During one of these flashes, she has a quick verbal exchange with a woman in the store. The woman addresses her, MC makes a comment, and the woman responds. Then on to the action.
It has occurred to me that the MC's comment is important. Yes, it's just one line of dialog that serves the purpose of establishing her guard is up, that she senses imminent danger, but it's more than that. It's the first time the reader will hear her speak.
What she says, and how she says it, will leave an impression on the reader. Her comment must reflect the person she is, and it must have a clever, larger-than-life quality that attracts her to the reading audience. It's gotta have zing.
Auditioning possible lines has been a great exercise in character development. When I found the right one, it clicked. It felt right. First time readers won't know her intimately after reading her first line, but I hope her comment works on them like a tantalizing smell coming from the oven, promising something delicious is about to be served.
How important to you, or to your story, is your main character's first line of dialog?
44 comments:
THat's a very interesting question and one that I've never considered before. But, I guess it should be important because we often judge people by what they say and first impressions do count.
CD
You nai;ed the importance of it -- for sure. I've heard of people spending weeks on their first paragraph. First impressions are no-less important to us, eh?
Extremely important. It's the first impression your character gives off to the stranger who is reading it. So yeah, pretty important.
So far I've spent 3 months trying to decide on a first chapter.
Thanks!
(psst... I'm unplugged and NOT HERE.)
The short answer is: it's important.
I'm in the throes of revisions, and honestly? EVERY single word, sentence, paragraph, scene, chapter...it's ALL important. EVERYTHING must be exactly right. And this is why revisions take me so long. I'm anal. I agonize over every single component. I mean, there's ALWAYS room for improvement, right? *sigh*
However, I don't agonize too much on the first draft...I try to just get the ideas and bones down on 'paper' and follow along with the characters in my head. Of course this method (and my perfectionist personality) leads to a hellish revision phase of many, many drafts over many, many months.
I guess that's the long and short of it: It all matters.
Okay, back to my revisions I must go. I wish you positive writing juju, Nic. :)
*sneaks back out all ninja-like* *pulls plug from outlet*
Love,
Lola
Well it is still important, but because my current WIP is written in 1st person with the MC as the narrator it is not as important as it would have been otherwise. The reader has already been in his head and "hearing" his thoughts for a page or two, so that lessons the impression a bit.
Good point though Nicole!
Or lessEns, rather.
Hi Nicole! Very important, for the reason you say. I want readers to hear her voice and to make sure they get as much of her as they can through that one line of dialogue.
I'm going to have to look back to see what my protagonist's first line of dialogue. Like you said, first impressions count and it should be good.
The way you're weaving your first paragraph sounds interesting.
I agree, the first time our protagonist speaks is huge because it's (often) the first impression of personality for the reader. My first speaking parts tend to be dialogues, so it's not just the protagonist, but I'm setting the dynamics between two or more people who are important to the story.
I've never really thought about it. Huh. I'm only in first draft stage though. I try to over think (or think) at all when I'm in this stage. I'll definitely keep a note of that for revisions! Thanks!
That's a really interesting question! I suppose the first sentence sets the scene, and should certainly be somehting one expects if it's a serial... But it's not paramount, though. After all, it could just be "I want a burger" or something like that:) Everyoen could say a thing like that! Hehe.
Very important. I would think that the last thing the character says is important too (not as, but should be a good one).
I guess I'm going against the flow here and voicing a different opinion. As Lola points out, everything is important, including dialogue, but does a characters first line carry the amount of weight you seem to be assigning to it? I don't believe so. As a reader, I take a more holistic approach to forming impressions about characters, considering actions, setting (why are they where they are?), internal dialogue and external dialogue. Early on I form loose impressions, knowing that I will soon recieve input that will either serve to reinforce those notions, or cause me to adjust my thinking. Characters are developed in layers and it may be a couple chapters before I think I really understand one.
That way of thinking may be my downfall when it comes to seeking publication, but it's what I believe.
Great question! I've found that all the dialogue seems to matter. Are we wasting space or telling multiple things with dialogue? Not so easy to get that perfect line anywhere! Glad you found yours!
I never thought of it that way. But as I said to someone yesterday, words are power. No matter what you write, it has to be right. First line, first dialogue, first paragraph.
Writing is such hard work.
I have worked and reworked dialogue until my head feels like it will explode--especially my mc's first lines. You are so right--they leave a lasting impression.
I've never assigned that much importance to my mc's first line, but this really makes me think. Especially since I have been revising my first chapter.
It's like meeting a person for the first time, your first impression. You judge a person by what they say, what they do, how they look the first time you meet them. You might revise that impression over time, but you will always remember what you thought of them when you first met them.
