In an SCBWI San Diego workshop in 2009, Mary E. Pearson talked about the importance of first lines ... and last lines of your manuscript. She said that the last line is the one that rings in your reader's ears, long after they've finished it. So make it count! It should either tie up your novel, or set you up for that sequel.I'd never really thought about last lines that way, but it definitely makes sense. And in the same venue as my first sentences post, I'm going to take some famous novels and take a look at their last lines. (Note: There may be spoilers!)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
I'm gone to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer ....
Hush Hush (Becca Fitzpatrick)
I curled my hands into his hair, pulling him closer. "More."
Fallen (Lauren Kate)
And while Luce dreamed below of the most glorious wings unfurling - the likes of which she'd never seen before - two angels in the rafters shook hands.
Paranormalcy (Kiersten White)
I wasn't cold anymore.
Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)
"Very well," he said. "Why don't you tell me what the problem is?"
Incarceron (Catherine Fisher)
"Closer than you think, Finn," he said.
The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)
That's all for now.
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.
And (just for the heck of it) here's my first sentence for Shoreline:
I shook my head in wonder and plunged in after him.
Which ones are your favorite, and share your last line below!
Ok, I'm game. here's my last "lines" from DESTINED:
ReplyDelete“Sadie,” he says, and the intensity of his voice makes my eyes flutter open again. “Your mother wasn’t wrong. You are my destiny.”
Love it :)
ReplyDelete