The opening line of a book is extremely important, as it has to be intriguing and powerful enough to capture the reader's imagination. Then, the second line has to intensify the intrigue. Coming up with these lines can be pretty difficult, yet one writer came up with a second line that would almost always heighten the intrigue to its peak, and the Internet is going crazy.
"And then the murders began" - that's the clever line Marc Laidlaw came up with. Add it to almost any opening line and you've got yourself a hell of an intriguing book opening. Now people are tweeting famous first lines of books followed by Marc's second line, with the hashtag #LaidlawsRule. The results are absolutely hilarious! See for yourselves below, and feel free to add your own intriguing openings to the list.
(h/t)
#1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And then the murders began. (The holy bible)
230points
#2
There was an old lady who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn't know what to do. And then the murders began. (Nursery Rhymes, Dorling Kindersley)
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171points
#3
Mr & Mrs Dursley, of number 4, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. And then the murders began. (Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling )
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169points
#4
One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. And then the murders began. (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle)
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168points
#5
"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table. And then the murders began. (Charlotte's Web, E.B. White)
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150points
#6
“I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. And then the murders began. (Winnie The Pooh , A.A. Milne)
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130points
#7
Five little puppies dug a hole under the fence and went for a walk in the wide, wide world. And then the murders began. (The Poky Little Puppy, Janette Sebring Lowrey)
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88points
#8
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. And then the murders began. (Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell)
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82points
#9
When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. And then the murders began.
55points
#10
One evening, after thinking it over some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. And then the murders began. (Harold And The Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson)
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51points
#11
Every Who down in Whoville liked Xmas a lot but the Grinch who lived just north of Whoville did not. And then the murders began. (How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss)
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47points
#12
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. And then the murders began. (A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens)
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44points
#13
The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. And then the murders began. (The Cat In The Hat, Dr. Seuss)
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42points
#14
I am the chairman and president of The Trump Organization. And then the murders began. (D. Trump - How to Get Rich)
41points
#15
For a long time, I went to bed early. And then the murders began. (Swann's Way, Marcel Proust)
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38points
#16
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. And then the murders began. (The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway)
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36points
#17
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
And then the murders began
35points
#18
ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'T is some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;Only this and nothing more."
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'T is some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;Only this and nothing more."
And then the murders began.
34points
#19
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. And then the murders began. (The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka)
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33points
#20
"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him 'WILD THING!' and Max said 'I'LL EAT YOU UP!' so he was sent to bed without eating anything... and then the murders began" (Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak)
30points