From: mdhangton@gmail.com   
      
   It happens that J.Pascal formulated :   
   > On Saturday, November 22, 2014 1:44:48 PM UTC-7, William Vetter wrote:   
   >> Some time ago, I read one of those books...this one was about openings.   
   >> It's thesis was the belief that it is possible to write an opening so   
   >> strong, that editors, literary agents, readers, publishing executives   
   >> are compelled to read on.  One of the examples mentioned the   
   >> assassination of JFK in the first sentence.  Author claimed that this   
   >> made it so interesting that people MUST read it.   
   >>   
   >> What I thought was that, "There are a lot of books about JFK.  Why   
   >> should I read this one?"   
   >>   
   >> Of course, we want to be interesting, the get the quality of being   
   >> interesting.  What do you think makes a fragment or piece of writing   
   >> interesting?   
   >   
   > I think it's different for different people.   
   >   
   > Your example is a good one.  Lots of people would think, Oh, JFK again? Yawn.   
   >   
   > "The first time I died I..."  might get an, Oh! More!, or else it might get,   
   > Ew, gimmick much?  Or else, yawn, vampire, right?   
   >   
   > I don't think that the question itself, of how to craft that one beginning   
   > that is so strong that no one can put it down, is particularly valid.   
   > Obviously the creature does not exist.  I think that it might be more useful   
   > to think in terms of who am I writing for and how do I get my audience not to   
   > set the book down.  If my audience begins and ends at "agent, publisher's   
   > slush reader and Editor" that's a particular challenge, and frankly the only   
   > one that doesn't have cover art to help you out.   
   >   
   Once I read a short story in one of the 4 magazines.  I only remember   
   the opening.  It was one of those flash forward openings.  A character   
   shot another character's Roman nose off with a pistol because the nose   
   annoyed him.  I remember it because it was obvious as a hook.   
      
   Was it interesting?  Maybe.  It was violent action.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)