Good Friday, Followers of Fear. Hannah and Other Stories has been out for six days, and is hopefully scaring the pants off plenty of readers. In the meantime, I’m finishing off this revival of #FirstLineFriday with the last story in Hannah: Poor, Unfortunate Souls.
So, for those of you who are unfamiliar, #FirstLineFriday is a tag I used to do all the time and which I decided to bring back for the release of Hannah. For the past six weeks, I’ve been posting the openings of each story, one by one, for this tag. And now, I’m down to the final story.
But first, the rules. For a #FirstLineFriday post, you must:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
Today’s story, besides being the last one in Hannah and Other Stories, takes us to the bowels of the Paris catacombs. Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary classy citizens, I present to you the opening of Poor, Unfortunate Souls:
Over a rock and along her belly Ozma crawled, following Naomi and Baptiste, the tour guide, as they traveled through the dark. With every inch she traveled, she found a single thought repeating itself: When we get out of here, I swear I’m either going to strangle this girl, quit on the spot, or both!
Trust me, Ozma, it’s only going to get much, much worse.
If you would like to find out what happens, you can now buy a copy of Hannah and Other Stories using the link below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online somewhere so I and other readers know what you think.
Also, if you would like to do this tag as well, consider yourself tagged. Just copy and paste the rules onto your own blog and then have fun with it! I look forward to seeing what you put out there.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. You can expect another blog post tomorrow, most likely. I bet you can guess on the subject as well. Until then, good night and pleasant nightmares!
Tomorrow. It’s tomorrow. The release of Hannah and Other Stories! It’s tomorrow. YEEEEAGH!
I’m sorry, I’m a little excited. Can you tell?
So, as you know, Hannah and Other Stories will be releasing tomorrow, September 23rd. And for the past several weeks, I’ve been doing the #FirstLineFriday tag to help get people interested in the collection. If you’re unfamiliar with the rules of #FirstLineFriday, here they are:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
Today’s opening comes from What Errour Awoke, a cosmic horror tale with some British literature mixed in. Enjoy:
“Now today class, we’ll be starting our unit on Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene.” Taylor wrote Faerie Queene in cursive on the whiteboard and turned back to the class. “You may recognize some stuff from our unit on Arthurian literature, as Arthur and a few other knights show up in this book. At the same time though, it’s not about Arthur or chivalry.”
Technically, this is three lines. But who cares? It’s my blog, I’ll do as I please. Anyway, how does this college class lead to a cosmic horror story? You can find out when Hannah and Other Stories releases tomorrow. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you think.
And if you want to do this tag yourself, consider yourself tagged. Just copy and paste the rules and go to town on your own blog.
Well, that’s one more down. And one more to do next week, after the book is out. I hope you’re as excited as I am for Hannah to release. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
You ever go to visit family, and it all goes terribly wrong? Well, that describes the next story in Hannah and Other Stories very well. And I have the opening below.
As before, here are the rules for #FirstLineFriday, which I’ve brought back for Hannah‘s imminent release:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
Today’s opening is from The Red Bursts, which follows a man and his husband as they go to check on the man’s sister after she stops communicating with them. Once they get to the town, things go haywire pretty quickly. Enjoy:
“Okay, it says to turn left in a quarter mile,” said Joel Gladstein, looking up from his smartphone.
You know how every journey starts with a single step? He’s really going to regret that first step.
Anyway, if you would like to find out what happens once they get to the town, you should preorder a copy of Hannah and Other Stories. And if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere so I and other readers know what you think.
And if you would like to try this tag yourself, consider yourself tagged. Just copy and paste the rules above, and I look forward to seeing what you post.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll see you all on the flipside. I hope you’re all excited for Hannah coming out soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Week four. And this time, the story we quote from is the one that tends to get people’s attention the most. Fuseli’s Horses, the one about the carnivorous horses.
To recap, here are the rules to #FirstLineFriday, which I revived just for the release of Hannah and Other Stories:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
So, ready for a preview of one of the bloodiest stories in Hannah and Other Stories? Here we go:
“So, you’re getting a bunch of new horses and a cousin?” Matt asked, leaning on the fence posts that divided his family’s property from Pam’s family’s. He was tall for fourteen, with an athletic build hidden under a T-shirt and jeans, and a mop of sweat-slicked dark hair on top of his head.
