Merphy: "Holy cow, Neil Gaiman planned every word!" Neil Gaiman, on every one of Merphy's videos: "The process of writing the second draft is the process of making it look like you knew what you were doing all along."
When I posted my fanfics, my readers told me the same as if I was an evil mastermind who had planned every paragraph, scenario or dialogue beforehand. Lol, I just wrote a bunch of words with consistency in a hurry.
Stephen King, David Foster Wallace admit to not knowing entirely where the plot is heading, however, they have a glimpse of the end just so they can do something else and ignore their first idea.
I love these as a writer, it always helps to have a general idea of readers' likes and dislikes. I hope you like doing them as much as I love watching them!
Merphy Napier: "Don't start a a book with a random character" George Martin: "Starts Game Of Thrones with the most random character you'll ever see, who dies in the first chapter".
@@josephcourtright8071 technically, you are right, but Sir Weimar (don't actually know, how to spell his name in English) Royce's chapter feels no different to others in terms of writing style, so he kinda is the first character.
@@fantasyalover4782 this is what I thought of too. It's a little annoying, but it does set up the issue. Absolutely amazing series though, the characters are super interesting.
I'm a bookworm deal with it wtheck I just saw your comments on the Lightning Thief musical and now I come back to watch this video and I see you here what are the odds???
Wow, Merphy saying she’s going to picture characters how she wants really validated me and a lifetime of reading books, and then seeing fanart I almost didn’t recognize.
Im not sure if it’s because I never read the first Percy Jackson series and went straight to heroes of Olympus but I had like half the kids pictured totally wrong
Sometimes it's relevant, right? I sort of want to know to get an impression in my head. The worst thing is when I've been reading about a character and then they tell you what the eye colour is after many chapters... argh.
Most times, the color of the eyes is just symbolic. Blues, greens and lighter tones are reserved for heroes, protagonists or goodies whereas darker, intense or appealing hues for villains, antagonists or antiheroes. Sometimes they can be relevant to recognise characters, kinships or races (kind of Chekhov's gun situation). And all the times heterochromia is reserved for those flawed characters that feel they don't belong to the world they are forced to live in. Some authors also like to play with the symbolism of colors and subvert these expectations, frequently as a red herring to mislead us about the characters' actual roles in the story.
This stuff drives me nuts. A lot of fics I've read practically give characters epithets based on their eye or hair color. Stop calling the main character The Brunette. I swear to god.
That comment about projecting an appearance onto a character really made me think. If, in a book, the characters are never properly described, _most_ people will, I assume, have an image of the character in their head anyway, after a short while. But you never think about just _where_ that image comes from. Is it the name? The things we've seen them do in the story so far? Their personality? Some combination of the above? Or something else entirely? It could be really interesting to, say, ask a bunch of people to read a short story about a character whose appearance is not described, and then ask them to draw the character, or describe them physically. You might be able to find out a lot about common subconscious associations. Or even how logically or emotionally bound your mind is, if you could analyse what exactly it is you base this image on.
Names worry me because two of my female characters have gender neutral but more masculine names, Jamie and Aspen. I don’t want people to imagine them as guys when they’re girls and happy with their gender.
_ “For Sister Thorn, Thano Tacsis brought two hundred men.” _ I LOVE THAT OPENING SO MUCH! Red Sister was so great. Only book I’ve ever read that had a brilliant plot twist within the first 20 pages.
“Set the tone” is what I hear over and over in classes and writing articles. If you see anything different it’s going to either be an old book, or a very new author
Well, most famous run-on sentence, at least. I find it interesting that no one ever remembers the rest of that opening sentence, which is a doozy: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” You can tell Dickens was paid by the word. XD
My favourite type of prologue is when we follow a character on the run or performing a serious task and we know nothing of them until later in the book. No name, no appearance. I love the mysterious tone it sets
I didn’t realise how unpopular starting off with a side character was. I love the prologue of A Game of Thrones, but I guess I was more enthralled with the writing style and the mystery.
I love starting with a throwaway character that shows off the tone and showcases the world... as long as the world is interesting. I don't see why people hate prologues. ...unless people are just reading bad books.
I don't know. While I think "in medias res" is usually too hectic and I want a setup for mood and characters first, please don't take 1/3 of the book for it, one or two chapters without something exiting are enough if it's supposed to have action.
My favorite opening line is from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream."
In my opinion, appearances are very important. I get vexed when authors don't mention the character; especially the eyes and hair colour. Well, just my personal opinion. Nice video though ❤
I have to agree with that. I usually don't mind if it's not instantly thrown in the beginning, but you have to at least hint at what they look like. As a person who likes drawing fanart, I need at least a basic idea of what they look like. Maybe tiny bits of their appearance scattered over the page, but yeah i need something
I legit hate it when authors wait until like half the book is finished before telling us what the characters look like. "She combed her short brown hair between her fingers". Bruh, I thought her hair was long and blonde wth
I agree. For me, it helps make them seem like a real person with a face. Lol. Not describing the appearance just makes them seem less fleshed out. Like a blank slate character.
I agree, but I really hate it when it's done in a "I look into the mirror and try to fix my messy blonde hair" way. Instead when it is done in a similar way to the Hunger Games where Katniss looks in a dirty, broken mirror and compares herself to Prim's soft face and blonde hair, not only does it tell me what Katniss looks like it feels very genuine and sets up parts of the world she lives in
"What color your character eyes are is not going to matter" All the "you have your mother's eyes" lines in Harry Potter: Am I a joke to you? (Ik it's off context w what she said, but I just found it funny lol)
Harry Potter generally speaking is the exception to most rules. It’s full of tropes, the writing isn’t very sophisticated, and the world doesn’t really make any sense, yet it’s one of the best series ever and one of my favorite fantasy worlds ever conceived(not to mention the most successful book series ever).
Honestly your channel has to be my favorite book related channel everytime I get the notification you posted I know the next half hour ish is going to be great so thank you
"In the shadow of a moonless night, on a lake of candlelight stars, Mercy woke up standing in a realm of her own mind." The beginning of a story that I've been working hard on for 6 or so years.
I like the beginning type of "doing every day life or house chores until disaster comes slowly around that daily life" because allows reader on preparing themselves for what is coming.
