The Art of Starting a Story

Posted October 1, 2019 by Fictional Fox in Bookish Adventures / 1 Comment

I think a story can, to an extent, live or die by it’s opening line. Sure, it’s not everything but first impressions are always important.

When I finish a book I sometimes like to flick back to the first page and read that opening sentence again. I like to think about what the author tried to present there and how it works with the story that follows.

Just as there are many, many stories in the world, so there are also a tonne of different ways to go about starting one. Today I have pulled out some random books from my shelves and reflected on how each author chose to begin their story.


“Joost had two problems: the moon and his moustache.” –Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

What a tone setter. It’s light and funny with a nice bit of alliteration. This one is misleading because it sets you up with a giggle when actually this first chapter ends in a rather dark place, to say the least.

Joost is also not a main character in Six of Crows. I like that Bardugo chose to pluck someone who would otherwise be a ‘mere’ background character and took the time to use her opening chapter to swiftly both build and destroy him. Because of that storytelling choice this opening sentence does a lot of work in serving up this character to us as efficiently as possible. We don’t have a lot of time to spend with him and to have things happen to him and have us care about it so the words themselves have to work double time to be effective.

This line sets Joost up as a preening, slightly innocent (I mean: only two problems in life…?)and romantically minded person through the lingering on his moustache, the poetic device of the alliteration and the mention of the moon-a typical feature of romantic musings .

It’s a nice narrative choice and great for keeping the reader on their toes.

“The Home Office telegraphy department always smelled of tea.” The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

I don’t think the opening line of this fantastical novel set in Victorian London could get any more British if it tried. We have the weight of government implied with the ‘Home Office’ location quickly softened by the prevailing scent of tea. In a way this is a nice summation of the novel, which features a twisting plot tempered by sweetly domestic character-building scenes.

“Maia woke with his cousin’s cold fingers digging into his shoulders.” –The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

If you have not yet had the pleasure of reading The Goblin Emperor, I strongly suggest that you give it a go. it is one of my absolute favourite novels and as such I have reread this sentence countless times.

Maia is about to have his life turned upside down over the course of this chapter. Up until now he has been the exiled and neglected son of an Emperor. He’s not the eldest child and has in no way been brought up to rule. And yet the crash of an airship changes everything. The first chapter shows Maia getting the news that his father and older brothers are dead and he is now heir to the Empire.

This opening line plays with the idea of the dichotomies between being awake and asleep, today and yesterday, cold and warm. Maia is harshly and coldly torn from his sleep and his old reality into a new one by the rough hands of his cousin, a man who we later learn has been both physically and mentally abusing Maia. The bad relationship is evident already from this sentence so it comes as no surprise when Maia opens up about it later. There’s nothing kind or familiar in the way Maia is treated. The way Addison specifies that Setheris (the cousin) digs his fingers into Maia’s shoulder always makes my teeth clench.

I always associate this book with hopefulness but before we can reach that conclusion, we must begin with this stark awakening to a new world order that does not at first appear to be in Maia’s favour. And in many ways, it truly is not.

Maia has to go through a lot to take control of his story. He has a long journey to travel from this first sentence where he is being directly controlled by others, pulled awake by force, to an Emperor who can exercise true agency in his own right.


Do you have a favourite opening line? Let me know in the comments below. I might break down a few more in a future post.

Lauren x


Behind the Scenes of My #Bookstagram Account

Posted August 28, 2019 by Fictional Fox in Bookish Adventures, Uncategorized / 2 Comments

I started my bookstagram account a few months ago because my friend challenged me to. Bookstagram actually became the subject of her dissertation. I’ve always enjoyed bookstagram feeds myself so it made sense to give it a go. I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far and had lots of friendly comments. It’s a very positive community (from what I’ve seen).

What I want to show today is what I do behind the scenes.

