Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Old Beginnings 16



Historical Fiction

A new twist; mixed in with five published openings is an opening submitted by a minion. Choose the opening you think is unpublished and tell us why.
Sources below.


1. 1919

There’s likely some polished way of starting a story like this, a clever bit of gaming that’d sucker people in surer than the best banco feeler in town. But the truth is that I haven’t got the quick tongue or the slick wit for that kind of game. Words haven’t figured much in my life, and though over the years I’ve met many of what the world counts to be the big thinkers and talkers of our times, I’ve stayed what most would call a plain man. And so a plain way of starting will suit me well.

The first thing to do, along these plain lines, is to say why I’ve closed the shop up and come into the back office on a night when there’s plenty of business that might be done. It’s a fine evening, the kind what I used to live for: a night when you can take in all the affairs of the avenue with nothing more than your shirtsleeves for cover, blowing the smoke of a dozen good cigarettes up to the stars above the city and feeling, on balance, like maybe there’s some point to living in this madhouse after all.


2. 1586

The bells of St. James Cathedral had rung 8 o'clock by the time I got to the little churchyard in Southwark, and already the sun was sinking below Our Queen's great city. Soon the people would go to bed and the rats would come out, scurrying down dark city streets and feeding in the open sewers.

I limped among the graves, relishing the quiet after the loud, throbbing bustle of the city. Every year that I came to the graveyard I was the sole visitor; no one mourned who was buried here. Headstones crumbled from neglect and the grass grew tall over them, as if to hide the shameful names of the dead. It was here that my Mother, a great lady, was buried with the prostitutes of Southwark.


3. 1918

The road to Commonwealth was long and forbidding, stretching for miles beyond Timber Falls and leading deep into the evergreen woods, where the trees grew taller still as if trying to reach the sun that teased them with the paucity of its rays. Douglas fir loomed over the rock-strewn road like two warring armies perched on opposing cliffs. Even those travelers who all their lives had been reminded of their insignificance felt particularly humbled by that stretch of road and the preternatural darkness that shadowed it.

Some number of miles into the woods, the road curved to the right and the trees backed off a bit, the brown dirt and occasional stumps evidence that the woods had been cleared out only recently, and only with extreme tenacity. The clearing rose along a gradual incline; at the base of the hill, a tree that had recently been chopped down blocked the road. Into its thick bark a sign was nailed: a warning to travelers who didn't exist, a silent cry into deaf woods.


4. 1814

Judy Rhines decided to take the footpath through the pasture. It was half the distance of walking all the way down the Commons Road and back up Dogtown Road and she wanted to get there early enough to be of help. But the going was slow. The winter of 1814 had buckled the field with frost and there was black ice in every hollow. If she didn't consider every step, she might end up as bad off as Abraham Wharf, who certainly had no need of her hurry.

The cold seemed to add hours and miles to even the shortest journey through Dogtown. Gloucester, which was barely an hour's walk for a healthy man in good weather, could seem as remote as Salem in February. It was a gloomy landscape even on a fine day, with its rutted thoroughfares and ruined houses and the odd collection of souls who had washed up into the rocky hills of Cape Ann. At least it isn't windy, Judy consoled herself.


5. 1666

I used to love this season. The wood stacked by the door, the tang of its sap still speaking of forest. The hay made, all golden in the low afternoon light. The rumble of the apples tumbling into the cellar bins. Smells and sights and sounds that said this year it would be all right: there'd be food and warmth for the babies by the time the snows came. I used to love to walk in the apple orchard at this time of the year, to feel the soft give underfoot when I trod on a fallen fruit. Thick, sweet scents of rotting apple and wet wood. This year, the hay stooks are few and the woodpile scant, and neither matters much to me.

They brought the apples yesterday, a cartload for the rectory cellar. Late pickings, of course: I saw brown spots on more than a few. I had words with the carter over it, but he told me we were lucky to get as good as we got, and I suppose it's true enough. There are so few people to do the picking. So few people to do anything. And those of us who are left walk around as if we're half asleep. We are all so tired.


6. 1776

He had sat out the raw misery of the storm through most of the night, keeping his boat tight against the shore. She was pulled up on soft ground between two large rocks, his private mooring, a hiding place he had known since he was a boy. The boat would be safe there, from weather or the occasional vandal, but this time the storm was different, the rain driven by a howling wind that might push the waves hard beneath the boat, damaging her against the rocks.

His wife would not worry, would keep the fireplace lit, would not protest even though he would stay out all night. She had heard him speak of it too often, his love of the water, the pursuit of the fish that seemed to call to him in a way few wives understand. This time she did not expect him to return home for at least two days, and so as he huddled under a ledge of rock, soaked by the amazing violence of the storm, he did not worry for her, thought only of tomorrow, the new dawn, hoping that the storm would be gone.