I hate it because I start the book more than ready. I read to get bafled, entertained, feel, and then I take a book and the character is brushing its teeth with mint tooth paste so white the eyes hurt and he still going to brush his hair, that he should have washed it today, but got lazy, but he regreted it not doing, and he is going to put on the pijamas and read a little at the bed, and I am like "stop showing my everyday life, I want adventure, emotion, color, give me thrills! LOL But if the writer is really good with the words, than he can take me the whole book trough his character's slice of life and I will ride together and like it. Lord of the rings should bore me to death, but Tolkien picture things so nicely that I just love all the enormeous introduction to the shire and the hobbits, and I even find it silly and too long and don't like hobbits, but he makes it so enjoyable that it's all fun. I read that introduction so many times already, and it really is magical how it's always vivid and great. I can't think of many writers able to make me easily care about the fact that (this is not spoiler because I just made up with what I remember, but can be too similar to the book to some people) at the upper street of Frodo's den live the family of gardeners of the shire, the (insert silly lastname that really works here), the gossipers around; that lay low under hobbit's windows listening all the juicy family dramas and incapable of not spilling after to others, that never lose their patrons because despite all the gossip they are the ones who get those sunflowers really blossom in all it's splendors, and who would have a garden with flowers less than splendorous? - no hobbit of respect would've. People could say that's filler, but LoTR it's about the danger of losing a good way of life, the Hobbits way of life, that could only matter if the reader knows and gets to love. Lucky for us Tolkien did this right. Recently I opened a book totally outside my tastes to check the writer's talent. The protagonist is a lazy skinny teen, a little akward with little will to do more than watch TV. It start with she describing the perfect manicured grass from her yard, who she is layed in, watching the last summer day coming to an end. And there are the sky description, the color of the leaves, and I began to twitch my nose to prevent some desperation, but then I realised the writer was able to paint everything in my mind, and I keept going without even noticed; and the girl slept and went to school and soon I was about to ask my beau to let me be because I was reading this really good YA book about a fifteen yo girl. LOL (This one is "Phoenix" from Julian Greystoke").
My girlfriend is so hyped that you gave her a loving mention 😁 Seems the healthy bf way is for me to give you a sub. Also helps that your content is great ofc 😉
I love the opening to Pride and Prejudice - a great opening line and a scene that really sets up the rest of the story (of course I like everything about P&P lol)
"if the only thing I don't like about the series is the end, I will like it far less because it's the last thing I remember" everyone who played the mass effect (video game) series felt that
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." - Rebecca "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Anna Karenina "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were." - Gone with the Wind " No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine." - Northanger Abbey "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day." - Jane Eyre "They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days. Not anymore, though." - My Cousin Rachel Some of my favorite opening lines 💕
I don’t always buy into the “show don’t tell” thing... because I think sometimes telling sets the tone for the book, but only when it’s done well & usually in 3rd person narratives. My example of this is Gone with the Wind- which I think does an excellent job of telling in a way that sets the novel’s tone, as well as establishing the mc. It also does another taboo thing of describing the mc’s appearance. But as I said, this is all done in a way that is funny, captivating, & tells us exactly who our MC is, so that we can laugh along & root for her throughout the story. Also- in spirit of awesome first lines that set the tone, GWTW starts us off with this: “Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.” The rest of the chapter goes on proving & showing us this exact thing. The other thing I love about this first sentence, is that it also gives the narrator an active role. It’s my favorite kind of 3rd person POV, & I think GWTW has such a brilliant beginning overall (& you should definitely DEFINITELY read it lol).
Uhm i kinda like when books open with a poem, especially if its interwoven withe the story Bonus points if its altered/ extendet in the story. Am i strange?
I also love that. They do it in a Great and Terrible Beauty and I loved how that poem was than interwoven with the story itself and altered, just like you said.
Well, yes. While I personally don't mind a poem, short ballade, march or something (indeallly later on though) there are lots of people who instantly throw away a book if it starts with one.
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” -The Gunslinger by Stephen King Probably my favorite opening line ever. It gives two opposing characters, sets the stage, and throws you into the action in one sentence.
The start of my book is to show that the protagonists are just “normal” people with no special powers or anything. It’s a story about how anyone can change the world, you don’t have to be the Chosen One or whatever.
"In a hole in on ground, there lived a Hobbit" man, that's probably the greatest opening line I've ever seen. "The hell - said the duquette" is amazing to. (I'm sorry if I missed the translation, I read those in portuguese.)
"The last camel collapsed at noon."-- Ken Follett, The Key to Rebecca. This has drama, setting, a hint of backstory, a sense of conflict for the characters to resolve, plus exoticism, all compressed into six words. I think this is the best opening line ever written.
Watching these videos have helped me with writing my stories. Yes, I'm one of those people who have 6 different story ideas going at the same time. I started one of my stories in the middle of a death scene because truthfully, nothing before it mattered as much as this one death. I worried for a while that this wouldn't catch the readers though so it's nice to hear what readers have to say.
Hey Merphy! Thanks for making these videos. As an amateur writer, I am looking for as much information as possible on how to make my books more entertaining, so your videos have become great help to me. Thanks!
I completely agree with you about connecting with a character. If I'm going to spend hours with people I want to be able to root for them, so the sooner the author can express to me who they are or even who they might become the sooner I'm in. Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors because of this, I love so many of his characters so quickly. The Aeronaut's Windlass is a great example of this, from Captain Grimm to Rowl, I loved how all the characters in this novel immediately are likable while each having their own unique voice.
I think a fun character is the only way to really get me hooked from the start And as much as I love high fantasy, man it sucks at starting books in a way that makes me care about anything... I can't think of really any examples that got me hooked right away, it always takes me like 2-3 hours listening
Robert Jordan followed all sorts of side characters who had nothing to do with the main characters. He did so to show to the impact of their choices on the "normal" people of the world.
Its okay, you have all the time in the world to fix things that seemed great when you started, but dont seem like that now. I cringe at the first chapter I wrote for my story now, but first drafts (or even second or third drafts) dont have to be perfect. That is what editing is for, as long as your final draft, however many it may take, is as perfect as you want it to be. It is your story after all. I sometimes find things I wrote when I was your age (abt 7 years ago now) and I smile and think I might use it in some way. Sometimes I find things from that same time, and I cringe so hard I want to burn the entire notebook. Take your time, but dont overdo the editing, otherwise you may cringe too hard and talk yourself out of publishing a wonderful story because it is five years later and you dislike your 12yo self. A lot of people may not like infodumps, and put down a book, like the commenter above. But you need to do what makes you feel good about your story, because it is your story. And I am certain you can write the most amazing first chapter for it, that nobody else could write, because you know the story and nobody else does. Just remember that you cannot listen to everyone, not all the advice given in this video could be used in one single first chapter at the same time, and everybody is a critic.
@@zhoradaiyu5184 Wow thank you so much for the advice. I'm 13 now btw. I am not writing the same book I was. I have grown a lot as a writer since then. I threw away my last book because it was beyond fixing and I found out someone else had already writen basically the same book. Also, I decided that I don't like info dumps either lol. I'm leaving room for a bit of mystery for the reader. It will keep them interested. I met some people around my age online and we're all teen writers. We do google meets every week to talk about our books and help each other. They have kept me motivated and helped so much. I'm hoping to create this book with hopes future me will still enjoy it. I'm writing the first draft and trying to take it slow. I'm trying not to stop to edit because I know this draft doesn't have to be perfect. I know that I need this draft in order to get to where I want. Once again, thank you for the advice. It helps to hear the perspective of someone older who knows what younger writers need to hear. I screenshotted this so when I need some encouragement it's there. Hope you have a great day!
I like slower starts where I get to know the setting and main character(s). Starting in the middle of the action doesn't work for me in most cases. Terry Pratchett did a lot of great beginnings.
I personally really enjoy it when prologues seemingly have nothing to do with the story only to have it all connect back by the end of the book/series where you get this striking realisation
Neil Gaiman is the king of pulling little details into the ending. I love it! Also, I keep getting ads for his master class in which he talks about second drafts/revisions being where you make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.