The calm before the photos

When it’s a nice, bright, sunny day its the perfect conditions for taking photos in my garden. It’s a bit of a cumbersome task to get everything outside and setup because I need:

  • The Backdrop
  • Camera
  • Props
  • Books

For my bookstagram setup my dad made a purple quick assembly backdrop for me (he’s a crafty one). I’m trying to go for a semi-uniform look on my feed so the backdrop helps gives some consistency. The setup is basically three bits of wood that fit together. Over the next few months we are going to make a blue one and a pink one as well so I can experiment with some different colours.

Here you can see a pulled back view of my assembled setup and then an example of a photo taken in it:

There is the added obstacle of a very nosy dog to contend with during every photo shoot. This week Willow decided to put a big wet paw print on my setup ?‍♀️.

Dogs, eh.

I haven’t perfected my photo taking yet but I hope it will come in time. I try to take quite a few different photos in one go. Not all of them will make the cut so I try to take photos at a few different angles and with different props so I can pick through them later.

See below for a taste of the different shots I went through to try and get a photo of The Modern Faeries Tales by Holly Black omnibus that I was happy with:

Once the photos are taken I edit them in Lightroom where I fiddle with the colours a lot.

After they are edited I queue them up as drafts on Instagram which helps give me a sense of how they will look on my feed. Then, voila! You get to see them day by day.

I’m by no means an expert on any of this but I do find bookstagram quite fun and hope to grow and develop it over time. Feel free to check out my #bookstagram account @fictionalfox ? to follow my progress.


#ITravelByBook This August

Posted August 22, 2019 by Fictional Fox in Bookish Adventures / 0 Comments

August is fast approaching it’s end but there are still a few things to celebrate! 1) It’s my birthday on Sunday, hurrah! 2) It’s a bank holiday in the UK on Monday.

To celebrate I’m having the whole of next week to myself. No work, no stress. To add a bit of fun, though, I’ve created a bit of a reading challenge for myself. If you’d like to join in, feel free.

What’s it all about?

The premise of this readathon is to travel around the fictional Isle of August by book. Each book read during the readathon allows me to tick off a destination on the map below. How many areas can I visit over the next few days?

From the tranquil sea air on Dusky Beach to the heights of Butterfly Mountain- there’s no end of fun to be had on this journey.

Dates

Friday 23rd August @ 00:01 UK time – Friday 30th August @ 23:59 UK time.

The Rules

The maximum number of destinations on the map is ten (which is very wishful thinking on my part :P).

Any format of ‘book’ will do for any destination. There’s no genre restrictions – it can be a volume of manga, a novel, a short story, completed audiobook. Anything goes really because essentially this is just a bit of fun!

If you want to try it yourself but want more of a challenge, why not try for a book that makes you think of the destination you’re visiting- such as a beach read for ‘Dusky Beach’ and a story featuring pirates for ‘Sailaway Cove’. Maybe go for a book with animals in it for ‘Fox Hideaway’ and try for a book set in a quaint town for ‘River Town’.

But that’s just some of my suggestions. I think it’s fun to let loose, get creative and tell your own story with the books you choose to read for each destination.

And don’t forget to give yourself a stamp on your passport for everywhere you stop at!

Follow My Travels

I’ll be posting as I go using the hashtag #itravelbybookreadathon on Twitter and Instagram. I will also post updates here.

Talk To Me

Have you ever created a reading challenge for yourself? Let me know. Also feel free to join me on this bookish adventure if you want to.


Desk Tour

Posted June 7, 2019 by Fictional Fox in Personal / 1 Comment

Recently I redesigned my bedroom. One of my goals with the redesign was to make a new work space that I could use for gaming, writing, and crafting.

The key thing to find was a desk that would a) fit and b) give me useful storage and working space. After looking on Pinterest and Instagram I became pretty certain that I wanted the Micke Corner Work Station in white from Ikea.

I could not be happier with my choice!

I always love nosing about other people’s shelves and desks so I thought I would share a desk tour of my own.

The Tour

On top of the desk I have created something of a Game of Thrones shrine featuring the books, a flying dragon and, of course, Jon Snow himself. I feel like this is the crowning glory of the desk. I mean, what could be better than a literal flying dragon above your desk??