Are these new horses the carnivorous ones? And what will happen with the cousin? You’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories to find out. And if you do, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. We got three more stories to go, so I’ll see you next week. If you would like to do the tag yourself, I hereby tag you. Just copy and paste the rules on your own blog and I look forward to seeing what you post.
Couple of things before I sign off, Followers of Fear. First off, as you know, I’m taking part in the Face of Horror contest. And thanks to your votes, I’m staying in the Top 10. However, that could easily slip, so I’m asking you to keep voting for me each and every day while I’m still part of the contest. If you do, I’ll be able to advance through the rounds and maybe even get to the finals. So, if you’d like to vote, you can use the link below.
Secondly, tomorrow starts Mystics and Marvels. If you happen to be in Hilliard, Ohio this weekend, please stop by the Franklin County Fairgrounds and stop by the HWA Ohio booth. I’ll be there with my fellow Ohio writers selling and signing books. I hope to see you there.
Until next time (or the next blog post), my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Good morning, people. Do you like serial killers? Because this story has one.
So, we’re on week three of my revival of the #FirstLineFriday tag in honor of Hannah and Other Stories coming out in…22 days! Yikes! It’s coming up. Have I appeased all the right evil deities and bribed all the right people?
Well, we’ll leave that for another time. As you know, I’m posting the first sentence or two of each Hannah and Other Stories every Friday. Both for fun, and in the hope that some more people will want to check out Hannah when it comes up. Anyway, here are the rules for #FirstLineFriday:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
Today’s quote comes from one of the most difficult stories I wrote and edited in this collection, The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah. Who knew writing a story about a teen girl wrapped up in the machinations of a budding serial killer would be so hard to get ready for publication? Anyway, here’s the story’s opening:
The Paris Toy and Games Expo was awash with people and noise, which made what Sarah had to do that much easier and that much more difficult.
It’s not a spoiler to say that what she has to do is going to make life that much more difficult for her.
If you would like to find out what happens to Sarah, you can preorder a copy of Hannah and Other Stories using any of the retailers below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.
Well, we’re back again, folks. #FirstLineFriday is back, just as promised. And this time, the story we’ll be quoting from tends to get…curiouser and curiouser.
So, if you weren’t here last week, #FirstLineFriday is a tag I’m bringing back in honor of the upcoming release of Hannah and Other Stories. Last week, I did the opening lines from Hannah (you can check out that post here), so it only makes sense to do the next story in the collection.
But first, the rules of #FirstLineFriday:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
And today, the story from Hannah and Other Stories will be Queen Alice, AKA the story that crosses Alice in Wonderland with Slender Man. Enjoy:
In the WIDI studios on State Street in the heart of downtown Columbus, Joshua Blumfield patiently sat as the make-up artist brushed an eyelash from his cheek. She then put her brush on the vanity.
Not the most terrifying beginning…but then, Alice in Wonderland‘s opening was pretty quiet in and of itself.
Anyway, what did you think of the opening of Queen Alice? Is this Blumfield a reporter? And what’s he reporting about? For the first question, let’s talk in the comments below, and for the latter two, you’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories, which you can preorder using the below buttons. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.
And if you would like to try this tag as well, by all means please copy the rules above and try the tag yourself for next week.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be back next week for the next story in Hannah and Other Stories. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
It’s time I brought back something I haven’t done for a very, very long time. And I’m doing it for every story in Hannah.
So, for those of you unaware, for a while, it was a thing for authors to post the first line of a story that was either being written or about to be published on social media or blogs. And we called it #FirstLineFriday, hashtag included. I was a big fan, and did it regularly for a few years, though I made it only a special occasion thing around 2021.
Well, it’s now 2023 and I have a new collection of short stories out in…36 days! Wow, time flies. Anyway, with Hannah and Other Stories releasing soon, I thought it would be fun to bring back this tag and post the first line or two from each story in the collection leading up to its release. And hey, it might get some of you interested in reading the book, right?
Anyway, here are the rules of #FirstLineFriday for those who aren’t initiated:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
Sounds simple enough, right? And I already have the first two rules taken care of, so let’s do #3. Obviously, this set of lines comes straight from Hannah itself:
The Penton Incident, as I call it, began as many of our ghost hunts did.
But how do their ghost hunts start? How do they start?! I guess you’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories to find out. And if you want to read Hannah, you can preorder a copy using the below button. Also, what do you think of the opening? Does it make you curious? Let me know in the comments below.