One of my favorite ways to start a book is a flash forward as the prologue, and then chapter one starts the story of how it happened. I love love love this trope. Recommendations are welcome 😁
I'm a writer and that's my favorite way to begin the book, but it will be best if the prologue is sad or depressing because the overall tone of the book just skyrockets just because of the prologue
Oh yes yes yes, this is my absolute favorite way to start a book too! And my ABSOLUTE favorite is when you dont even realize that the first chapter is sort of setting you up for the end, and then at the end you realize that that's what that first chapter was and you get this incredibly satisfying mindblown moment 😂
Hard yes. I was about the say the same thing. One of the examples for me is a TV show - "Queen of the South". You know where it's heading, how it gets there is the fun part.
I gotta agree with the "it's not important how a character looks like" - while I do usually mention little details that someone would pick up upon seeing them for the first time, I am not too thrilled about writing an entire page or more just about how the character looks like or how big this woman's breasts are (seen that way too many times, yikes). And honestly, as a reader, there is a high chance I will forget anything the author told me about the character's looks and make my own image in my mind anyway.
I think it would work out well depending on the character you are written about like one character will not care about how the person is dressed while the other is
@@Ignasimp I think it can be relevant when you're writing erotica or from a POV of a stalker, for example, but other than that, that's a no from me. You can check out r/menwritingwomen on Reddit, many male authors like to write about women's breasts, because they're (probably?) fulfilling their own fantasies or whatever. In most cases, not relevant to the story in any way.
@@maadtee6281 That's a fair point, although I was talking more about physical features, rather than clothes. But it definitely depends on the character :)
@@Ignasimp in a story with multiple POVs it can make sense that some characters focus more on sexual characteristics than others, but yeah, it really does get annoying sometimes
"This is not writing advice, it's just a readers talk about what we like and don't like" That's exactly what writers would be interested to see! I really like your channel, it's being really inspiring and helpful for me. I'm writing my first book since quite a while, and now these days my writing routine basically begins with watching your videos
I feel like I'm alone in this now but I actually love it when we start with a character and don't see that character again until the end of the book. It makes me want to read more
I definitely prefer, as a writer and as a reader, the humble opening scene. (like with a town or a settlement or a poor man's hovel) The narrative scope can grow from there...but I really want to connect with the regular Joe of a world. JMO
I love coming here as a writer, so I can get a general idea of what readers love and hate. It's super helpful, especially when I feel exhausted with my own writing.
“It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts." Hands down best intro to a book ever. That whole section is pure poetry. It introduces the character, world, sets the mood and has some of the best language in a fantasy there is. As far as intros go, that one will be a hard one to beat for years to come. And then the rest of the books is easily in my top three ever too.
@@dayangsima6923 Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. 2 parts of 3 are out, and hes taken over 10 years to write the third sadly. Really damn good books though. I saw a rumour the third may be coming soon, but I do not hope...
9:48 This is why it has taken me so long to start writing book 1 of my epic fantasy series. Had to outline my whole series first. Glad to hear this work is noticed and be appreciated.
Every book I've ever loved seems to feature at least one of each of these beginnings that have been mentioned. It was fun to hear what people love in their beginnings. Great video!
Really like these videos, refreshing to hear other reader's preferences vs. Only hearing professional opinions on the craft. Truly helpful to hear both, thank you!
I love the shoutout to John Dies at the End, which is one of my favorite book openings period, but for so much more than just setting up the tone/style of the book. The ship of Theseus/same axe question is one of the most INTEGRAL ideas in the book and comes into play in ways that give you a whole new level of appreciation for the deftness of the opening when you notice them! It's such a clever and fun way to set up everything you need to know about the story.
I've started on writing channels on RUclips and found your wonderful channel. Seeing perspectives from readers makes me as a writer look at my work different. Love the channel!
Yes! John Dies at the End is so good, as is the entire John and Dave trilogy (I'm assuming havent read book 3 yet) but it immediately sets the tone and gets you all in. I remember the first time I read it I was insanely sick and it hurt to laugh and this book cracked me up and I still read through it, thats how good it is. I also love the combining of psychology concepts and horror/humor. Entertaining and educational.
I just found these vids. I'm currently working on my own book and using these dear author videos to help me. I want my books to be compelling and as interesting as possible. Thanks for doing these. Keep up the great work.
I’m watching these to help me with writing a comic I wanna make and they are extremely helpful! Thank you for making these, it’s so nice to here what readers like and don’t like so I know how to engage them! :)
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." One of the most iconic opening lines ever. It took me a while to read this and not just take it at face value, but to actually realise that this was Jane Austen being her sarcastic best. It really showcases her subtle wit and social commentary.
Really, I've read the series and didn't really enjoy it. The first one was ok but the second was just ... boring and the third one...Oh, sweet Jesus. And the character with purple eyes (Rhysand) was just kinda meh at best. I think the author just shoved in our faces how amazing and better he is.
I’m in the process of writing my first book with this idea I have had for almost ten years, and watching these videos helps me come up with new ideas and ways to go about my plot. Thank you for blessing us!!
Oh yes, Magnus Chase being all like "I died, deal with it peasant" and Percy Jackson with his "fuck my powers, I hate being alive" complex are just beautiful beginings.
I just can’t agree with that comment about starting with “ordinary people” that mentions Harry Potter. I loved the Harry Potter series, and I’m very glad we all collectively conjured it from nothing one day. But the beginning was just terrible, to me. It could be because I have ADHD and I lose interest really easily, but still. Reading a whole chunk of a story about a terrible family that I just don’t like and who I’m not supposed to like isn’t fun. The mundane life of the Dursleys was so *incredibly* boring for me. On the other hand, the introduction to The Goblet of Fire was similar in that it was separate from the main and supporting characters, but I actually enjoyed it. The unnamed cosmic force that produced the book did a really good job at setting up the tension and darkness that led to the incident with Frank (avoiding spoilers as much as I can). It was an intriguing intro to the book, even though it didn’t have much of a bearing on the book’s story itself. It reestablished the villain as a force to be reckoned with, and as someone who isn’t afraid to do terrible things to achieve his own ends. It also, to me, established a maturity and a darkness that was relatively new to the series at that point. The three books that were mysteriously found in tree trunks in Bristol and which seemed to have been made by the trees themselves weren’t excessively childish, but they were still much more whimsical than they were serious and mature. The Goblet of Fire marked a change in atmosphere that didn’t totally dispense with the whimsy of the first three books, but added to the darkness of the series in a cool way. Also, I have a weird urge to say this even though it’s not at all related to the Harry Potter groupthink project: *Trans people are good and valid and I support them.* Not sure why I felt the need to say that, but it’s true!
I agree. When I was younger, like, seven so don’t judge me, I read the first sentence of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. ‘Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.’ I had no understanding of irony, or foreshadowing in the next sentence - ‘They were the last people you’d expect to be involved with anything strange, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.’. I read the first sentence, stared at it for a few seconds and then put the book down. When I got older, I loved the first few lines because of the irony. But here’s the thing. Harry Potter, especially the first couple of books, is a _children’s_ book. And most kids will, although they will probably have a longer attention span that I do, not understand irony or foreshadowing. They will not want to read a book that describes an average day in the life of this boring family, you are meant to hate once it starts describing, especially after being promised an exciting story about magic. And, let’s face it, most kids probably won’t have the sense to go, ‘oh, if it’s a book about magic, maybe the magic starts a bit later on.
