This is K.M. Wyland and you are listening to the 115th episode of the wordplay podcast.

I love it when the time to edit a story happens to coincide with the beautiful

summer or autumn weather. Curling up in my comfy rocking chair inside, a favorite soundtrack floating to me from my speakers, is a great way to edit. But nothing beats propping out my feet up outside in the shade, where I can look up to enjoy the seasonal beauty, the cicadas singing in the trees, and the smell of fresh cut grass.

The cats alternately curl up in my lap, or do their best to make themselves annoying by chasing my pin across the page.

It's hard not to be thankful for a reason to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and work on a story

all at the same time.

Misconceptions about outlining, the second in my three-part series of video trailers, offering a sneak peek into the first chapter of my new book outlining your novel, is currently available on my blog, along with details about the weekly prize

contests I'll be running all month, building up to the grand prize worth over $400 on

September 26th. You can watch the video on my blog at wordplay dash k-m-Y-L-E-I-L-N-D

dot blog spot.

Be sure to stop by this Wednesday to register for a signed copy of my medieval epic, Behold the Dawn.

Meanwhile, enjoy this week's podcast. Five elements of a riveting first line.

The opening line of your book is your first and if you don't take advantage of it last opportunity to grab your reader's attention and give him a reason to read your

story. That's a gargantuan job for a single sentence.

But if we break down opening lines,

we discover a number of interesting things.

One of the most surprising discoveries is that very few opening lines are memorable.

Before you start quoting the likes of such classic and highly memorable first lines as

Kamiishmail, and it is a truth universally acknowledged, take a moment to think about the last few books you read and loved.

Can you remember the opening lines?

The very fact that these unremembered lines convinced us to keep reading until we love the book means they did

their jobs to sparkly perfection.

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