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.
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#41
I am Sam
Sam I am
Sam I am
That Sam I am
That Sam I am
That Sam I am
I do not like that Sam I am
And then the murders began.
10points
#42
The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed. And then, the murders began. - The Gunslinger, Stephen king
10points
#43
Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
And then the murders began.
(The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein)
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
And then the murders began.
(The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein)
9points
#44
On the 15th of May,
In the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day,
In the cool of the pool,
He sat splashing,
Enjoying the jungle's great joys,
When Horton the elephant
Heard a small noise...
In the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day,
In the cool of the pool,
He sat splashing,
Enjoying the jungle's great joys,
When Horton the elephant
Heard a small noise...
And then the murders began.
(Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss)
9points
#45
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.
And then the murders began.
8points
#46
I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their
neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East Seventies where, during the early years of the war, I had my first New York apartment. ...and then the murders began.
(Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote)
neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East Seventies where, during the early years of the war, I had my first New York apartment. ...and then the murders began.
(Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote)
8points
#47
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. And then the murders began.
7points
#48
There was a little girl, who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good but when she was bad, she was horrid... and then the murders began
7points
#49
'''Twas the night before Christmas.... and then the murders began."
6points
#50
The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow lane. And then the murders began. (Harry Potter ant the deathly hallows, J.K. Rowling
6points
#51
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. And then the murders began. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
6points
#52
There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning, he was really splendid. And then the murders began. (The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams )
6points
#53
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And then the murders began. (The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien)
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5points
#54
"The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day." And then the murders began. (The Cat in the Hat, Dr Seuss)
5points
#55
Artemis Fowl grew impatient. Dr Argon was late again. And then the murders began. (Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, Eoin Colfer
5points
#56
Bitter and drunk, Earl Blandon, a former United States senator, got home at 2:15 a.m. that Thursday with a new tattoo: a two-word obscenity in blue block letters between the knuckles of the middle finger of his right hand. And then the murders began... Dean Koontz- 77 Shadow Street
5points
#57
Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. And then the murders began.
5points
#58
Weaving down the hall, Cole avoided a ninja, a witch, and a pirate. He paused when a sad clown waved at him. And then the murders began. (Five kingdoms, Brandon Mull)
5points
#59
Sam Vimes sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it. And then the murders began
Terry Pratchett - Night Watch
Terry Pratchett - Night Watch
5points
#60
'It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love. And then the murders began.'
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
5points