Old Beginnings 16

1. The Angel of Darkness....Caleb Carr
2. Winchester's Goose....A Minion seeking comments
3. The Last Town on Earth....Thomas Mullen
4. The Last Days of Dogtown....Anita Diamant
5. Year of Wonders....Geraldine Brooks
6. The Glorious Cause....Jeff Shaara

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm voting for #1 as being unpublished. It was the only one that I had to read through more than once because it wasn't clear. The very first sentence threw me, the phrase "sucker people in surer than the best banco feeler in town" made absolutely no sense until I picked it apart slowly. Also, this phrase doesn't mesh with the idea that this character isn't good with words. He says he's a "plain man" and that words haven't figured much in his life, but then goes on to give this description:

It’s a fine evening, the kind what I used to live for: a night when you can take in all the affairs of the avenue with nothing more than your shirtsleeves for cover, blowing the smoke of a dozen good cigarettes up to the stars above the city and feeling, on balance, like maybe there’s some point to living in this madhouse after all.

A man who doesn't have a way with words would not formulate this sentence.

HawkOwl said...

My first pick would be six. It sounds a lot like the minions, with the nameless "he" and the constant interjections of unnecessary information like "a place he had known since he was a boy" and "push the waves hard beneath the boat."

My second guess would be one. It's pretty well written but the whole "let me tell you a story" thing is really tacky. It also reminds me of either a query or beginning we saw earlier where the protagonist went on and on and on about being a plain man instead of talking about something.

Anonymous said...

I thought #1 for a bit because of the voice, but then, if the author is going for a "cheap low-down" feel, or like something out of a pulp novel, it might be on purpose.

I guess #2, for the capitalization of "my Mother" and the too-modern voice of the narrator. The first thing I wrote down in English class in freshman year was, "Never capitalize 'my mother' unless it's the Virgin Mother, Mother Superior, or you're a Victorian child.' (the example on the board was, "Oh, Alexander! We musn't tell Mother of the bodies in the cellar!", my teacher was a wit.)

Anonymous said...

Dang, this is hard. All the openings have a nitpicky moment.

Can I have two goes as well, please? Bet this is a double bluff on EE's part so I'm choosing the ones with too many 'woulds': #6 and #2 - the worst and best.

#6 for its horrible sentence structure and content. #2 'cos it's got the obligatory 'hook'.

My third guess would be ...

Anonymous said...

Hmm, I immediately thought it was number 4 -- so why does no one else agree so far? This was the one that struck me as most awkward and least interesting. So far I don't care about Judy. However, I've pulled many a book off the bookstore shelf and wondered why the heck it was published, so ???

Anonymous said...

I agree with anon 10:20; I also think it's #4. Not because of anything in particular, but it rings of modern phrases plus names the character up front, giving the impression of a newbie trying to get the reader to care about the protaganist as quickly as possible.

braun said...

Hmm, I don't want to spoil it for anybody, but I'm impressed by the opening penned by a minion. I would definitely read on. And I certainly wouldn't have pegged that one for 'ameteur' work.

Anonymous said...

I'd go with #4 as well

Anonymous said...

I say #3. It just seems clumsy to me.

Beth said...

Maybe #4. It wasn't bad, but it had the most amateurish feel. But EE is canny and probably picked an opening that will fool us all.
At any rate, I await to be corrected.

Anonymous said...

4

Anonymous said...

I had two guesses. I checked EE's Openings and was completely wrong.

When are we allowed to comment on these more specifically?

Anonymous said...

#4

Anonymous said...

I go with number four. It's the only one without a good hook.

Anonymous said...

I will go with almost all the other anons and say 4 is the one written by a minion. It seemed too modern for the setting, whereas all the others at least gave the feel of their times. I'd agree with pretty much everyone that there are bad moments in all of them, though. (Interesting how the anons all think it's 4 and everyone else has different opinions?)

Bernita said...

Four?

Anonymous said...

This is tough. To my eyes, none of them stick out as being far more amateurish than the rest.

I guess #1, because the first sentence ends clumsily ("surer than the best banco feeler in town.")

I recognized only one of these openings, The Year of Wonders. For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, I highly recommend reading it!

Anonymous said...

I'd guess #2 because the cathedral in Southwark isn't dedicated to St. James, and there's a little bit of overexplaining here: "Every year that I came to the graveyard I was the sole visitor; no one mourned who was buried here." I agree about the capitalization of Mother, too. Number 2 just seems a little less copyedited than the others.

That said, I like this opening. I want to know why the narrator's aristocratic mother is buried among prostitutes.

