"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

That my dear readers, is one powerful opening line. It's creative, memorable, captivating and informative. It stands in such a way, as to make you want to know more. It's the perfect example of the power of a great opening line. Of course, you recognize this line as the opener for Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address, one of the most quoted and memorable speeches of all-time. But what most people do not realize is, is that the Gettysburg address is only 10 whole sentences and 272 words in total. In e-fed terms, this is as long as the average newbie's in-ring trash talk rant, hardly something worth reading over in any serious in-depth way.

However, the Gettysburg address does have one thing working in it's favor... it's killer opening line. Would you pay attention or read it later, if the first line was written more like this...." About 87 years ago, the United States of America came into being, with the hope for a better life for all." Now, even thou the line is "OK"... it's hardly noteworthy and capable of saving the Gettyburg address from being filed away as just another politic speech.

Now, what has all this got to do with e-Fedding? Well sportsfreaks, it shows the importance of a good opening line in roleplaying. You could have the most clever insights, the best biographical analysis, or even the sharpest and lively descriptive roleplay, but if your opening line is average or mundane, it ruins everything. One of the basic story writing rules, is that of a great opening. Aspiring writers are taught to capture the audience right away and set the tone for the rest of the story. For shorter pieces of work, like say a roleplay, you do not have the luxury of setting up a paragraph or two, and must try to set the stage with a single sentence.

But there's the rub... how can you create such an opening sentence? Well, first things first, write the roleplay first. Good writers are taught to put down all ideas as soon as they occur. So if you have ideas for the body of the roleplay, then by all means go for it while the ideas are fresh. Your opening should actually be the "last" thing you write. Why? Well, think of it as an introduction. Think of it as some unseen person off to one side of a darkened gymnasium right before the opening curtain of a play. Suddenly, a low booming voice can be heard from all sides; from everywhere, and yet, from nowhere... " Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Wow! That was powerful! It has me in suspense, wanting more, on the edge of my seat, waiting for the curtain to go up, and the rest of the play to play out. But hold the throne pal, rewind that tape, so we can try something different here. Again, it's dark, and the curtain is about to rise, blah, blah, blah....a voice is heard... " THE SCENE OPENS UP..."

What the F? Did someone just say, "the scene opens up?" Are you kidding me? Aw man, was that ever cornball and cliche. Ruined everything didn't it? I know it did for me. It's now gonna take a whole lot of clever and creative writing to get that piece of crap out of my mind, so I hope the rest ofplay is dynamite. Anyways, you see the importance of a good opening line now, don't you. If you use the same opening line each time, or even a common opening that you've seen others use, chances are you need to stop it. Bad opening lines are running amok all over e-Fed land. Do everyone a favor, and come up with something new each and every time you post a RP. Even if you do not see a change in your win/loss percentage after changing your cliche ways, is no reason to think you should go back to your old ways. RP judges are made up of RPer's or ex-Rper's like yourself, and may even be opening-line mistake makers as well and may not recognize fine prose when it strolls past them. Just take the high road, and become a better writer despite what the judges think.

But besides impact a very good opening line should also summurize the whole RP (another reason to leave it until the end ). With the Gettysburg address, the opening line summarized the present condition of the U.S.A. which was what the rest of the speech was about.

So, to one final time. If you want to improve your roleplay writing, start at the beginning. That way, people will want to stick around until the end.