Most of you that follow me on Twitter know that on occasion I sub teach at my local school district.  Today I had the pleasure of subbing at my daughter’s Kindergarten class.  Of course, she’s not there this week – in Hawaii with her mom!

I was waiting for the little ones to arrive and noticed that the teacher had four double-sided round signs hanging from different spots on the ceiling.  As I read each of them it occured to me that these are the philosophies that we should not just consider in our lives, but in our writing as well.

Eight Pillars

1. Be Trustworthy – and do what you say you will do. For us writers that have relationships with editors and agents and clients, this is especially true.  If you agree to a deadline, stick to it.  If you make some kind of writing promise, keep it.  This also applies to the readers of your fiction.  Craft your stories keeping in mind that your readers are trusting you to deliver a good story.
2. Show Fairness – in everything you do. When quoting for services, are you giving a fair price for the value received?  Do you take advantage of naivety?  When you write a new blog post, is it a fair representation of the topic?
3. Be Caring – and think about the needs of others. Our society (here in the US, anyway) promotes a certain self-centeredness.  What’s in it for me?  take the time to consider the others who may be impacted in your writing ventures.  Can you give a little, even when you could get by without doing so?  Do you respond with thoughtfulness to the commentators on your blog?
4. Show Perseverance – and keep trying even when you want to give up. This mantra should be posted in every writer’s space.  Develop your thick skin, eschew rejection and do what your heart is telling you.
5. Show Integrity – and do what you know is right. If you keep this basic foundation in place, you will find your life to be rich and fulfilled.  Integrity is in limited supply these days.  All the blog biggies say it’s important to stand out from the crowd.  Wanna stand out?  Make certain you display integrity.
6. Be a Good Citizen – in home and community. If you have a family that supports you in your writing endeavors, be sure and let them know that you are appreciative.  Don’t take advantage of their good graces by neglecting family time and chores – life is about balance, spend time with your family.  Be a good cotizen in your community by offering to write the newsletter for your neighborhood watch group, or by offering to set up a blog for a local scout troop.  It’s important.
7. Show Self-Discipline – and keep your emotions, words and actions under control. We all have bad days.  Don’t take it out on the world.  When things are at their worst, it’s most important to keep your cool.  Read my post on The Art of Being Nice to see a little story of how I wrecked a perfectly good relationship online because I let my emotions get the best worst of me.
8. Show Respect – and value people’s feelings and properties. Being respectful is easy, and pays big dividends.  Respect your editor’s opinions and your agent’s advice.  Respect the craft and give it your all – each and every time.

There you have it.  I’m proud that my 5 year old is being exposed to these tenets of a good life.  I try to keep these things in mind as a matter of course, and I encourage you to do the same.

When I start reading a book for the first time, I turn past the Table of Contents, read any introduction that might be present, give a cursory glance to any dedication and with a sense of excitement (and a little trepidation) I finally turn to page 1.  Here is the sweet spot.  This is where the magic will start to happen or where my sense of dread will envelop me as I realize I’ll have to slug my way through a chapter or two before either giving up or finishing the book.

Proven through time

Think about the classic books through time.  The timeless ones are that way because of the story to be certain, but the ones we know, the ones we remember have one great thing in common:

A fantastic and memorable first line

“Call me Ishmael”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

“It was a dark and stormy night” Trivia!  Name the original author that this beaut is normally attributed to.

Here’s the lesson

I can’t understate just how important the first line of your writing is for your reader.  Other than the title, it is the single most important tool you have to bring the reader into your world.  And that is really the goal, isn’t it?

You cannot be passive here.  Your first line has to cook.   It has to rock. It has to turn the reader upside down and shake all of the change out of their pockets.

This concept is not just for your fiction ventures, either.  Anything that you want people to read needs to reach out and grab.

Interesting note

Today I received the latest feed from one of my favorite places on the web, Blogging Without a Blog.  The post today was about how readers of your blog don’t really read it.  They scan, comment (hopefully) and move on.  I think there is quite a bit of truth to this. (Raises his hand.  “Guilty as charged, your Honor.”)

This makes the first line that much more critical.  If you’ve got ‘em by the throat at the first line, then it will be easier to take them through to the end.

I’ve noticed

I just completed a call for submissions for flash fiction to be published in an e-book over at Smashwords.  there were about a dozen submissions and I think that about 75% of them had pretty good openers.  This tells me that folks do have a grasp of the concept.  I’m happy to see that.

If you’re not already on board, it’s high time you stepped on the opener train.  Put great thought into that first line.