner to repeat what they just said. Of the other 9, 4 of them are an attempt to be a little shocking and the other 5 are mundane. One first line is a thought. The rest are pretty much setting- either putting you in the place or anchoring you into the series' time line.
Titlewise, of these fics,
-9 come from songs. (The Line In The Sand (lyric), Just Forget the World (lyric), We Could Be Heroes, Accidentally In Love, Wayward Son, Washing of the Water, Holding Out for a Hero, Replace the Fear (lyric), A Little Respect)
-4 are references to other written work (Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix) (two for the price of one!), The Road Not Taken, Fic Not To Be Named, Men and Angels).
-5 are cliches/common phrases (The Grass Is Always Greener, Taking Offense, For Educational Purposes Only, Brotherly Love, The Need to Apologize) (The tentative title for the BSG one was "Hell Hath No Fury", which fit here, but I'm not sure that I'll use that title if I finish it.)
-4 are simple statements of the fic's plot (Ten Reasons to Love Bikini Girls, Book Club, Taking Offense, Christmas Reading.)
-A few are actually vaguely original (Sparkles and Sugarplums, Not Enough)
My favorite titles are actually We Could Be Heroes, Butterfly Casualties (The Time Traveler's Boyfriend Remix), The Fic Not To Be Named, and Men and Angels, although typing out the full title is a pain in the ass. I like Hell Hath No Fury, too, but if I actually go with what I'm thinking, it would expand beyond where the title covers.
Hmmm. Naptime should be over soon. Enough naval gazing for now, I suppose!