On the shelves I have a few Funko Pops scattered about. The most special one is probably the Woody on RC funko on the left hand side, coupled with faithful Bullseye. But I also really love my Yuri!!! on Ice funkos and the Ouran High School Host Club ones. I still wish they would make funkos of the rest of the Ouran High School Host Club gang.

Behind my PC there is magnetic whiteboard (which was one of the big selling points of the desk). So far I’ve put up a few of the art cards I’ve got from Fairyloot and Illumicrate boxes. The art features characters from the Shades of Magic series, Cruel Prince and Beauty and the Beast. I’ve used my Game of Thrones magnets from Primark to stick them up (you might be sensing a bit of a Game of Thrones theme by this point).

In terms of books, I’ve stuck my favourites in easy reach. These include The Cruel Prince (surprise, surprise), The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Goblin Emperor and The Song of Achilles.

I have an All-in-One PC with a HDMI input so I’ve managed to hook my PS3 up to it, which is heaven. I’ve put Persona 5 and Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- on my shelf so they are in easy reach for a gaming fix. For PC games I’ve got my blue Xbox controller ready to go.

Sometimes, though, I might just want to watch a film or a TV series. For that I’ve popped Howl’s Moving Castle, The Hunger Games Trilogy, Fruits Basket Yuri!!! On Ice, Black Butler (Book of Circus), Ouran High School Host Club and Kingsglaive on another shelf. Howl’s Moving Castle is probably the film I re-watch the most.

I’ve also got my BB8 alarm clock, llama pencil pot and unicorn glasses holder on the desk itself.

All together, this desk represents all my favourite things and it feels perfect.

Do you have a special work space? What kind of things to keep you keep on your desk (if you have one)?

Loz x


Re-spun Fairy Tales From the Grishaverse

Posted May 9, 2019 by Fictional Fox in Book Review / 0 Comments

Re-spun Fairy Tales From the GrishaverseThe Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grisha Verse, #0.5, #2.5, #2.6) by Leigh Bardugo, Sara Kipin
Published by Imprint on September 26, 2017
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 281
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

Language of Thorns is a collection of short stories by Leigh Bardugo. The stories are set in the same world as Bardugo’s other Grishaverse books.  Each tale is inspired by fairy tales from around the world, but spun in Bardugo’s own unique style with a dash of Grisha magic.

This is a lovely book in two respects: the stories are brilliant and the design of the book is flawless.

First of all, let me tell you a bit about the design:

I own a hardback copy of this book (as published in the UK). The cover alone is stunning but the internal artwork really makes it something special. Each story features an illustration by Sara Kipin which gradually builds up over each double page spread of the story until the end of the tale when you get the full piece. I found this picture build up most effective with the Too Clever Fox story in which the twist of the story is reflected cleverly in the way the art evolves to its final state on the last page.

I should also mention Natalie C. Sousa is responsible for the book design. There is  rose gold detailing on the naked cover and spine which makes this book feel like a luxury, gift worthy item to be cherished.

Now on to the stories:

I loved reading stories I am acquainted with twisted into something new and delicious -if you’ve read (or know of) The Nutcracker, The Little Mermaid or Hansel and Gretal, for instance, then be prepared to see these well-trodden tales get new leases of life by Bardugo’s hand. The stories are also interestingly divided up between the cultures present in Bardugo’s Grishaverse books (which I thought was a really great extra touch).

I particularly loved The Soldier Prince and When Water Sang Fire (retellings of The Nutcracker ad Little Mermaid respectively). I would love to read full novel versions of either of them. They really triggered my imagination and I just wanted to spend more time exploring these characters and the well of potential their stories hold for further expansion.

In summary: This is a book I love to hold, love to read and will be rereading on many a dark evening.

I always find tales of betrayal, magic and romance that little bit more tasty when enjoyed after sunset.

This review is posted as part of #wyrdandwonder

IMAGE CREDITS FOR WYRD & WONDER BANNER: Dragon – by  kasana86 from 123RF.com 

One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star