It’s not fantasy, but “He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad.”, from Rafael Sabatini’s “ Scaramouche” has always been my favourite start. Just one sentence, and I’m all in.
Good historical fiction is closely related to F&SF - it takes you to a different world and requires you to adjust your frame of reference while reading (emphasis on "good"). Sabatini is among my best loved authors too, as it happens.
Just saying - as both a reader and (aspiring) writer, this series really does help writers. As a writer, I don't realise all of the things I feel/think when I'm reading... thank you, really
I am obsessed with this videos they are literally so interesting, they were one of the first videos I’ve watched and were the reason I subscribed. I really don’t watch a lot of book videos because I don’t read that much anymore, I used to read sooo much as a kid but I have found other passions. However I am a really big Harry Potter fan and I reread the series rn, so after I finished a book, in the next few days there’s a review and a “doesn’t make sense” videos of yours which is freakin awesome. I really appreciate to hear your thoughts about certain books and topics so I subscribed even tho I only watch like 20% of your videos. You inspired me to get into reading again so thank you
One time a friend criticised my writing for not starting in the middle of the action (where the mc turns out to be a villain who eats young girls) and I was like... It's literally a meet cute romance short story with a twist ending. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?! I can't start at the end, cause that would spoil it. So yeah. I think she was wrong with that. Sorry, Sirena!
Same, except the beginning is supposed to have a “normal with a slight threat” tone until the drama starts happening. If I started at the middle, it would completely ruin all the information about the character’s family, friends etc.
The small town thing made me so happy cause my story does just that! It takes place in a small creepy town during fall, and near the end, the MCs need to venture into a dazzling city which they've always been able to see way off in the distance 😄
I loved this! How about a Dear Authors...Great Endings video next?! If I am enjoying a book but, the author doesn’t stick the landing, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s easier to engage readers in the beginning than finish strongly, imho.
I agree with you about character descriptions. I unless there is an image of the character on the front of the book, I make my mind up on how the character looks, or any object in the story for that matter
Even tho you arent qualified to give writing advice, I still love watching these as a writer to see where my own work would fall in the general consensus and if I'm doing anything that's actually really annoying to readers. Thankfully I havent notices any of my own habits in the absolutely do not like sections and I'm suddenly feeling more confident in my first chapters 😂
Merphy: "Holy cow, Neil Gaiman planned every word!"
Neil Gaiman, on every one of Merphy's videos: "The process of writing the second draft is the process of making it look like you knew what you were doing all along."
When I posted my fanfics, my readers told me the same as if I was an evil mastermind who had planned every paragraph, scenario or dialogue beforehand. Lol, I just wrote a bunch of words with consistency in a hurry.
planning? pfft my best plot twists were thought of in the shower.
I LOVE THIS COMMENT, I LAUGHED SO MUCH
Stephen King, David Foster Wallace admit to not knowing entirely where the plot is heading, however, they have a glimpse of the end just so they can do something else and ignore their first idea.
@@letswriteabookin1year864 Yeah, yeah, the whole pantser and planner thing
I love these as a writer, it always helps to have a general idea of readers' likes and dislikes. I hope you like doing them as much as I love watching them!
I feel the same way, these are super useful for me as a writer!
Definitely same, I'm thinking about what things I do and don't do in my stories
S Totally realized that my first chapter is actually my second which explains why it‘s so hard to write and why it feels rushed
Honestly! If there are writers who don't like these opinions just because they're not from a writer, I don't know how they expect to draw in readers
@@aff77141 I bet those are the same people who think they don't need beta readers 🙄
Merphy Napier: "Don't start a a book with a random character"
George Martin: "Starts Game Of Thrones with the most random character you'll ever see, who dies in the first chapter".
Technically the first chapter is Brann. That's the prologue. I know small difference.
Neil Shusterman likes to start new books with new characters and works them into the story which is always fun
@@josephcourtright8071 technically, you are right, but Sir Weimar (don't actually know, how to spell his name in English) Royce's chapter feels no different to others in terms of writing style, so he kinda is the first character.
*cough* Six of Crows
@@fantasyalover4782 this is what I thought of too. It's a little annoying, but it does set up the issue. Absolutely amazing series though, the characters are super interesting.
The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
Noah Mugan Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy! Love that book!
Great line
Yasssss
one of my favorite beginnings ever!!
I read bad movie
"I don't like it when you're constantly telling me that character is romantic and sweet and I only saw him being a jerk" wow Peter Kavinsky is shaking
so true lol
"look I didn't want to be a half blood" best beginning to a great story ever
I'm a bookworm deal with it wtheck I just saw your comments on the Lightning Thief musical and now I come back to watch this video and I see you here what are the odds???
What instantly hooked me when I first picked up The Lightning Theif was the chapter title.
"Chapter One: I accidentally vaporize my algebra teacher."
dork yface Taking me back
@@dorkyface Honestly, a ton of the chapter titles in Rick's books are hilarious on their own. Sometimes even funnier with context
@@themightypancake5695 The Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase chapter titles were truly beautiful. Man, I love those series.
"It's not important what a character looks like..."
The entire cast of A Song of Ice and Fire (minus Robert Baratheon) would like to have a word.
Yesss xD
I still would love to know how someone looks like to better imagine them in my head.
I don't get it
Why minus Robert baratheon?? He was mentioned as detailed as any other character....
@@kellybloomwood that's why I don't get it lol
20:46
*Freeze frame, record scratch*
"Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. Well, funny story about that..."
I've seen that kind of line memed so many times that I actually sort of enjoy when it's used to begin a movie XD
Not a novel, but the Promised Neverland has one of my favorite beginnings of all time.
Damn true
I love watching blind reactions to episode one on RUclips
Same same, such a cool twist
So misleading it's beautiful
And now the manga has had an emotional ending
Wow, Merphy saying she’s going to picture characters how she wants really validated me and a lifetime of reading books, and then seeing fanart I almost didn’t recognize.
I always imagined Draco with hazel hair and I’m not sure why.
@@synflwr That... That's hard for me. I just. I don't compute that.
I always imagined Hermione with glasses. I swear it's not because she's smart, I just did.
Im not sure if it’s because I never read the first Percy Jackson series and went straight to heroes of Olympus but I had like half the kids pictured totally wrong
Patience Holmes yess i agree. In my mind, Jason Grace will always have dark hair and grey eyes
"What colors your characters eyes are don't matter"
*Roshar is calling*
Sometimes it's relevant, right? I sort of want to know to get an impression in my head. The worst thing is when I've been reading about a character and then they tell you what the eye colour is after many chapters... argh.