Anonymous said...

#4 was my third choice! This proves I know squiddly-dot (quiddly-squat? Diddly-whatever.)about writin'.

Over at the Crapometer, I liked Miss Snark's rejects and struggled with the ones she praised.

And now you say the answers in the Openings?

Anonymous said...

I'm the anon who first suggested #4, and am so very wrong. But I stick by my opinion -- the minion's opening is better. Obviously should have googled Southwark....

Anonymous said...

I guess #5.

After peeking at the answer I really like the EM's work. Excellent writing I think (but I know little). I would like to read the book ahead of at least 3 of the others. -JTC

RainSplats said...

1. No minion would be brave enough to start a story so awkwardly. I'd read on for a bit and hope he gets into the story.

2. Sounds more recent than 1, but I think it's published. I'd read a bit more--I'm interested. The author doesn't waste words.

3. I don't think a minion would be brave enough to start a story without a main char in the forefront. I'm not that interested in reading more. If it came with great reviews or a famous author, I would give it a chapter or two.

4. I liked it - I like the setting. I would read more. I think this might be the unpublished one--there are no glaring "mistakes" that sometimes slipped by in older works.

5. I would read more. I like the style. It seems old.

6. I'm not a big fan of boats or people who let themselves sit outside in the rain all night. I might read more, as long as he doesn't go fishing right after the rain stops :p No glaring mistakes, the writing is good but doesn't sound old or new. If it's not 4, this'd be my 2nd choice.

Anonymous said...

I vote #3 because some of the words are used not-quite-correctly. But of course, that can happen in published books as well.

Unlike the other minions, I love love *love* number 1. Love the voice, love the use of language to illustrate setting, loved the sinister tone. If #1 hasn't been published, I hope it will be.

Anonymous said...

Now that I have seen the correct answer, I must say, great job to the anonymous minion. I think the minion's beginning had a nice feel to it, and definitely did not suffer for being listed alongside the almighty "published".

Dave Fragments said...

I recognized Caleb Carr because I read the book. (no I won't say what number.) He's a hard read for me and I like that in a book. I like to be challenged when I'm reading.

I fell in love with #6 because I have always wanted a sail boat. I know why the character is sitting out all night protecting his boat, why he loves it more than his wife.

I missed the entry by the minion. Very good work.

Anonymous said...

1. I don't like this, but it feels authentic with "banco feeler". Also it's somewhat slow, not in the presently acceptable modern (rush to the hook) style. Published, imho.

2. I liked this. The setting is nicely portrayed and the last line is a good set-up/hook. A little light on sensory detail, though. Initially, this was my candidate for unpublished, but officially, I'm guessing, published.

3. This is okay. I like the warring trees and the sign a silent cry in a deaf woods. This also seems familiar-so either I read this book or I read this opening on EE's blog or somewhere. I'm guessing, unpublished.

4. I found this boring. Not even the teaser of Abraham Wharf's death made me want to keep reading. And the second paragraph seemed to add nothing, but repetition and a lame regret. Published.

5. Hay stooks? Almost too much pseudo-sensory detail here, although I liked the soft apples underfoot (I've had that squishy experience.) The ending is a gentle hook and I'd keep reading. imho, published.

Nice exercise, EE. What's the answer?

Anonymous said...

I think I forgot to mention # 6 in my previous comment. I liked this, got a feeling for the character. Impending danger from a storm. It's a go for me. Published imho.

McKoala said...

I'm guessing #2 or #4. Both of these seem a little inconsistent in tone, particularly #4. But I didn't like 'Our Queen's great city' in #2, that seemed to be shouting 'hello, archaic' at me; as did the upper case on 'Mother'. So I'm going with...#2.

Anonymous said...

I didn't guess right either.

FWIW, here's the first 79 words of my all-time favourite historical opening:

"Lymond is back."

It was known soon after the Sea-Catte reached Scotland from Campvere with an illicit cargo and a man she should not have carried.

"Lymond is in Scotland."

It was said by busy men preparing for war against England, with contempt, with disgust, with a side-slipping look at one of their number. "I hear Lord Culter's young brother is back."

Only sometimes a woman's voice would say it with a different note, and then laugh a little. [end]

Anonymous said...

Yay, my second guess was right. This is a great opening, Author, and I liked the hook.

EE, that was fun. Can we have more, please - without the answers?

Anonymous said...

I saw that #3 started with no character and guessed that one.

I would have continued reading #2. I was curious why her mother was buried with the prostitutes.

HawkOwl said...

Jeb - I loved that opening too. The next 100 pages were so bad, I actually threw the book out. Usually I donate books that suck, but that would have been more work than this was worth.