Reading & Writing With Rebecca: Issue 10
Have you heard the good news about First Line Frenzy? No, I'm not starting a new religious sect based on ecstatic recitations of your novel's first line...
Or am I??
In all seriousness, First Line Frenzy started simply enough. On a random day in 2015, I asked my Twitter followers to tweet me their novel's first line so I could share my impressions, feedback, and revision ideas. I wanted to start a community learning project that would bring writers together to learn from and support one another. In the intervening years, #firstlinefrenzy grew into a monthly Twitter event...until my friends at Reedsy asked if I'd be interested in taking FLF live on YouTube.
Let's just say, things progressed from there.
For yesterday's live event (which you can watch below), we had over 2300 first lines submitted for review. 2300! Confession time: Before every broadcast, I email Martin (my emcee/producer/comments section wrangler) to ask if anyone responded to our call for lines. I always think the bubble will burst and no one will be interested in my hot takes on first lines. But then Martin will casually mention that 4000 people registered and more than half uploaded first lines, and I shove my Imposter Syndrome gremlin back under the bridge where he lives.
Long story short: Thank you to all who watched, participated in, commented on, and shared yesterday's First Line Frenzy.
In June, I'm running my inaugural "30 Days of FLF," when I'll post a first line critique every day of the month. You can find all the details in the graphic below, and you can always reach out to me on Twitter or Insta with questions. I hope you'll consider participating, and following along on the #firstlinefrenzy hashtag for the month of June.
Weekly Writing Tip
Review Roundup
Click the link below each intro caption to see my full review.
New Release: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (literary fiction) — rebeccafaitheditorial.com
From the author of Daisy Jones and the Six comes a story about family, passion, betrayal, and the wildest party Malibu has ever seen (at least... in 1983). This is out Tuesday, June 1st!
Blade of Secrets (Bladesmith #1) by Tricia Levenseller (YA fantasy) — rebeccafaitheditorial.com
I had high expectations for this first first-in-series, since I loved Levenseller's 2020 release, The Shadows Between Us. I'm truly sad to say that Blade falls short -- though I may feel differently after book 2 releases next year.
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry (fiction, romance) — rebeccafaitheditorial.com
For me, the buzziest book of the summer is worth ALL the hype. If you loved last year's Beach Read, you'll be thrilled to sink your teeth into another funny, warm, sexy, nuanced romp from Emily Henry.
Critical Review: The Mix-Up by Elizabeth Neep
If you like books that hinge on a conflict that could be resolved with a single conversation, you're going to love The Mix-Up by Elizabeth Neep. Let me start by saying that the publisher's insistence on comparing Neep to Mhairi McFarlane (who readers of this newsletter know I adore!) is unwarranted and shows a total lack of understanding about what makes McFarlane so great; despite surface-level similarities (no explicit sex, a focus on friendship as well as romance, takes place in London), these authors do not write for the same readership.
The Mix-Up focuses on Marley, a liar; her entanglements with other Millennial liars; and the lies they tell. Acts I and III are passably interesting because characters actively press toward their desires (come what may), but Act II -- the book's longest section -- comprises Marley's repeated meditations on why she's lying to everyone, why she knows she shouldn't do that, and why she'll continue to do so regardless. It's repetitive and slow, and the urge to skim was almost overwhelming.
I read descriptions of Neep's other work, and it seems like "misunderstanding taken too far" is her primary theme. It's a pity, because Neep's writing is strongly voiced, sometimes funny, and often sweet... but there's not enough plot in The Mix-Up to sustain a full-length novel, and I worry that a perpetual focus on accidental circumstances will cement the kind of bad storytelling principles demonstrated in this latest take.
Bookshop.org Affiliate Link — bookshop.org
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