The new book is

Baja Oklahoma
by
Dan Jenkins

I've got the book, so I know the real first line. What you are to do is make up your own original first line, a line so good it will fool players into thinking it's the real McCoy. Submit the sentence you write to me via PM.
When I have enough, I'll post a list of them here along with the real one, at which time anyone who'd like to play is invited to post his or her guess as to which one is, in fact, the book's genuine opening line.

I’ve read all the posts on the most recent En-titled thread regarding whether our submissions of first lines must be our original work or whether we may use published first lines from other books. Let’s see if I can get away with imposing my own position on you, since I started this latest related thread (and already have submissions) and since it’s my birthday today and therefore I should really have everything my own way.

Others may differ, but issues of “plagiarism” here don’t concern me a great deal. After all, we’re a small group of friends playing a game, not trying to steal someone’s copyrighted work. As mentioned, we would always give credit where credit’s due at the end of each round. And the issue of recommending good reads is a point well taken, though a thread could be created specifically for that purpose. (I’d love to see such a thread at Wordcraft.)

But I prefer original compositions be submitted for this game (this thread of it, anyway), and I’ll tell you why.

One: Not everyone has a lot of books in their home from which to easily pull first lines. Two years ago I moved from a big house where I had a nice collection of books into a small apartment. At that time, I donated most of my books to the local library. I very seldom buy books anymore, simply because I’ve no room for them. True, one can glean a lot of first lines from the Internet, but --

Two: This is a very well read group of people. If someone submits a published first line and it just so happens to be a line someone else recalls reading before, it gives him or her an edge over others who may not have read (and remembered) the line. Why not keep the playing field level?

Three: Before you protest that an original submission from a gifted writer has a better chance of fooling someone than does a submission from someone not particularly gifted at writing, consider that not every published first line is all that stunning. Sometimes, the first sentence of a book is quite elementary.

Four: Fooling someone with something you have composed yourself is just plain more fun than fooling them with the work of a published author. Why not try it and enjoy the rush?

I look forward to receiving your e-mailed entries.

You should have mine by now. Guaranteed 100% all my own work - again the opening line from one of my own short stories so not new but at least original.

Sent via PM but I can e-mail as well if you have any problems with it.

I, unfortunately for purposes of clarification, think "e-mail" and "PM" are synonyms, Bob. (You gotta watch me every minute.) I received your entry and thank you very much for it. I have a few, need more.

Hey you two...how about a daffynition for Mackabroin?

Saranita, mine is on the way. I disagree about the originality of the first lines, but after all it is your birthday and all! See the Birthday thread.

Kalleh,

Differences of opinion are respected and enlightening when expressed in such a charming way. By time the weekend has passed, I hope to have enough entries to post all the choices. But in order to do that, I do need to hear from more of you, please.

(The requested daffynition is in your mailbox, and thanks for the birthday wishes!)

I agree, he said belatedly. It's much better if you make up your own opening line. Can Daryl Hannah be wrong?

http://www.liebrary.com/

Nice seeing you here, Treppenwitz. I can see that I am out-voted on this one, just as I was in the presidential election.

quote:

Originally posted by treppenwitz:
I agree, he said belatedly. It's much better if you make up your own opening line. Can Daryl Hannah be wrong?

Interesting! The Bluffing Game is derived from the old "Dictionary" parlor game, as is the commercial version, "Balderdash." I wonder if Hannah's "Liebrary" game came before this game we're playing, of vice-versa, of if other similar games have been played prior to either.

Treppen . . . yes, that is exactly where the idea for this game floated into my head. Someone suggested that I buy that game, and instead of buying it I posted here to get the game started on the board. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARANITA!

I'll PM my entry to you right away!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Caterwauller,

Thanks, CW!
And thanks for your entry, which has been received.

Treppenwitz, how about you? We'd love to have you join in.

Entries will be posted Tuesday morning, so this is last call. Arnie? Neveu? KHC? Treppenwitz? Anybody?

If I sent you anything in time, I'd probably break my leg falling down the stairs. Thanks, anyway.

treppenwitz,

Keep in mind for next round that you could have sent this:

"If I sent you anything in time, I'd probably break my leg falling down the stairs," was the last thing Paul had said to his editor.

You don't have to have submitted an entry to vote. Post your choice:

1.) He was asleep. Asleep and dreaming of butterflies.

2.) He was so close to me that you couldn't get a razor blade between us.

3.) The Cessna 206 is sometimes called an SUV with wings. Its big Lycoming IO-540 engine puts out 300 horses, letting it haul almost 3/4 ton of people and cargo. Bill Maynes knew all that, but he wasn't too careful about an aft center of gravity or high-density altitude on May 18th, 1999, the day he died.

4.) Driving across the country can be so very dull in the middle of winter.

5.) The grub at the Tres Potrillos diner was merely adequate, but as a bilingual resource, you couldn't beat it with a palillo.

6.) Her face was old, even by Evan's standards, pock marked by a hundred broken promises and thousands of stale handrolled cigarettes.

7.) The sound was born on a summer night at the old Crystal Springs pavilion in Fort Worth, Texas, when Bob Wills and his string band were entertaining the cowboys and their ladies from 9 till Fist Fight.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: saranita,

I take two.

Good batch again!

I guess #5.

I like 6. My amanuensis is typing this for me as I broke my arm for voting, but thankfully not a leg for submitting.