Most times, the color of the eyes is just symbolic. Blues, greens and lighter tones are reserved for heroes, protagonists or goodies whereas darker, intense or appealing hues for villains, antagonists or antiheroes. Sometimes they can be relevant to recognise characters, kinships or races (kind of Chekhov's gun situation). And all the times heterochromia is reserved for those flawed characters that feel they don't belong to the world they are forced to live in. Some authors also like to play with the symbolism of colors and subvert these expectations, frequently as a red herring to mislead us about the characters' actual roles in the story.
*glares*
/Light eyes./
This stuff drives me nuts. A lot of fics I've read practically give characters epithets based on their eye or hair color. Stop calling the main character The Brunette. I swear to god.
Harry Potter is hurt
That comment about projecting an appearance onto a character really made me think.
If, in a book, the characters are never properly described, _most_ people will, I assume, have an image of the character in their head anyway, after a short while. But you never think about just _where_ that image comes from. Is it the name? The things we've seen them do in the story so far? Their personality? Some combination of the above? Or something else entirely?
It could be really interesting to, say, ask a bunch of people to read a short story about a character whose appearance is not described, and then ask them to draw the character, or describe them physically. You might be able to find out a lot about common subconscious associations.
Or even how logically or emotionally bound your mind is, if you could analyse what exactly it is you base this image on.
I always imagine characters more handsome than they are ment to be, but I don't care.
Oh my, I love this comment! I really want someone to conduct this study now!
Names worry me because two of my female characters have gender neutral but more masculine names, Jamie and Aspen. I don’t want people to imagine them as guys when they’re girls and happy with their gender.
Ooh yes I like this experiment.
@@synflwr I mean if you use she though or her that's pretty clear.
"It is important, when killing a nun, to bring an army of sufficient size."
_ “For Sister Thorn, Thano Tacsis brought two hundred men.” _ I LOVE THAT OPENING SO MUCH! Red Sister was so great. Only book I’ve ever read that had a brilliant plot twist within the first 20 pages.
I've just finish it. Reading that first line i immediately thought: "Ok...now THAT is serious stuff"
That is definitely the best opening I have ever read
That line is so good, I just bought the book because of your comment! I'm only on chapter five so far, but I'm loving it!
“Set the tone” is what I hear over and over in classes and writing articles. If you see anything different it’s going to either be an old book, or a very new author
I love setting the time for my stories.
"The Man in Black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed" is and always will be my favorite opening line
Also end line
Stephen King has got some range ngl
Under the dome starts off with the perspective of a gopher
@@CeramicQuill I guess you could say King really knows how to go-pher it!
I was instantly hooked by that line. Still my favourite books.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” greatest intro ever
Forgive my ignorance, but which book starts out this way?
@@vitoriaassuncao7716 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
I totally agree! One of my favorite classics, along with with "Call me Ishmael"
Well, most famous run-on sentence, at least. I find it interesting that no one ever remembers the rest of that opening sentence, which is a doozy:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
You can tell Dickens was paid by the word. XD
Trike I heard it was a rumor that he was paid by the word. I’ve just always thought it was Dickens being, well, a Dickens lol
My favourite type of prologue is when we follow a character on the run or performing a serious task and we know nothing of them until later in the book. No name, no appearance. I love the mysterious tone it sets
"My son is at the age now where he likes... movies."
Oh the humanity!
I didn’t realise how unpopular starting off with a side character was. I love the prologue of A Game of Thrones, but I guess I was more enthralled with the writing style and the mystery.
I enjoy it too.
I love starting with a throwaway character that shows off the tone and showcases the world... as long as the world is interesting.
I don't see why people hate prologues. ...unless people are just reading bad books.
Exactly! The Six of Crows duology uses a side character or minor character for both the first and last chapter of both books and its AWESOME
I don't know. While I think "in medias res" is usually too hectic and I want a setup for mood and characters first, please don't take 1/3 of the book for it, one or two chapters without something exiting are enough if it's supposed to have action.
My favorite opening line is from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream."
In my opinion, appearances are very important. I get vexed when authors don't mention the character; especially the eyes and hair colour. Well, just my personal opinion. Nice video though ❤
I have to agree with that. I usually don't mind if it's not instantly thrown in the beginning, but you have to at least hint at what they look like. As a person who likes drawing fanart, I need at least a basic idea of what they look like. Maybe tiny bits of their appearance scattered over the page, but yeah i need something
I legit hate it when authors wait until like half the book is finished before telling us what the characters look like. "She combed her short brown hair between her fingers". Bruh, I thought her hair was long and blonde wth
I agree. For me, it helps make them seem like a real person with a face. Lol. Not describing the appearance just makes them seem less fleshed out. Like a blank slate character.
I agree, but I really hate it when it's done in a "I look into the mirror and try to fix my messy blonde hair" way. Instead when it is done in a similar way to the Hunger Games where Katniss looks in a dirty, broken mirror and compares herself to Prim's soft face and blonde hair, not only does it tell me what Katniss looks like it feels very genuine and sets up parts of the world she lives in
@@carter174 yes, I agree. Looking in the mirror is too cliche, unless it's done well; but yet better than being not mentioned at all!
"What color your character eyes are is not going to matter"
All the "you have your mother's eyes" lines in Harry Potter: Am I a joke to you?
(Ik it's off context w what she said, but I just found it funny lol)
Harry Potter generally speaking is the exception to most rules. It’s full of tropes, the writing isn’t very sophisticated, and the world doesn’t really make any sense, yet it’s one of the best series ever and one of my favorite fantasy worlds ever conceived(not to mention the most successful book series ever).
Stormlight Archive
Honestly your channel has to be my favorite book related channel everytime I get the notification you posted I know the next half hour ish is going to be great so thank you
Mine too
Mine too
thank you so much, that means a lot
Hear! Hear!
Same.
"In the shadow of a moonless night, on a lake of candlelight stars, Mercy woke up standing in a realm of her own mind."
The beginning of a story that I've been working hard on for 6 or so years.
I like the beginning type of "doing every day life or house chores until disaster comes slowly around that daily life" because allows reader on preparing themselves for what is coming.
That kind of beginning seems to be pretty popular in manga.
Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, The Promised Neverland, Witch Hat Atelier, etc.
I hate it because I start the book more than ready. I read to get bafled, entertained, feel, and then I take a book and the character is brushing its teeth with mint tooth paste so white the eyes hurt and he still going to brush his hair, that he should have washed it today, but got lazy, but he regreted it not doing, and he is going to put on the pijamas and read a little at the bed, and I am like "stop showing my everyday life, I want adventure, emotion, color, give me thrills!
LOL
But if the writer is really good with the words, than he can take me the whole book trough his character's slice of life and I will ride together and like it. Lord of the rings should bore me to death, but Tolkien picture things so nicely that I just love all the enormeous introduction to the shire and the hobbits, and I even find it silly and too long and don't like hobbits, but he makes it so enjoyable that it's all fun. I read that introduction so many times already, and it really is magical how it's always vivid and great.
I can't think of many writers able to make me easily care about the fact that (this is not spoiler because I just made up with what I remember, but can be too similar to the book to some people) at the upper street of Frodo's den live the family of gardeners of the shire, the (insert silly lastname that really works here), the gossipers around; that lay low under hobbit's windows listening all the juicy family dramas and incapable of not spilling after to others, that never lose their patrons because despite all the gossip they are the ones who get those sunflowers really blossom in all it's splendors, and who would have a garden with flowers less than splendorous? - no hobbit of respect would've.