I think the first line is very important. I had never thought about it in that way though. I need to go back and reread what my mc says now! =)
You make some very clear and important points here. Dialogue is so critical in any novel, and that first moment is more so than any else.
Very important. But to me, more important is the first line on the page. In one of my not-yet-published novels, I managed to have the first line and the last line be exactly the same. My few beta readers didn't catch it, yet they agreed the story had come full circle - they just weren't sure why. (hee, hee, sneaky me)
Wow, this sounds interesting!!! Can't wait to read! :o) Gosh, I hadn't even thought about that. My MC's fist comment is a 'thought' in italics. Does that count?
I'm going to have to go and double check what the first words out of his mouth are. There's a bit of internalization at the beginning, but I'm not sure what the first actual spoken words are because I keep changing it around.
I think I need to go home for lunch, LOL
For me, definitely important. I think I'm trying to slot him into a specific hole for the beginning of the story - something that's easy to pick out... because by the end of the story I want him solidly out of that hole. Truthfully though, I don't quite have it yet, but I was thinking that change over the story might be good. Of course, I may have it entirely wrong... I guess I'll see if I can make it happen!
I never thought about the important of the first spoken line of dialogue by the MC before.
But I don't think I need to change the first line from my assassin story. Her first line is "Your murderer." I think that's pretty compelling.
Well you've just given me one more thing to stress about! Kidding. I tend to think in scenes, so how my MC comes off in the first scene is incredibly important, I'm realizing now that some of the first things out of their mouth are pretty funny.
most helpful comment of all time: It Depends. :D
seriously, though. Doesn't it? Lately, I've been thinking about the first sentence of the entire book. Should it be monumental?
Truth: I get all blocked when I try to be deep and meaningful. It's better for me if it happens by accident! :D
Critical. That's how important first dialogue is.
Absolutely CRITICAL.
I wrote a short story about a guy whose only words were, "I'm good," and came midway through the story. Everything was happening around him so fast and deep that it was all he could think to say, with everyone around him gib-gib-gibbering, tons of dialogue, tons of action, none of it his.
I actually cry when I read that story. I wrote it before I was divorced, before I had my son, before I saw my ex-wife's new boyfriend and showed her my new girl, and it's shocking how prophetic it is.
Weird how that happens, eh.
Sometimes it's what you DON'T say that's important, you know.
- Eric
SHEESH! I'm a dolt. I *meant* to say that I think I should go home for lunch SO I CAN CHECK MY WIP and see what the first bit of dialogue was. LOL...sometimes my fingers can't keep up with my own internal dialogue!
Auditioning possible lines? I am so far behind the curve. I never thought of that.
I don't always comment Nicole, but I do read...and LEARN here...
I never thought about it, but you're right. I think one character establishes himself with one line of inner dialogue right away, but it's about the third line for the other character.
Most important! Since my WIP is written in first person, the very first line is out of my MC's mouth.
Good point about dialog. It's so important in showing character. What people say, how they say it and even what they don't say.
I'm not sure I've really ever thought about the first line of my MCs dialogue before. But now.... now that I'm thinking, it probably is pretty important that it be spot on. Thanks Nicole! ;)
I'm not sure I've really ever thought about the first line of my MCs dialogue before. But now.... now that I'm thinking, it probably is pretty important that it be spot on. Thanks Nicole! ;)
I'm not sure I've really ever thought about the first line of my MCs dialogue before. But now.... now that I'm thinking, it probably is pretty important that it be spot on. Thanks Nicole! ;)
You know, I never really thought much about my MC's first line of dialogue. But now that I do think about it, her first few words do a pretty decent job of declaring who she is in terms of her being the kind of person who does what she wants, rules or no rules.
Now as for my other characters... probably not so much. xD
Excellent post!
Its a mix of actions and lines for me :) The first line in a story is unlikely to put me off - unless it is an exceptionally annoying cliche *grin*
http://damselinadirtydress.blogspot.com
It's so cool how you think so much about one little line and one simple part. I bet your book is going to be AMAZING.
I suppose it should be as important as the first line, the first 250 words, if you think about it. I say this (depending on what's happening) because it could establish the type of person they are.
So, France and a French husband, eh? Small world. If you tell me your birthday is October 18th- I might have a heart attack. After circumnavigating tons of red tape (getting married), I've just spent my first "full-time" month here...
This was an aspect that improved over the course of my writing. Nothing like figuring it out when you're way into the process, huh?
OH yeah, you nailed it--very important!
You know, I never thought about my first line of dialogue. My current WIP is first person, but we don't really get into the character's voice until she starts talking. I think her first verbal sentence is her brother's name. Not super great.... now I have a lot to think about. :)
I went through dozens of first dialogue lines before I found the one that clicked as well!
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