Doing that meme thing

[st_aurafina]

Post the first line from your 25 most recent fanfics and try to find a pattern.



This is in reverse chronological order, so the most recent fics are at the top of the list.

1. A week after Zack's bedside committal hearing, the atmosphere in the lab was oppressive with misery.
The Tooth in the Fairy (Bones/House MD for femslash08, Brennan/Cameron)

2. Spell casting of this scale had never been attempted before.
Foundations (Rowena Ravenclaw/Helga Hufflepuff, for lgbtfest)

3. I believe I've come up with the perfect way to prove Erik wrong.
1164 Morning Glory Crescent (Scott/Jean for xmenfirstclass ficathon)

4. Sometimes Bond dreams of Vesper's death in that eerie weightless place, feels the twists of wrought iron cut into his palms as he wrenches the elevator door from side to side.
A Rattling of Cages (Casino Royale, for yuletide)

5. Sea-legs are no use on land, Eustace finds, as the three of them stagger from the spare room on the day they return from Narnia.
Sea Legs (Chronicles of Narnia, for yuletide)

6. The storm hit late in the afternoon, leaving much of the hospital in darkness once evening fell, as non-essential lights were switched off to reduce the load on the emergency generators.
Bolt from the Blue (Doctor Who/House MD crossover for dw_cross)

7. Remus watched Sirius and Andromeda from across the table in the dingy pub, their heads together over the map they were sketching.
The Crooked Path (Remus/Sirius, for hp_summergen)

8. The death of Kirigi and his foot soldiers had bought them some time, but any respite from pursuit by the Hand was brief, and perhaps that was for the best.
Inheritance (Elektra & Mystique, for xmmficathon)

9. There was something fascinating about the way that Summers slammed that cleaver down on the chopping block, the way the metal edge swung down with a satisfying meaty thud, the smooth movement of the large flat blade as the fish head was swept into a bucket with brisk efficiency.
Once Upon a Time in Madripoor (Scott & Logan, for xmmficathon)

10. Neville wove through the crowds of Muggle tourists – who were milling aimlessly around the dinosaur skeleton - and made his way safely up the stairs to the display of plant fossils, which the Muggles largely ignored.
A Natural History (Neville & Luna, for reversathon)

11. Sirius pressed his cheek against Buckbeak's neck – although it was summer, the air was thin and held little heat at night, this far north.
Scatter My Winter Dreams (Sirius/Kingsley, Sirius/Remus, for reversathon)

12. Margali was nervous about letting Kurt join the international tour.
Travellin' Show (Nightcrawler travels with the circus)

13. The idea had come to Albus during an assembly of the Wizengamot to determine the fate of the Mona Lisa; ostensibly removed from public viewing in the non-wizarding world for protection during the Franco-Prussian war.
Alla Prima (Albus/Nicolas/Perenelle, Albus/Phineas Nigellus, for remix_redux)

14. Disappointingly, it was just a waiting room – beige walls, and ages-old magazines.
Punching Out (Albus and Sirius in St Peter's waiting room.)

15. Foggy came in early, on the first day in the new office, balancing a sack of groceries in the crook of his arm while he tapped the code onto the elevator keypad.
Mine is the Morning (Foggy Nelson's first day back at work.)

16. John leaned his back against the white marble gatepost – after so long underground, the polished stone was clammy, moisture beading on the surface.
One Way Trip (John Constantine does a little remodelling)

17. Valerie Cooper's mind is dry and dense like towering walls of phone books.
Takes One to Know One (Valerie Cooper/Emma Frost)

18. "I'm afraid we have no idea what the long term consequences of Cruciatus may be – it has been suggested that spontaneous acts of violence are a possibility."
Excursion (Neville and his parents on a special day out.)

19. It was too warm in the Danger Room.
Transmutation (Bobby and Scott, for summers_fling)

20. Waitressing was meant to be a temporary stopping point on a long trip far away from New York.
The Pilgrim's Progress (Erik & Rogue, post-X3)

21.Scott's hands were numb.
So Much Water, So Close to Home (Scott and Alex, for summers_fling)

22. The salvage yard was a cemetery for planes
Silver Lining in the Sky (Orphan!Scott and plane!Logan for brains_in_a_jar)

23. Erik,
I doubt that you are using this drop-box any more, but, if you are, I think you should know that Jean was killed at Alkali Lake.
Dead Letter Drop (Charles/Erik, post-X2)

24.It is a beautiful morning in Bregna.
The Seventh Wave (Aeon Flux, for yuletide)

25. Chas was dreaming when the call came in, a comfortable dream of the kind that doesn't shame you with unattainability.
Silk Cut Souvenir (Hellblazer, for yuletide)



My first thought is that I don't write enough, especially this year. Secondly, I seem to be writing more and more for challenges, and not so often for myself. There's two things I want to work on a bit before I launch into NaNo 08.

So, patterns. I seem to be pretty good at getting a name and a location into the first sentence, so I guess it's important for me to make sure the reader has a clear idea of where we are and whose perspective it's in.

I try to put the first sentence down when I'm planning, and lately, I've been trying to have a last sentence before I start writing, because I still have a lot of trouble making my way to the end of a fic. I want the first line to be a good hook and I want it to make the reader's eyes keep moving down the page. There's a few first lines in that list that make me cringe a little, but on the whole, I'm happy with them as hooks. Actually, I'm suprised at how much I don't hate them. I really do expect to hate what I've written, so it's strange but kind of nice not to feel that way.