People could say that's filler, but LoTR it's about the danger of losing a good way of life, the Hobbits way of life, that could only matter if the reader knows and gets to love. Lucky for us Tolkien did this right.
Recently I opened a book totally outside my tastes to check the writer's talent. The protagonist is a lazy skinny teen, a little akward with little will to do more than watch TV. It start with she describing the perfect manicured grass from her yard, who she is layed in, watching the last summer day coming to an end. And there are the sky description, the color of the leaves, and I began to twitch my nose to prevent some desperation, but then I realised the writer was able to paint everything in my mind, and I keept going without even noticed; and the girl slept and went to school and soon I was about to ask my beau to let me be because I was reading this really good YA book about a fifteen yo girl. LOL (This one is "Phoenix" from Julian Greystoke").
"The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault." One of my favorite book beginnings.
One of the Dresden Files?
@@rmsgrey Yup!
My girlfriend is so hyped that you gave her a loving mention 😁 Seems the healthy bf way is for me to give you a sub. Also helps that your content is great ofc 😉
awe thanks! You're a super supportive boyfriend :D
I love the opening to Pride and Prejudice - a great opening line and a scene that really sets up the rest of the story (of course I like everything about P&P lol)
"if the only thing I don't like about the series is the end, I will like it far less because it's the last thing I remember"
everyone who played the mass effect (video game) series felt that
My favourite opening line:
"Sophie always wanted to be kidnapped." - School for Good and Evil
I too love sge and I'm so excited about the otk release
Renikee I loved that series but it scared me when I was younger lol
oh, that's a good series. I feel so much nostalgia now. I need to go re-read the whole thing, pfft.
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."
- Rebecca
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
- Anna Karenina
"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were."
- Gone with the Wind
" No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine."
- Northanger Abbey
"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."
- Jane Eyre
"They used to hang men at Four Turnings in the old days. Not anymore, though."
- My Cousin Rachel
Some of my favorite opening lines 💕
Oh, Jane Eyre! An absolutely beautiful tale that propelled me to the very end.
Yes, Rebecca has an amazing beginning
As a reader and a writer, this proved to be more interesting than I was expecting 😊🙏
17:03 I am blushing ❤️
Opening line from my favorite book: "If I had cared to live, I would have died." From Silverlock by John Myers Myers.
I don’t always buy into the “show don’t tell” thing... because I think sometimes telling sets the tone for the book, but only when it’s done well & usually in 3rd person narratives.
My example of this is Gone with the Wind- which I think does an excellent job of telling in a way that sets the novel’s tone, as well as establishing the mc. It also does another taboo thing of describing the mc’s appearance. But as I said, this is all done in a way that is funny, captivating, & tells us exactly who our MC is, so that we can laugh along & root for her throughout the story. Also- in spirit of awesome first lines that set the tone, GWTW starts us off with this: “Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.” The rest of the chapter goes on proving & showing us this exact thing. The other thing I love about this first sentence, is that it also gives the narrator an active role. It’s my favorite kind of 3rd person POV, & I think GWTW has such a brilliant beginning overall (& you should definitely DEFINITELY read it lol).
I love this series, it helps me a lot in my writing.
I love this series so much!!
Biggest surprise of the day: Kelsier has blonde hair?! Why am I so shocked?? 😂
I've always imagined him ginger 😂
@@KFoxtheGreat I've pictured him having light brown hair (sandy)😂
@Cathildis yes me too i never saw him as a blonde
I've always pictured Kelsier as looking similar to Vincent from Final Fantasy VII.
I envisioned him with dark hair! I rarely pay attention to character descriptions honestly 🤣
Uhm i kinda like when books open with a poem, especially if its interwoven withe the story Bonus points if its altered/ extendet in the story.
Am i strange?
I also love that. They do it in a Great and Terrible Beauty and I loved how that poem was than interwoven with the story itself and altered, just like you said.
Well, yes. While I personally don't mind a poem, short ballade, march or something (indeallly later on though) there are lots of people who instantly throw away a book if it starts with one.
I love The Martian for being a great tone setter of a book. That opening line tho
Brandon Sanderson mentions this opening in his writing series on RUclips. This really is an awesome opening
I've had the martian for a while and your comment just made me pick it up 😂 thank you! 😌
@@shabsjourney That's awesome.
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” -The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Probably my favorite opening line ever. It gives two opposing characters, sets the stage, and throws you into the action in one sentence.
The start of my book is to show that the protagonists are just “normal” people with no special powers or anything. It’s a story about how anyone can change the world, you don’t have to be the Chosen One or whatever.
Once I wrote a story and it opened with the phrase “I’m gay. Damn it feels good to get that off my chest.” And I can’t stop thinking about that.
What story is this? I wanna read it
What happened?
@@autisticgoat1553 They did gay things.
@@lennysmileyface Oh no.
Damn, I want to read that
"In a hole in on ground, there lived a Hobbit" man, that's probably the greatest opening line I've ever seen. "The hell - said the duquette" is amazing to. (I'm sorry if I missed the translation, I read those in portuguese.)
The first one was written by Tolien and the second by Agatha Christie
"The last camel collapsed at noon."-- Ken Follett, The Key to Rebecca. This has drama, setting, a hint of backstory, a sense of conflict for the characters to resolve, plus exoticism, all compressed into six words. I think this is the best opening line ever written.
Oh hey, I won comment of the day. I hope fame doesn't change me.
Watching these videos have helped me with writing my stories. Yes, I'm one of those people who have 6 different story ideas going at the same time. I started one of my stories in the middle of a death scene because truthfully, nothing before it mattered as much as this one death. I worried for a while that this wouldn't catch the readers though so it's nice to hear what readers have to say.
Hey Merphy! Thanks for making these videos. As an amateur writer, I am looking for as much information as possible on how to make my books more entertaining, so your videos have become great help to me. Thanks!
so glad it's helping
I completely agree with you about connecting with a character. If I'm going to spend hours with people I want to be able to root for them, so the sooner the author can express to me who they are or even who they might become the sooner I'm in. Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors because of this, I love so many of his characters so quickly. The Aeronaut's Windlass is a great example of this, from Captain Grimm to Rowl, I loved how all the characters in this novel immediately are likable while each having their own unique voice.
I think a fun character is the only way to really get me hooked from the start
And as much as I love high fantasy, man it sucks at starting books in a way that makes me care about anything... I can't think of really any examples that got me hooked right away, it always takes me like 2-3 hours listening
Robert Jordan followed all sorts of side characters who had nothing to do with the main characters. He did so to show to the impact of their choices on the "normal" people of the world.
Apparence matter when it matters for the story. Eye color is really important in The Stormlight Archive.
I'm a 12yo writer and I'm writing my book and I started with an info dump. I'm gonna go rewrite the entire first chapter.😅😫😭
Ew, my monkey brain would turn off instantly
Its okay, you have all the time in the world to fix things that seemed great when you started, but dont seem like that now. I cringe at the first chapter I wrote for my story now, but first drafts (or even second or third drafts) dont have to be perfect. That is what editing is for, as long as your final draft, however many it may take, is as perfect as you want it to be. It is your story after all.
