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Dear writers and readers of short stories,
Two of the most enduring and retold epics of all time come from ancient Greece. Although they have been translated many times and every translation changes or updates small things, they all stay true to Homer's story and style of making the first word sum up the tale. |
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First Word
Homer's epics The Iliad and The Odyssey come to us all the way from around 750 BC. While an epic is not the same as the modern short story, there are elements that we modern writers can take over without writing and epic. We are going to focus on one word only. The first word.
The first word of The Iliad is "rage."
Why is this brilliant?
Because it sets the stage for the whole epic. The Trojan War took about ten years. The Iliad mainly deals with three days. Those three days when the Greeks had run out of patience, tricked their way into Troy with a big horse, and then proceeded to sack and defile the city. Rage just about sums up their state of mind, their behavior, and what it must have felt like to the Trojans. During those three days of rage, the Greeks committed countless heinous acts that displeased the gods and made miasma stick to them. That was why it took Odysseus ten years to get home.
The first word of The Odyssey is "man."
Odysseus was a man. How is this a brilliant word? Couldn't it be "boat," "monsters," or "sea," or even "miasma?"
No, it can't be any of these other words. And not just because Odysseus happens to be a man. Homer had a very specific idea in mind when he told The Odyssey. For one, this tale does not span three days, but ten years. A decade shapes a person. A decade also shows who a person is at the root of their character. And that is what Homer was getting at.
Odysseus was gone for a total of 20 years. Ten years for Troy, and then another ten years to make it home. When he comes back, his son Telemachus is on the cusp of becoming a man. Once Penelope enters the epic, she is shown to be very crafty at getting rid of suitors. Men who tried to marry her to take over Odysseus's throne and property.
In the end, the listener to Homer's epic is left with a very clear picture of what it means to be the ideal man and the ideal wife. The distinction between man and wife (not woman) is intentional.
Odysseus was larger than life. He overcame the Minotaur, the sirens, offers of marriage.
Penelope was fierce in protecting her home and having 100% fidelity to her husband. Even when she did not know where he was.
Listeners could not hope to trick a cyclops or be resistant to Circe's magic. But they could be good husbands. They could be a man like Odysseus. Not every woman could hope to be as wealthy as Penelope, but each one of them could be the ideal wife. Both Odysseus and Penelope are the pinnacle of perfection in their own way, thus giving the audience something to aim for in life.
As writers, we will often use "the" as the first word. It makes sense. It's easy. It fits every situation. Or we will use the main character's name as the first word. Does it really make sense to start off with a faceless name? Does the name of the character set the stage for things to come? Could there be a benefit to trying a little harder to massage that first sentence in a way that the first word means something to the story?
In the below section, there are ten short stories and their first sentence. Just looking at the first word or even first sentence, how much of a feeling do you get what the story will be about?
Do you think the first word of a story is important?
Let me know in the comment box below.
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#2123472 by Not Available. |
Mariam alighted the “L” at the West Superior Street station.
My heartbeat and pulse were out of sync--fibrillation, I think it is called.
While dashing through the fields of weeds, Persephone stopped only to catch her breath.
The angry sore weeps red rivulets, scorching the plain, reaching its fingers towards the water where it spread as if to cool earth's flesh and seal the wound.
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#2252713 by Not Available. |
Leona knocked on the door.
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Arnold Henry paced his cell.
It was not at all what she expected ...
| | | Cavalier (18+)
Lily, a time-travelling assassin, defies The Society. Historical Fantasy.
#2159809 by A E Willcox  |
Lily Fairbright alighted from a carriage as she stepped through the time-portal directly into the bustle of Catherine Street in front of the Theatre Royal.
The ocean was a maelstrom of froth and fury.
I want fire. |
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Replies to my last Short Stories newsletter "Summer Stories"
brom21  wrote: Thanks for the NL. When it comes to cinematic stories I think of horror movies where there is a mysterious killer at a summer vacation spot. And at the end it's always one of the quiet ones who is doing it. Horror is not my forte though. lol. Thanks again.
You are so right that summer stories have a tendency to revolve around a horror theme. Especially in the movies. I don't get it either. But as a writer, you can make your own summer story without any horror in it.
Elfin Dragon-finally published wrote: I actually would like to join a short story workshop. It's been a while since I've written a short story and I could use some brushing up on my skills. Most of my writing of late has been focused on poetry or trying to focus on my novel writing.
Go check out the resources I listed in "Workshop" . There are several active workshops and they do take short stories writers too.
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Short Stories: June 30, 2021 Issue [#10833]
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