The Last Thing I Wrote

The last thing I wrote for this book was the first paragraph. The opening salvo, from Day 1. No lie, it was one of the most troubling, tricky passages I wrote for this book. The beginning words always sounded so dry and flat. That’s even though I start off with the characters already on the road and already with two rides under their belts. Of course the beginning is when you need a big bang, to be at your most witty and poetic, but not to overstate it. I tried a hundred different combinations of words and ideas. I knew it was going to be something about Otto, since that’s how I saw it in my mind, but exactly WHAT was the problem. You want every word to count, but not make it too much of a mouthful. I’m still not happy about the opening three sentences, but there comes a time when you stop tweaking and leave it alone.