I sometimes find things I wrote when I was your age (abt 7 years ago now) and I smile and think I might use it in some way. Sometimes I find things from that same time, and I cringe so hard I want to burn the entire notebook. Take your time, but dont overdo the editing, otherwise you may cringe too hard and talk yourself out of publishing a wonderful story because it is five years later and you dislike your 12yo self.
A lot of people may not like infodumps, and put down a book, like the commenter above. But you need to do what makes you feel good about your story, because it is your story. And I am certain you can write the most amazing first chapter for it, that nobody else could write, because you know the story and nobody else does.
Just remember that you cannot listen to everyone, not all the advice given in this video could be used in one single first chapter at the same time, and everybody is a critic.
@@zhoradaiyu5184 Wow thank you so much for the advice. I'm 13 now btw. I am not writing the same book I was. I have grown a lot as a writer since then. I threw away my last book because it was beyond fixing and I found out someone else had already writen basically the same book. Also, I decided that I don't like info dumps either lol. I'm leaving room for a bit of mystery for the reader. It will keep them interested.
I met some people around my age online and we're all teen writers. We do google meets every week to talk about our books and help each other. They have kept me motivated and helped so much.
I'm hoping to create this book with hopes future me will still enjoy it. I'm writing the first draft and trying to take it slow. I'm trying not to stop to edit because I know this draft doesn't have to be perfect. I know that I need this draft in order to get to where I want.
Once again, thank you for the advice. It helps to hear the perspective of someone older who knows what younger writers need to hear. I screenshotted this so when I need some encouragement it's there. Hope you have a great day!
@@emilybrown7129 That is great! Nice I could be of some help to you.
@@zhoradaiyu5184 Yeah I sent the screenshot to my writer friends and they said it helped them too!
I like slower starts where I get to know the setting and main character(s). Starting in the middle of the action doesn't work for me in most cases.
Terry Pratchett did a lot of great beginnings.
Oh, Terry Pratchett. I love how nonchalant his narration is in describing all the ridiculous things in his worlds. 😆
I personally really enjoy it when prologues seemingly have nothing to do with the story only to have it all connect back by the end of the book/series where you get this striking realisation
"It was the best of times, it was the BLURST of times!?!?"
Neil Gaiman is the king of pulling little details into the ending. I love it! Also, I keep getting ads for his master class in which he talks about second drafts/revisions being where you make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.
One of my favorite ways to start a book is a flash forward as the prologue, and then chapter one starts the story of how it happened. I love love love this trope. Recommendations are welcome 😁
I'm a writer and that's my favorite way to begin the book, but it will be best if the prologue is sad or depressing because the overall tone of the book just skyrockets just because of the prologue
Oh yes yes yes, this is my absolute favorite way to start a book too! And my ABSOLUTE favorite is when you dont even realize that the first chapter is sort of setting you up for the end, and then at the end you realize that that's what that first chapter was and you get this incredibly satisfying mindblown moment 😂
I love it when stories start off this way. This is called, "in media res", right? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. ☺
Hard yes. I was about the say the same thing. One of the examples for me is a TV show - "Queen of the South". You know where it's heading, how it gets there is the fun part.
@@rosiealma4276 Well said
You’re not giving writing advice but this chat is wonderful for writers. Thank you. Please don’t stop! ❤️
Connecting the reader to what drives the story is important. Ex: If it's character driven the hometown setting you mentioned works well for this.
I gotta agree with the "it's not important how a character looks like" - while I do usually mention little details that someone would pick up upon seeing them for the first time, I am not too thrilled about writing an entire page or more just about how the character looks like or how big this woman's breasts are (seen that way too many times, yikes). And honestly, as a reader, there is a high chance I will forget anything the author told me about the character's looks and make my own image in my mind anyway.
Why would talking about a character's breasts be relevant to a story?
I think it would work out well depending on the character you are written about like one character will not care about how the person is dressed while the other is
@@Ignasimp I think it can be relevant when you're writing erotica or from a POV of a stalker, for example, but other than that, that's a no from me. You can check out r/menwritingwomen on Reddit, many male authors like to write about women's breasts, because they're (probably?) fulfilling their own fantasies or whatever. In most cases, not relevant to the story in any way.
@@maadtee6281 That's a fair point, although I was talking more about physical features, rather than clothes. But it definitely depends on the character :)
@@Ignasimp in a story with multiple POVs it can make sense that some characters focus more on sexual characteristics than others, but yeah, it really does get annoying sometimes
I feel like these videos are good for authors because it actually lets them know what readers want in a book
"This is not writing advice, it's just a readers talk about what we like and don't like" That's exactly what writers would be interested to see!
I really like your channel, it's being really inspiring and helpful for me. I'm writing my first book since quite a while, and now these days my writing routine basically begins with watching your videos
The Sparrow starts with a one page prologue that ends with the line, "They meant no harm". How's that for a set up?
I feel like I'm alone in this now but I actually love it when we start with a character and don't see that character again until the end of the book. It makes me want to read more
Omg Percy Jackson yasssss
I definitely prefer, as a writer and as a reader, the humble opening scene. (like with a town or a settlement or a poor man's hovel) The narrative scope can grow from there...but I really want to connect with the regular Joe of a world. JMO
I love coming here as a writer, so I can get a general idea of what readers love and hate. It's super helpful, especially when I feel exhausted with my own writing.
“It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts."
Hands down best intro to a book ever. That whole section is pure poetry. It introduces the character, world, sets the mood and has some of the best language in a fantasy there is. As far as intros go, that one will be a hard one to beat for years to come.
And then the rest of the books is easily in my top three ever too.
May i ask what book has this intro?
@@dayangsima6923 Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. 2 parts of 3 are out, and hes taken over 10 years to write the third sadly. Really damn good books though.
I saw a rumour the third may be coming soon, but I do not hope...
God yes! That intro made this book one of my favourites. Fingers crossed, we'll get the third one this year.
@Z.B. I sure hope we do, but it is a weak hope.
I literally started reading that book today...
9:48 This is why it has taken me so long to start writing book 1 of my epic fantasy series.
Had to outline my whole series first. Glad to hear this work is noticed and be appreciated.
Every book I've ever loved seems to feature at least one of each of these beginnings that have been mentioned. It was fun to hear what people love in their beginnings. Great video!
Really like these videos, refreshing to hear other reader's preferences vs. Only hearing professional opinions on the craft. Truly helpful to hear both, thank you!
6:01- "this. is the story of how I died" sorry that was the first movie that popped into my head haha
Same
Wasn't this from Twilight?
@@alexandra1695 ...Maybe but it's Also from Tangled, so...🤷♀️
If I read this sentence I already know I'm not interested in the book.
I think I heard that from tangled the movie
I can't tell you how much I love these videos. I'm crossing my fingers for one on endings. :)
I love the shoutout to John Dies at the End, which is one of my favorite book openings period, but for so much more than just setting up the tone/style of the book. The ship of Theseus/same axe question is one of the most INTEGRAL ideas in the book and comes into play in ways that give you a whole new level of appreciation for the deftness of the opening when you notice them! It's such a clever and fun way to set up everything you need to know about the story.
