Line by Line 06/10/20

#WritingCommunity,

You are invited to #LineByLineTime, A Mini Critique Hour hosted by @graestonewriter.

In the movie, Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, the president “runs the lines” of The Gettysburg Address with his aides, saying, “I have a short short short speech, which I will try out on the chickens, as the farmer said.”

(Marvelous, powerful movie that has haunted me all these years.)

Each week #LineByLineTime writers share lines from their WIPs. (Try it out on the chickens, as the farmer said.)

During the hour, there will be a focus question, a chance to share, and a wrap-up question.

…

June 10, 2020: First Line

Why the First Line?

Writers Workshop: Participants handed in a WIP first page, drawn at random. Chuck Sambuchino read, & agents had copies. Agents raised a hand when she would quit reading. Three hands up, the reading stopped. Decisions were fast. 

The agents then told why they would have stopped reading. So many times, the comment was, “I like the premise, but was waiting for the story to start. Agents (and readers) need our book to catch them, make them want to continue reading. 

Agents are not being cruel. They only represent books they think they can sell and then will sell. Agencies get 15% of sales. That’s it. If it isn’t selling, they have no income.

I am using Betsy Byars’ Good-bye, Chicken Little for simple examples of our Line-By-Line exercises. Byars wrote MG books for years, won prestigious awards, and knew her stuff. Here is the opening:

Four Days Before Christmas, Jimmie Little’s uncle announced he would walk across the Monday River.

If you wanted to keep reading, you would find:

It was a sudden decision, made after several beers in Harry’s Bar and Grill, and at once the other customers, posse-like, hurried him to the riverbank.

I hope you will join us Wednesday. Feel free to make helpful suggestions about other lines the group might explore in the future.

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