Beginnings matter -- but of course, you know that already. Think back to the beginning of a friendship or a romance. Or the beginning of a book! I just started reading Dead Silence, a YA book by Toronto writer Norah McClintock. After I read the first couple of sentences, I turned to my husband and said, "I know I'm going to like this book." He was surprised. "How canyou decide something like that so quickly?" And so, I read him the first few lines of the book.
Here they are: "You can't always tell when your whole life is going to change, not even when it's just about to happen. You don't always see it coming. I didn't."
See what I mean? It's catchy isn't, it? Plus McClintock describes a feeling we all know, but that most of us have never put into words. Now THAT'S what writers need to do.
I'm revising this morning before I head out to school. My meeting with my editor Sarah Harvey got postponed, so you'll have to wait a few days to hear about that. Today, my wish for you is wonderful beginnings, middles and endings!!