I've started on writing channels on RUclips and found your wonderful channel. Seeing perspectives from readers makes me as a writer look at my work different. Love the channel!
All the Sanderson mentions make my "Storming" heart happy 😁😁🤘.. amazing video btw, and so many great points!
Yes! John Dies at the End is so good, as is the entire John and Dave trilogy (I'm assuming havent read book 3 yet) but it immediately sets the tone and gets you all in. I remember the first time I read it I was insanely sick and it hurt to laugh and this book cracked me up and I still read through it, thats how good it is. I also love the combining of psychology concepts and horror/humor. Entertaining and educational.
I just found these vids. I'm currently working on my own book and using these dear author videos to help me. I want my books to be compelling and as interesting as possible. Thanks for doing these. Keep up the great work.
I’m watching these to help me with writing a comic I wanna make and they are extremely helpful! Thank you for making these, it’s so nice to here what readers like and don’t like so I know how to engage them! :)
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." One of the most iconic opening lines ever. It took me a while to read this and not just take it at face value, but to actually realise that this was Jane Austen being her sarcastic best. It really showcases her subtle wit and social commentary.
I started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses just because I knew there was a character there with purple eyes so...😂
Really, I've read the series and didn't really enjoy it. The first one was ok but the second was just ... boring and the third one...Oh, sweet Jesus. And the character with purple eyes (Rhysand) was just kinda meh at best. I think the author just shoved in our faces how amazing and better he is.
I love this series! I love when author's start a book mid task and then show us what is going on and watching it come together through the book.
I’m in the process of writing my first book with this idea I have had for almost ten years, and watching these videos helps me come up with new ideas and ways to go about my plot. Thank you for blessing us!!
Oh yes, Magnus Chase being all like "I died, deal with it peasant" and Percy Jackson with his "fuck my powers, I hate being alive" complex are just beautiful beginings.
I just can’t agree with that comment about starting with “ordinary people” that mentions Harry Potter. I loved the Harry Potter series, and I’m very glad we all collectively conjured it from nothing one day. But the beginning was just terrible, to me. It could be because I have ADHD and I lose interest really easily, but still. Reading a whole chunk of a story about a terrible family that I just don’t like and who I’m not supposed to like isn’t fun. The mundane life of the Dursleys was so *incredibly* boring for me.
On the other hand, the introduction to The Goblet of Fire was similar in that it was separate from the main and supporting characters, but I actually enjoyed it. The unnamed cosmic force that produced the book did a really good job at setting up the tension and darkness that led to the incident with Frank (avoiding spoilers as much as I can). It was an intriguing intro to the book, even though it didn’t have much of a bearing on the book’s story itself. It reestablished the villain as a force to be reckoned with, and as someone who isn’t afraid to do terrible things to achieve his own ends. It also, to me, established a maturity and a darkness that was relatively new to the series at that point. The three books that were mysteriously found in tree trunks in Bristol and which seemed to have been made by the trees themselves weren’t excessively childish, but they were still much more whimsical than they were serious and mature. The Goblet of Fire marked a change in atmosphere that didn’t totally dispense with the whimsy of the first three books, but added to the darkness of the series in a cool way.
Also, I have a weird urge to say this even though it’s not at all related to the Harry Potter groupthink project: *Trans people are good and valid and I support them.* Not sure why I felt the need to say that, but it’s true!
Oh I am quite sure why you felt the need to say that.
Agreeing with The Goblet of Fire, even it is my least favourite HP book
I agree. When I was younger, like, seven so don’t judge me, I read the first sentence of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. ‘Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.’ I had no understanding of irony, or foreshadowing in the next sentence - ‘They were the last people you’d expect to be involved with anything strange, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.’. I read the first sentence, stared at it for a few seconds and then put the book down. When I got older, I loved the first few lines because of the irony. But here’s the thing. Harry Potter, especially the first couple of books, is a _children’s_ book. And most kids will, although they will probably have a longer attention span that I do, not understand irony or foreshadowing. They will not want to read a book that describes an average day in the life of this boring family, you are meant to hate once it starts describing, especially after being promised an exciting story about magic. And, let’s face it, most kids probably won’t have the sense to go, ‘oh, if it’s a book about magic, maybe the magic starts a bit later on.
It’s not fantasy, but “He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad.”, from Rafael Sabatini’s “ Scaramouche” has always been my favourite start. Just one sentence, and I’m all in.
Good historical fiction is closely related to F&SF - it takes you to a different world and requires you to adjust your frame of reference while reading (emphasis on "good"). Sabatini is among my best loved authors too, as it happens.
I love whenever we are just thrown into the mood or tone of a book. It just gets me every time.
Just saying - as both a reader and (aspiring) writer, this series really does help writers. As a writer, I don't realise all of the things I feel/think when I'm reading... thank you, really
Going to start watching now, probably going to be great again!
But isn't it beginnings instead of beginings?
thank you! My dyslexia got me that time
This series has helped me so much as a young writer! Tysm Merphy💕
I am obsessed with this videos they are literally so interesting, they were one of the first videos I’ve watched and were the reason I subscribed. I really don’t watch a lot of book videos because I don’t read that much anymore, I used to read sooo much as a kid but I have found other passions. However I am a really big Harry Potter fan and I reread the series rn, so after I finished a book, in the next few days there’s a review and a “doesn’t make sense” videos of yours which is freakin awesome. I really appreciate to hear your thoughts about certain books and topics so I subscribed even tho I only watch like 20% of your videos. You inspired me to get into reading again so thank you
Funny, George Martin starts with SoIaF with a expandable character...
He does that a lot in his prologues
One time a friend criticised my writing for not starting in the middle of the action (where the mc turns out to be a villain who eats young girls) and I was like... It's literally a meet cute romance short story with a twist ending. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?! I can't start at the end, cause that would spoil it.
So yeah. I think she was wrong with that. Sorry, Sirena!
Same, except the beginning is supposed to have a “normal with a slight threat” tone until the drama starts happening. If I started at the middle, it would completely ruin all the information about the character’s family, friends etc.
Ohh I love the narrative start! I love the storytelling feeling and getting context
The small town thing made me so happy cause my story does just that! It takes place in a small creepy town during fall, and near the end, the MCs need to venture into a dazzling city which they've always been able to see way off in the distance 😄
I loved this! How about a Dear Authors...Great Endings video next?! If I am enjoying a book but, the author doesn’t stick the landing, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s easier to engage readers in the beginning than finish strongly, imho.
MERPHY. YOU’RE FINALLY WEARING THE SWEATER. THIS IS PROGRESS.
I agree with you about character descriptions. I unless there is an image of the character on the front of the book, I make my mind up on how the character looks, or any object in the story for that matter
This helped me come up with a more defined first chapter! Thank you!
Even tho you arent qualified to give writing advice, I still love watching these as a writer to see where my own work would fall in the general consensus and if I'm doing anything that's actually really annoying to readers. Thankfully I havent notices any of my own habits in the absolutely do not like sections and I'm suddenly feeling more confident in my first chapters 😂