Discover yourself (and me) through iconic literature openings.
Once upon a time and long ago in a galaxy far, far away...I dropped the glass slipper after midnight and used the Force to combat evil all in one fairytale epic life.
What an intro! Those classic “once upon a time” and “far, far away” opening lines trigger a storytelling pledge: “I promise you’ll escape to another world,” “I promise the adventures will be tough, havoc will reign, all will be lost, but you’ll be triumphant!” and “I promise you’ll find True Love.”
Imagine an opening line for your life. What tidbit would you dangle?
And the story’s opening-line promise is personal. In our imagination, we’re the ones who mistakenly drop the glass slipper or courageously fire up a lightsaber. We cringe with embarrassment over spinach-in-teeth and sniffle when a beloved character dies.
Opening lines are powerful. They can be an invitation, dangle intrigue, make a promise, or suggest secrets all because they invite the reader in.
Now, imagine an opening line for your life.
What tidbit would you dangle?
Introducing Myself with Opening Lines
I decided to give this a shot but found out pretty quickly that it’s really hard. I have nearly 24,000 days to choose from. Which memories matter?
Happily, I found a hack.
From opening lines in books, of course.
What I discovered is that as I read through a list of classic opening lines from literature, memories would pop into thought. Little moments to a span of years were instantly captured thanks to the ideas triggered by classic lines. The result is a pretty good introduction.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin (1813)
· Oh, sweet truth. The man I met and married had money and I had credit-card debt. Hey, I was 27! He was a successful entrepreneur and we met at a Greenwich Village church, and I decided to charitably help him spend his dough. We eloped just a few months after meeting. (But let the record show, years later I made my own money.)
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.” The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
· Small actions can be defining moments. When I was fifteen, I remember one evening walking by my dad’s home office when I spotted my just-arrived Seventeen magazine in his trashcan. What?! Furiously, I pulled it out and confronted him. He replied, “I just think there’s more to your life than finding a boyfriend.” I was dumbstruck.
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.” The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (1963)
· I was 25 and living in St. Louis with a great job, terrific friends and a fun boyfriend who wanted to marry me, so I jammed all my belongings into a hatchback Honda and moved to NYC. Sometimes you need to follow the hunch.
“Here is a small fact: You are going to die.” The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (2007)
· All joking aside I discovered I had breast cancer a few years ago. Thanks to the candid, compassionate care I received from a women’s health center, the detection and treatment were successful. But the initial shock and fear carried a gift: I suddenly imagined that a heavy concrete barrier had slammed down in front of me. I could no longer take for granted how much time I have left and better get on with all the things I’d been putting off.
“They shoot the white girl first.” Paradise, Toni Morrison (1998)
· I started work in Corporate America in the 1980’s, hired as the first non-administrative woman in the corporate offices of a male-dominated industrial steel-pipe distributor. Next I moved into financial services (insurance, then brokerage), another industry with mostly men. My last role/corporate career spanned 22 years. Priceless growth formed in those petri dishes: Mistakes and backlash, saving face vs protecting people; how to expand and move an enterprise-wide mindset, handling change. Along the way I met allies, role models, mentees, teams, selfless and creative brilliance. Hey, I should write a sit-com!
“I have never begun a novel with more misgiving.” The Razor’s Edge, W. Somerset Maughman (1944)
· Oh, here it is! Heart in throat! I waited so long to write my novel, after I “un-retired” from Corporate Life. And guess what: you’re not saved from rookie mistakes because you used to wear a suit every day. I was so hellbent and anxious and eager to get on with this writing gig that I jumped in the deep end before I could swim and ended up needing to entirely rewrite my novel twice. Learning by doing is not the easy way.
OK, you can see I got on a roll. Not only are the opening lines good for stories, but they’re also not bad for sharing snippets. For example:
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Star Wars franchise (1977 - ?)
· I love Star Wars (and Marvel) and believe in UFO’s.
“First, I got myself born.” Demon Copperfield, Barbara Kingsolver (2022)
· I was born in the front seat of a VW bug on the way to a hospital in Arlington, Virginia.
“For a long time, I went to bed early.” Swann’s Way, Marcel Proust (1913)
· I’m an early-riser and generally wake up without an alarm at 5:00 am.
“It was a pleasure to burn.” Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1953)
· I’m fair-skinned, so I spray tan in the summer.
“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
· My husband does the cooking. The kitchen sink reference is because I was going to claim I clean up the dishes. But I don’t. He does that too.
Choose Your Own Opening Line…or See What Memories Spring Up
To try this yourself or simply scan famous opening lines here’s a link.
Do you have a favorite? Let me know!
For fun, let me end on a final quote: “All this happened, more or less.” Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut (1969)
You get to be the judge!
Warmly,
Now pick an opening line for your life. What tidbit would you dangle? And would it be the truth, or do you think it would be more fun to keep people guessing? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. BTW opening line from my novel: “Jimmying out the closest canvas, Jo van Gogh recognized one of the sunflower paintings.”
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