Also, you should try the #FirstLineFriday tag. Just copy and paste the rules, then follow them with a story of your own. Of course, if you prefer to be tagged, then consider yourself tagged. Now go and make a blog post.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll have the first couple of lines for Queen Alice next week. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Of course, it seems like gospel that the first sentence of a story is important. It’s your hook, isn’t it? It’s how you get the reader into the story. You should put as much thought into that first line as you would as asking your significant other to marry you!
But I’m not convinced anymore. That may be strange, considering how often I used to (and sometimes still do) the #FirstLineFriday meme on this blog. You know, that thing where I post the first line of a story and hope it gets you into the story? But then again, maybe that’s why I’m unconvinced. I’ve posted first lines so many times, I’ve recognized how little effect that they have on the total story.
And you know, if you look at some famous books, you kind of see that. Harry Potter‘s first line is “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Most Muggle-ish opening you’ve ever read. It doesn’t really hint at what’s to come in the story, and I honestly would have cut it from the final product if I had edited the first book.
And Stephen King’s stories don’t usually have those sorts of openings. The first line of IT goes like this:
“The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years–if it ever did end–began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.”
It’s a nice opening, but it doesn’t exactly scream…well, going to make you scream. It’s actually kind of mellow. And the opening for Needful Things is even more unassuming: “You’ve been here before.” Kid you not, my first time listening to that book on audio, I had to repeat it a few times because it was totally unexpected and confused me a bit. Only as you keep reading does the opening make sense with this story.
Maybe this is why some books have poems, excerpts from other famous stories, Bible verses, or even song lyrics at the beginning, before the story even starts. You read those little epigraphs (that’s what they’re called, I check) and keep reading to see how it relates to the story you’re taking in.
in any case, I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not the first sentence, or even the first paragraph, that’s responsible for making a story’s opening catchy. It’s maybe the first couple of paragraphs or the first page. When the author sets up the story, the characters, the setting, that you really get pulled into the story.
The opening of the story should be like opening a door to guests. Yes, that’s important, but what’s inside is even more important. Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com
That’s certainly the case with my current story, where I set up a nice, rural setting, something kind of idyllic…and then one of my main characters reveals that he’s a neo-Nazi. It’s a stark contrast from the first paragraph that takes the reader off-guard, and hopefully will get them reading further along. I’ll have to finish the story first to see if that’s the case, however.
Anyway, the first sentence is important, but it’s not the most important thing about a story. Rather, it’s just the opening of the door and allowing people to take a quick look before stepping inside. What’s beyond that is what’s truly important. You just have to make sure to open the door and open it well.
But what’s your take, Followers of Fear? Let’s discuss openings and if the first lines of a story really are as important as we make them out to be. I’m curious to hear what you think on the subject. Maybe more of you will agree with me than I imagine.
Happy New Year, my Followers of Fear. I wanted to start this year off with a post that’s reflective on the craft of writing, as I enjoy writing those posts. Anyway, I hope you’re having a good 2022 so far. Mine’s been rough so far, but that tends to be the case with the first full week of January. And at least there’s a lot to look forward to right now: editing and releasing Hannah and Other Stories; putting out the paperback and ebook copies of The Pure World Comes; conventions and expos; maybe a bit of travel; and, of course, some good reading and writing.
Oh, speaking of conventions and expos, I’ll be at the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo on the 29th in Marietta, Ohio. If you can, stop by the Lafayette Hotel and maybe I’ll sign your book and read your Tarot.
Also, the crowdfunding campaign for That Which Cannot Be Undone is at 58.5 percent! We’re over halfway funded and we just keep going! And if you would like to help me and my fellow Ohio horror writers put out an amazing anthology of horror stories set in our state and revolving around the theme “that which cannot be undone,” click on the link here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crackedskullproject1/that-which-cannot-be-undone-an-ohio-horror-anthology. There are also some amazing perks to pledging, like candles, Ohio-themed Tarot cards, copies of the book, and even end up in one of the stories! How cool would that be?
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope to have more stuff to tell you soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I did one of these! No kidding, the last one was December 4th, 2020. What a gap. Thanks to my friend and fellow writer Iseult Murphy for reminding me this is a thing and to do it again.
So, if you’re unfamiliar with #FirstLineFriday, this was a meme I used to do quite often as a way to get people’s opinions of opening lines for stories (opening lines can be the hardest part of writing fiction sometimes). Here are the rules I usually went with:
Create a post on your blog called #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first line or two of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday themselves on their blogs. Tagging is encouraged but not necessary.
