Wednesday, August 8, 2012

August First Line Grabber #30

TITLE: Diamond Tears
GENRE: YA Fantasy

When my left temple slammed into the refrigerator door, I knew I’d have to get up extra early the next morning.

85 comments:

Heidi said...

Yes, but I can't tell if it's based on this line or on my previous encounters with this text, which I found intriguing.

Anita Saxena said...

Yes. It doesn't make sense to me why he'd have to get up early because his face slammed into a refrigerator, so I want to find out why.

B.E. Sanderson said...

No. The two events mentioned seem too disconnected. I can't wrap my brain around what hitting your temple has to do with getting up early.

Robbin said...

No. I would think he/she would be screaming, not wondering. Sorry.

Amanda Foody said...

No because they don't seem to fit together. It is a little intriguing, but I'm too confused.

the type writer said...

No. I'm not feeling it...why the two events would be related and the wording isn't enough to make me want to know why.

Stacey Hays said...

No, that was so confusing. Seems to me like this person would want an ice pack, not get up early.

Yttar said...

No, because the two events seem disconnected.

Emma said...

No. It seems that if your temple hit the refrigerator door, you wouldn't be thinking about waking up the next morning. Seems disconnected.

Stephanie Garber said...

No. I agree with the others who said the two events seemed disconnected. I had to read the sentence twice.

Judy Mintz said...

No. The second clause ruined the sentence.

Janice Sperry said...

No. It doesn't make sense.

AG said...

Yes. I'm super clumsy and already TOTALLY relate with her.

Lanette said...

Yes. If I hadn't read the first page, I would be confused like those who said no, but knowing who's slamming the MC's head into the refrigerator door and how used to it she has become, I would read on. I think my knowledge of this page may be cheating a little.

ElectraCute said...

No. This makes no sense.

Lydia Netzer said...

No, it's just overwrought and trying too hard. If the character's head is hitting a fridge, that's a really visceral moment in the novel -- pain, fear, violence -- and this seems like a great way to suck all the immediacy out of it by connecting it to a very pedantic thought.

Jillian Kuhns said...

No, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me and the events don't seem to connect right off the bat.

Kathleen said...

YES. Because I want to find out why getting your head slammed by a refrigerator has anything to do with getting up the next morning.

Kelly Allan said...

No. I wish I could put a maybe here instead, but something about the slamming head into door and getting up earlier the next day confused me.

Leah Petersen said...

No. "Left temple" is too specific, and makes me think the book's going to have too much useless detail bogging it down; plus, while an obscure connection can be intriguing, this one's too obscure.

A. M. Perkins said...

No. Too disconnected, and not in an intriguing way. Sorry.

Alaina said...

Yes. I'm curious about how the two events are connected, but it had better be something really good, because those are two really odd things to put together.

janealfalor said...

Yes. I want to know why hitting her left temple on the fridge means she has to get up early.

Stacey Trombley said...

No.

I'm a little annoyed here because it had potential. slamming into the refigerator- interesting. Waking up the next morning? Not. And it shot out all the interesting out of the first part. Because if you hit your temple, and your worried about when you wake up the next day, means it's not a big deal. Means I'm not sure why I'm reading it.

That being said, this might just be voice that I don't get yet. Maybe it's sarcassm. But the problem is there is no way for me to know that here, and it doesn't come across, to me at least.

Deb Smythe said...

Yes, I also want to know how the two events are connected.

Plumbago said...

Yes. I want to know how the two events are connected. And I think the sentence shows a wry humor.

misstante said...

no. not sure what one has to do with the other. but i love the action in the first sentence so maybe just a little more clarity.

DJ said...

Yes, because I think the reason will make me laugh.

Shiela Calderón Blankemeier said...

Yes. I want to find out how the events are related. I'm guessing MC has to get up early to cover bruise, which makes me think this might be domestic violence. Enough to make me want to read on.

Bill Scott said...

No.
Was weird and disconnected that it was "when" her temple slammed into it that she knew she'd have to get up early.

R.A.Desilets said...

No. The two parts of the sentence seem disconnected - I'm not sure how they relate.

zolosolo said...

No. Sorry, but I just don't know enough about the character to care as to why they will need to rise early.

Charlee Vale said...

No. If her temple slammed into something, she's probably not awake to think about it.

Missy Fleming said...

No. I don't get how the two events are related. Maybe the way the head hit rattled the thought in there or something more visual and catchy. If that makes sense.

Chro said...

No. The conclusion of the sentence was so far off base from the start that I was more confused than intrigued.

JaneDoe said...

Yes. I'd read a bit more to find out why.

Holly Bodger said...

No. This is confusing and not in a way that makes me want to know why.

jkwise1 said...

No, it seems like the character would think a lot of other things, like ouch, before thinking about the next morning.

SMKrafty said...

No. It seems more like an ending of a scene than a beginning.

Ellie Heller said...

No. Need more background, more emotion, something else here, not a statement of action and unsupported thought.

A Little Push said...

