Here’s the first line of my autobiography…
I am just a poor boy, though my story’s seldom told.
– Simon & Garfunkel, The BoxerIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
– Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two CitiesA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
– George Lucas, Star Wars
Great stories start with great opening lines. They grab you, pull you in, and don’t let go until the final word on the final page.
I’m not going to be writing an autobiography any time soon. I have three other books I need to write before even considering sitting down and writing anything close to an autobiography. Besides, I’ve got some more living to do before putting pen to paper for anything that would sound something remotely like an autobiography that anyone would be interested in reading.
But if I ever do write that autobiography, I think I’ve got the opening line. It’s based on the motto that has apparently been connected with the Todd family for generations. While I hadn’t heard this motto until a few years ago, it has certainly resonated with me. So I took it and ran with it. Because I believe it’s a great motto to have. And I think it would be a great opening line to a great introduction to an autobiography.
It behooves us to live.
It would establish the tone of the rest of the book – my pursuit of living life to the fullest, changing the world by sharing light and life everywhere I go.
So there’s my hypothetical autobiography’s hypothetical opening line. What do you think? What would your opening line be?
*************************************************
This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox.
Today’s Prompt:
Pretend you’re writing your autobiography. Give us your first line, a first chapter, or even just an image. What’s the story of you?
I’ve participated in the ThinkKit project before. I really enjoyed it. Thought I’d try it again since they moved it from December to January. You know what happened? I totally missed the first day. Not the best way to start off a 30-day blogging challenge, amIright? Fortunately, today’s prompt is to look back at 2015. Good thing I already did that. So after posting today, that puts me right back on track.
Right?
Latest posts by Matt Todd (see all)
- Recapping the NASA Social Europa Clipper launch event - October 18, 2024
- Greetings from (partly) sunny Space Coast, Florida - October 12, 2024
- I’m going to Kennedy Space Center to watch the Europa Clipper launch (hopefully) - October 5, 2024