This time, however, I’m doing it with a twist. I’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of publications recently, including two novelettes and a novel. So, I’m going to give you the first three openings of each of these works! Triple Publication Edition! Woo-hoo!
First, we have “Cressida,” my mermaid horror story, which was released in Into the Deep, from Jazz House Publications. I’m really proud of this story and think it’s some of my best work. And my dad, who just read it recently, agrees. Enjoy:
Mark Honig drove the rental car towards his uncle’s beach home. On the driver’s side was a great cliff face dappled with green moss, while on the other side the ocean lapped against the cliff face dappled with barnacles and mollusks.
“Cressida,” Into the Deep, July 2021.
It’s a quiet opening, but at least it paints an image in your head. Enough to make you keep reading and get to the good stuff, I hope.
Our next story is “Blood and Paper Skin,” which is being serialized in Issues 8-10 of The Dark Sire. The story is about a bunch of teens that end up trapped in a jail-like room in someone’s basement for a dark purpose. I’m looking forward to how people react to the conclusion. For now, though, here’s the opening:
Grey held onto the side of Mark’s Chevy Tahoe for dear life, cursing his supposed best friend for making him endure the chilly winds whipping around the car. How the hell did I end up in this situation? he wondered for the millionth time.
“Blood and Paper Skin,” The Dark Sire Issue 8, July 31, 2021.
A guy hanging onto the side of a car. What a way to open a story. I had fun with that. And guess what? It was inspired by something I saw last year on my birthday.
And last but definitely not least, the opening of my novel The Pure World Comes. This was published on the Readict app, run by VitaleTek Inc. The novel follows a maid in Victorian England who goes to work for a mad scientist. It’s my love letter to Victorian England and to Gothic literature.
A stream of shit and piss fell from the second floor of the Avondale house to the street below, where it mixed with the piss, shit and mud that already littered the avenue. From the second-floor window of Mr. Avondale’s dressing room, Shirley Dobbins put down the chamber pot belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Avondale and picked up the one belonging to their daughter, Miss Lucinda.
The Pure World Comes Ch. 1, August 2021
How many novels start with piss and shit? I don’t know, but this one does! And it sums up Victorian living in many ways.
But what do you think of these openings? Did anything catch your eyes and make you want to read more? Let me know in the comments below. And if you want to read the rest of the stories, I’ll leave the links for them below.
And as for who should do this next, I’m going to tag Priscilla Bettis, Allen Huntsman, and Brian B Baker. You don’t have to, but it would tickle me if you did. And I hope you’ll tag back here if you do the challenge.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. It’s past midnight, so I’ll see all your comments in the morning. Until next time (which should be soon, believe it or not), pleasant nightmares!
Yep, I’m doing this again. But I just released a story, so can you blame me?
So, if you’ve never seen me do one of these before, #FirstLineFriday is a tag that was popular for a split second among writers online for a split second, and that I still do here on the blog from time to time. On Fridays, you:
Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).
The story whose lines I’m showcasing today shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone. Yes, they’re the first lines from “Mother of the King,” my Arthurian fantasy novelette which was released earlier this week. The story revolves around the fabled return of King Arthur, as told from the point of view of the woman chosen to be his mother. Enjoy:
I want to tell all this to my son. After so many years, I feel like I owe him this, the story of how he came to be.
Well, it’s not much, but it sets up the story nicely in my opinion.
Mother of the King. Available now from Amazon.
But what do you think? How would you improve this? Or is it fine as it is? Let’s discuss.
And if these opening lines got you at all curious about the story itself, “Mother of the King” is available to buy as an ebook now. It’s only been a few days, but it’s already gotten some good reviews. If you haven’t checked it out yet and would like to, I’ll include the links below. And if you read it, please let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers in the long run.
And as for who I’m tagging, I TAG YOU, READER! YES, YOU!!! I’m tagging you all, my Followers of Fear, plus any unfortunate who has come across this post by accident. You must now do the #FirstLineFriday, and tag back to me when you’re done! Mwa ha ha!
Sorry I’m so extra this morning. It’s Friday, and I just want it to be the weekend.
Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll see you all very soon (most likely to push this story a bit more). Until next time, stay safe and warm, pleasant nightmares, and don’t let Krampus down your chimney tomorrow night. I hear tomorrow night’s his night…
Rami Ungar The Writer 