I’m taking an online class on writing conflict in novels. Begin each novel with conflict. Period. That’s the advice we were given in lecture 8. If we have no trouble in the first sentence, paragraph, or page, the reader might put down the book and never read another word.
As a multi-published author said in the very first class I took on how to write romance: start the book with a life-threatening situation. Well, that first class was years ago. Did I learn my lesson?
Here are the opening sentences of some of my books I’ve written over the years. What do you think?
Kentucky Woman
Times were good and that scared her.
Alexis Marsden shifted in her saddle and stared into the February predawn darkness between the pricked ears of an anxious two-year-old Thoroughbred.
Kentucky Cowboy
“That’s one rank sonofabitch. Good draw you got, Romeo.”
Perched on top of a six-foot deep metal chute, a leather bull rope clutched in his right hand, Judd Romeo nodded, acknowledging the flank man. “Yep, he’s a mean ’un.”
Kentucky Blue Bloods
Bloody hell?
Parker Stuart cast a disbelieving gaze at the woman who’d met him at the airport.
Kentucky Flame
A cold, black dread gripped Melody O’Shea. Hands tight on the steering wheel, she scarcely breathed. In the distance, a thin plume of smoke floated from a window of Royalty Farm’s main show barn.
Brody
He was home.
Brody Caldera’s heart quickened as he turned the key to the door of his high-rise apartment on North Sheridan Road.
Mercer
Drake Hawkins’ heart surged. Damn! He loved this sport.
Liz
Charles Martin Kingston pulled off the main road into the parking space beside his half-brother’s twenty-five-million-dollar beach house.
But here is a better opening from later in the first chapter:
Something was wrong. He’d known it all week, but he’d tried to ignore the gut feeling. Now it punched him hard in his stomach. What would he do if anything happened to his baby brother?
Tangled Memories
His eyes were gray. I had never noticed before. They weren’t the color of slate but smoky and mysterious.
Timeless
My life changed on a dreary day in December. Oh, the day started out as usual.
My Lord Raven
“Let me pass!”
Lady Catrin Fitzalan, chest heaving from her haste, glared at the tall, imposing knight who barred her way.
Jan! I love these opening lines! Every one has a spark of conflict.