I play this game when I’m reading a book – I try to guess what the first paragraph the author wrote is. As a writer myself, I presume what becomes the opening line isn’t how the first draft began, but I always wonder where the original kernel is buried. These are some of my favorite (published) first sentences of books.
Books and reading are such an important, and joyful, part of my life. I’m grateful for many things literary-related.
Normally I prefer to write about specific books but this topic caught my eye. My reading habits are something I hadn’t really thought about in awhile.
For shame! Here are some of the books that have been on my to-be-read list the longest…
No wind, no bird. The river flames like brass. / On either side, smitten as with a spell / Of silence, brood the fields. In the deep grass, / Edging the dusty roads, lie as they fell / Handfuls of shriveled leaves from tree and bush. ~ “August” by Lizette Woodworth Reese