Next time it might be a good idea to provide a one-paragraph synopsis of the plot.

Treppenwitz? Aren't you the Polish physician who bores holes in people's skulls? Oh, no, that's Trepanowitz. Silly me!

Uh, I'll guess seven, since two seems chiche', and six is too good, and there's no hyphen in "high density altitude," and men don't dream of butterflies unless they're really women and.... OH, SHUT UP, ASA!!!

I'll take a stab at 5 please.

4 please.

1.) He was asleep. Asleep and dreaming of butterflies.

Bob Hale’s entry didn’t dupe anybody this go-round but does serve as an indicator that real men do, indeed, occasionally dream of butterflies.

2.) He was so close to me that you couldn't get a razor blade between us.

With her sharp writing, Kalleh fooled Jo.

3.) The Cessna 206 is sometimes called an SUV with wings. Its big Lycoming IO-540 engine puts out 300 horses, letting it haul almost 3/4 ton of people and cargo. Bill Maynes knew all that, but he wasn't too careful about an aft center of gravity or high-density altitude on May 18th, 1999, the day he died.

I owe one to Asa for accidentally hyphenating his “high density” entry and possibly interfering with its ability to pass as the real McCoy. My sincere apologies, Asa. You get what you pay for.

4.) Driving across the country can be so very dull in the middle of winter.

Caterwauller alluded to a dull winter’s drive but made it beguiling enough to lure in Kalleh.

5.) The grub at the Tres Potrillos diner was merely adequate, but as a bilingual resource, you couldn't beat it with a palillo.

I spoke softly but carried a big stick and walloped both Caterwauller and Bob Hale with it.

6.) Her face was old, even by Evan's standards, pock marked by a hundred broken promises and thousands of stale handrolled cigarettes.

Jo created an effective smokescreen for the one-armed Treppenwitz.

7.) The sound was born on a summer night at the old Crystal Springs pavilion in Fort Worth, Texas, when Bob Wills and his string band were entertaining the cowboys and their ladies from 9 till Fist Fight.

Asa Lovejoy not only made me laugh and gave a fine compliment to Jo but also chose the correct answer. Congratulations, Asa!

quote:

Originally posted by treppenwitz:
Next time it might be a good idea to provide a one-paragraph synopsis of the plot.

I leave it to the next Liebrarian to decide whether to post a synopsis along with the title and author. If there's to be any discussion on this matter, now's the time.

Very good, Saranita - I love your commentary with the answers. LOL

I like the synopsis idea, too. We could give that a go if you like, Treppen . . . give us a book title!

I can pretty much guarantee that it won't be much help with the answer unless you've read the book. Because I saw the movie. Hated every minute of it, but you pretty have to like country music to enjoy it, I think. I should have guessed the opening line, since there was only one having to do with music, but silly me, I thought it seemed to obvious.

Thanks, CW.

Jo, the book's an easy read; I enjoyed the excellent dialogue. Have not seen the movie and probably wouldn't enjoy it any more than you did, since I, too, am not a fan of most country music. (I like some of the old stuff and I like most bluegrass, though.) So thanks for the tipoff. I'll skip that one.

I'm thinking that having a synopsis may make the writing of an entry more challenging, but that's okay. And could we reach a consensus on whether or not it's important in this game whether "line" is defined as "single sentence"?

Muchas gracias.

quote:

Originally posted by saranita:
Thanks, CW.

Jo, the book's an easy read; I enjoyed the excellent dialogue. Have not seen the movie and probably wouldn't enjoy it any more than you did, since I, too, am not a fan of most country music. (I like some of the old stuff and I like most bluegrass, though.) So thanks for the tipoff. I'll skip that one.

I'm thinking that having a synopsis may make the writing of an entry more challenging, but that's okay. And could we reach a consensus on whether or not it's important in this game whether "line" is defined as "single sentence"?

Muchas gracias.

I'm against doing a synopsis in thee game. It seems to me to be one thing to write a convincing opening line but quite another to write a convincing synopsis without stealing it from the plot of another book.
Maybe we could start doing a synopsis of the real book after the voting in case anyone wants to read it.

Incidentally my line for this one was the opening line of a story that I wrote a couple of years ago. Actually it wasn't much of a story, more of a vignette. It was me I stole it from though so that's OK.

Hi, Bob,

I think perhaps one of us misunderstood Treppenwitz's intent. I thought the suggestion was that the Liebrarian include a synopsis of the real book along with the title and author in each round's beginning, not that our entries should be synopses. Treppenwitz?

Saranita, I think that was Treppenwitz's intent as well. And I agree with Bob that everyone writing a synopsis is not a good idea.

I used to have a penpal in England when I was a child. She obviously had a much more exciting life than I did, as in one of her letters she said that she and her boyfriend danced so close that you couldn't get a razor blade between them...thus my line.

I'd vote for 1 sentence, Saranita.

Very well done, Saranita! Despite the hyphen problem, you gave us a fine round!

Asa, since you won the round, would you consider being the next Liebrarian? Please?

I'll do it, but you won't like it! The last book I read is Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue," and most of you have read it too. I'll have to think of something more obscure, like "Aircraft Materials and Processes," or "Russian Piston Aircraft Engines, 1909-1945." Something tells me you folks would all be bored, so I'll dig through my shelves and see what grabs me. I'll post my choice tomorrow.

And I'll try not to post another "cliché."