Thursday, June 11, 2009

First Lines

The first line is incredibly important to a short story. My first fiction teacher at Southern Illinois University taught this idea. I realized I agreed with her. The first line can draw the reader in or it can leave them disenchanted with the story from the start. I can spend an hour or more running first lines through my head for a new story I want to create. After the first line everything else seems easier.
So, here's the idea. I started talking about fiction. Now, I'm going to talk about faith. The host of the television show "Inside the Actor's Studio" always asks his famous guests a few unique questions at the end of each show. One of the questions is: If there's a heaven and there's a God what would you like to hear God say to you upon first arriving?
I always have loved the idea of this question. I love it because I do believe in God and heaven. I love it because it's interesting. I love it because of the answers people think up. Well, I seriously doubt I'll ever be on "Inside the Actor's Studio" since I'm not an actor. I took one acting class in college, but after that my career was over. Although, I'll never be on the show I do have an answer to the question. I've thought about it many times recently.
My answer? "Welcome home, son."
I would take great pleasure in hearing your answer!