RULES: List the first lines of the last ten stories you published. Look to see if there are any patterns that you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any! Then tag some friends.
I’m not going to be tagging anyone, but please feel free to steal it! and let me know if you have, I’d love to see everyone else’s responses to this.
Hound grinned sheepishly from where he lay sprawled across the berth. (A Little Bit of Fun, Sept 2018)
2. The sound of a door opening in the hallway startled Wheeljack into looking away from his datapad. For the fifth time, he checked his chronometer, then made himself stop. It was hardly a klik since he’d last checked. (Etched on Every Wall Ch. 11, Sept 2018)
3. Ironhide met him in the lobby of the hospital.
More accurately, he was storming through the lobby when Ratchet came down to meet him, and would probably have gotten further if Ratchet had been any slower. Instead, he found himself being practically charged by a growling Ironhide the moment he stepped into view from the reception desk. (Etched on Every Wall Ch. 10, Aug 2018)
Hot Rod had never seen anything like Earth before, and he’d seen plenty out there in the universe. Young as he was, he was traveling with Kup, and if there was anything he’d learned from that, it was that traveling with Kup always meant going somewhere interesting. The challenge was figuring out what kind of interesting it was going to be ahead of time. (Hidden Talents, July 2018)
5. Ratchet was saying something.
He could see, past the static in his vision, the way Ratchet had turned toward him, the way his mouth was moving. He knew he should listen to it, but his audials seemed filled with static too. The only thing that penetrated the haze was the banging coming from the door. (Etched on Every Wall Ch. 9, June 2018)
6. The fire crews and the paramedics were still swarming the remains of the Towers, desperately canvassing the wreckage for frames, living or dead. Bumblebee wanted them to find some survivors just as much, but as time passed he couldn’t help but be sickly glad that he wasn’t searching. By now it was most likely that the only frames they were retrieving from the rubble were crushed and gray. (Brought to Heel Ch. 6, Apr 2018)
Ratchet reset his sensors in order to better take in the figure in his doorway. Alarm and confusion fused themselves together in his lines, driving him forward before the pitiful figure could begin to respond. Artiu’s arms were still wrapped around himself, though he looked like he should be clinging to the doorway instead. There was an unsteadiness to his stance, and he seemed to waver almost on the edge of fleeing. Artiu’s faceplate didn’t leave much room for expression, but his optics were edging toward feverishly bright. (Etched on Every Wall Ch. 8, Apr 2018)
8. He’s working on Superion—more specifically, he’s working on Air Raid today. Air Raid, as Superion’s left leg, didn’t face the brunt of Prowl-and-Devastator’s attacks. He’s not as badly damaged as Slingshot… was. (A Thing That Friends Do, Feb 2018)
9. “So,” Mirage asked, in an arch tone as he looked between Trailcutter and Hound, “what was it that you wanted to show me?” (Grand Welcome, Jan 2018)
10. It took Artiu two tries to actually trigger the door open, attempts made more difficult by the stares he could feel burning into the back of his helm. His hands were shaking as he tried again, and as soon as the door opened he started forward, desperate to be away. (Etched on Every Wall Ch. 7, Nov 2017)
Okay, nice to know that 2018′s actually been a pretty decent year, publishing-wise, I’ve averaged a fic per month so far. Anyway...)
Annnnd with that I think it’s time to call myself out. Mostly for the short first line with dialogue thing, and for the short first line/paragraph thing in general, because that’s a good half of what I’ve got here. Reminder to me, it’s okay for my first paragraph to actually be a paragraph every now and then.
More generally, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing, I tend to like starting in the middle of some sort of action instead of with introspection. One of these days I guess I should just go for a straight up in media res opening, I guess. Since it’s apparently My Brand. :|a I feel like I try to lead into more expansive setting-building in the following few paragraphs, at least, but I’m curious if anyone feels like that kind of abrupt start is awkward and not compelling.