No. The two halves of the sentence make no sense together.

Jade said...

No,
"left temple" sounds awkward. I think forehead would be better.

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Yes. At the very least, I'd read the rest of the paragraph. I like the juxtaposition between the character being in what seems like a bad situation and his concern for the banal-seeming matter of the next day's schedule.

Shakier Anthem said...

No -- not sure how the pieces fit together, and the confusion trips me up.

skywriter said...

No, sorry. The two ideas don't seem connected.

Heather Hawke said...

No - personal preference - I can only take violence in a story when I already know why it is essential

Stephsco said...

Yes, it's not overly wordy to show the voice.

tarak said...

Yes. I admit I was torn and, like others, I was confused. But I'd at least read on to see how the first and second half of the sentence go together.

Jasmine said...

No, Disconected thoughts - as in "after my husband slapped me I knew I'd have to hurry and read for book club." Firt lines can be muindane but they should never be confusing.

Margot Galaway said...

No. I'm missing the connection between the two events.

SStokes said...

Yes. The mundane way he/she responds makes this feel like a familiar event and I want to know more.

Marianne Su said...

No. The two events don't seem related.

foxfyre said...

No. The two things seem unrelated and confusing.

Melinda said...

No, doesn't make sense to me unless the early morning is for time to cover up the bruises, which isn't that interesting.

jedlight said...

Yes. I want to know why these two seemingly disconnected events are connected.

Petre Pan said...

Yes. It is rather disconnected and confusing, and it doesn't make much sense--but I know from personal experience that pain causes some really surreal reactions, and I'd like to know what happens.

Kathryn J. Bain said...

No. You're first sentence should have the reader asking at least a question, who, what, why. Unfortunately, this does not.

Bethany K. Dellinger, MFA said...

No, I don't understand the cause and effect insinuated here.

Susie said...

No, left me scratching my head but not eager to read more.

Anonymous said...

No, I don't get what's happening and don't really care.

Aightball said...

No. We've all done this before, and this doesn't seem different from everyday life.

Lisa said...

Yes, because I want to know why the character needs to get up early.

Anonymous said...

No. I can't figure out how a temple can slam against a flat surface

Mary Holm said...

No. The two events seem too unrelated to make sense but not compelling enough to make want to find out what it all means.

sbibb said...

No. I'm curious about the first half of the sentence, but for some reason the second half drew me out of it.

Stacy McKitrick said...

No. The action doesn't make any sense, and neither does the reaction.

Robin Weeks said...

No. I have no idea why slamming a temple on a door makes you get up earlier. Too much confusion without enough to excite me.

Tori Schindler said...

No. It's cute, but the two ideas seem unrelated and I'm not buying that's the idea that went through the protag's head in that circumstance. I'd like to say if I were a teen I wouldn't care, but my 14yo tears apart books for things like this. (Doesn't stop her from reading them, she just whines about it.)

Lanette said...

This isn't mine, but I feel compelled to comment even though no one's coming back to read this. If someone (dad, step-dad...) abuses you on a regular basis, wouldn't you want to get up extra early the next morning to avoid him? Those two thoughts are very connected.

KayC said...

No - the two halves don't seem connected and wouldn't entice me to read on.

Mary said...

No - does not make sense to me.

earth said...

no. Do not see the connection.

Happy Dolphin said...

@ Lanette
you got an abusive dad or step-dad from the first line? I got someone hitting their head on the door. You maybe righ tsince you obviously have more info but we are dealing with a first line here not a Jerry Springer show.

Lanette said...

I admit, I've either read this first page somewhere or I've read something similar (not sure which). But to me it sounds like the voice of a teen who's trying to dodge daily abuse, which is why he/she realizes he must get up earlier tomorrow.

Stefanie said...

No.
Voice isn't there for me.
Hitting the head isn't enough info to make me care enough to read more.

Heather said...

No.

I couldn't logically connect the event with the conclusion. Also, the action seems to be at the refrigerator, but by the end of the first sentence, we're already thinking about the next day...

Shannon Schuren said...

No. Confusing and it didn't grab me.

Barbara said...

No. The two events seem unrelated. What does one have to with the other?

Gina Zanicky said...

No. The temple reference is too specific and yet unconnected

Jenn said...

No. Too much of a stretch to connect the dots.

Larissa said...

No. It feels like it's trying too hard.

I read it as abuse that the MC is used to, and that she'll have to get up early to cover up the bruise. But I don't know enough about this character yet to care.

Robin said...

No, it didn't work for me. Did he/she fall, were they pushed? I don't know what's happening or what it has to do with the next day.

Britney Gulbrandsen said...

No. It just left me confused, and not in a I-can't-wait-to-see-what-happens-next kind of way, but a this-book-will-probably-confuse-me kind of way.

Dale Ibitz said...

Yes.

Jess Crockett said...

No, because I'm sticking on the word 'left' and the comma. I also think 'the next morning' sounds a bit odd - I'd normally say 'in the morning' to myself, but maybe it's just me.