Though "Once upon a time..." as an opening line may be overused, I've used the story structure of fairy tales as a starting point to write books, and have presented a class on doing this. It's a familiar and fun way to help writers dig into a story and let your imagination soar!
Since I'm celebrating the release of book 3 of my Collie Chronicles series, I'm offering the first paragraph of each of the stories in that series here. Nope, I didn't use "Once upon a time..." in any of these openings, but hopefully have issued an invitation to readers to settle in and find out what happens next.
At the same time Francesca Durand was born as a human, Chap the Collie arranged his arrival on Earth Three as a puppy. --From MORE THAN A HUMAN
Francesca Durand dropped to her knees beside the freshly dug grave. --From MORE THAN JUST A DOG, book 1 of The Collie Chronicles
Print version
We have to go. Chap put one paw on Francesca Durand’s shoulder and connected his thoughts with her dream world, projecting the scene of a fire.
--From MORE THAN A STAR TRAVELER, book 2 of The Collie Chronicles
Print version
I should not have let him go without me. Chessie Durand stood with her Collie in front of the waterfall that hid the stargate at her mother’s farm on Earth Three.
--From SOMETHING BETTER, book 3 of The Collie Chronicles
You can read excerpt from all my books,
including The Collie Chronicles series,
on my web site:
