So Much Snow
First Line Revision Journey

SO MUCH SNOW
By Kristen Schroeder

My earliest idea for the storyline of SO MUCH SNOW was that snow would accumulate and recede and it would feature animals from small to large being covered and uncovered by the snow. When I started writing, I must have intuitively included the days of the week to give the story structure. I had never written a picture book without a traditional story arc before, so this was uncharted territory for me. My first draft included the first line that appears in the published book.

On Monday, it starts to snow.

I have spent many hours trying to find the perfect first line for other stories, but luckily this one stuck.

By using the word Monday, I am setting the scene that this story is going to take place over a number of days. The first line, as well as the entire first page, establishes a rhythm that pulls the reader into the story.

On Monday, it starts to snow.

Silent swirling.

How high will it go?

The pattern of language is repeated with subsequent days of the week. In addition, I think the first line engages the reader by using the word “starts” which makes it clear that this is just the beginning of the snow. From the book’s title, So Much Snow, it’s safe to assume the reader has an idea more snow is coming, and I think this all works together to encourage a page turn to see what happens next.