Behold last week’s challenge: “A Terrible Lie.”
(Alternate name for this challenge: “Just The Tip.”)
Normally, this challenge is about utilizing brevity — be it with a 1000 words, 100 words, or three sentences — to tell a complete story. Well, not today, my little red balloons.
Today, I just want a single sentence.
I want to read the opening line to a story.
One you’re just making up now.
One whose opening line will drag me kicking and screaming and shove my face into wanting more.
One whose opening line is sharp, enticing, potent.
So. You’ve got a single sentence to promise a killer story.
I’ll keep the challenge open for a week.
Winner gets a postcard in the mail from yours truly.
This postcard shall contain a piece of writing advice on it for you and you alone.
You’ve got one sentence and one week. Enter by 4/13/12 at noon EST.
Enter below in the comments — normally I’d have you post elsewhere, but these will be brief.
EDIT:
To clarify, please enter only once.
Marc Nocerino says:
April 11, 2012 — 2:22 PM
Heather says:
“Princess Victorya forced the heel of her slipper further into her would-be mugger’s throat, took the last haul of her Camel unfiltered, then tossed the butt into the asshole’s face.”
April 11, 2012 — 9:29 PM
Anthony Sweet says:
Despite the blood and the smoke, the screaming and wailing; despite the scotch-soaked promise she’d broken; even despite the fucking ferris wheel toppling and on fire, I still loved her.
April 11, 2012 — 11:46 PM
Jemma says:
An unreasonably gorgeous reaper with a penchant for pink stood at the door, making it utterly impossible for me to focus on the task at hand.
April 11, 2012 — 11:59 PM
Danya says:
All her life, Becky had known she would die, so all her life, she had prayed the Lord her soul to keep.
April 12, 2012 — 3:06 AM
Drew says:
There is a silence that overtakes the room when he storms out, curses and oaths aimed at God and everyone overtaking my hearing and bouncing off concrete walls and looming brick towers all around, a silence promising recompense for his actions – the erratic motions of the insane man, my friend – something for which there will never be repayment, and in this silence it is suddenly so crystalline and clear to me that I have lost him, that I will never again see him as he was just then, before the words spoke to him, before he lost his soul on a warm night in this anonymous city.
April 12, 2012 — 4:20 AM
Louise Sorensen says:
I once knew a man who treated a yellow Appaloosa like a piece of crap.
I have the rest of the story too, and atm, food poisoning. Will post story on my site when I feel better.
Awesome posts!
April 12, 2012 — 10:19 AM
Lorelei says:
It’s funny how a single phone call can change your life–and by “funny” I mean “soul-crushing”, but maybe someday we’ll all be able to look back on this and laugh.
April 12, 2012 — 11:30 AM
thenoirguy says:
“I WILL SMACK YOU WITH MY UTERUS!!”
April 12, 2012 — 1:22 PM
Joanna says:
“Uh….I didn’t do it,” he said slowly as hot sauce dripped from his face, burning his skin.
April 12, 2012 — 1:47 PM
Krystal Claxton says:
With nimble fingers, I weaved his heartstrings, repairing the flesh and blood wounds inflicted by the shebeast.
April 12, 2012 — 4:01 PM
Mike Jackson says:
As so many things are wont to do these days our tale begins with a man who has recently imbibed just a few too many beverages of a beer-like nature, although whether or not this was the fault of the rather inconvenient pink unicorn currently occupying our protagonist’s upstairs bedroom will be left, I’m sure, to your able imagination.
April 12, 2012 — 7:00 PM
darthqu3 says:
“I don’t care if he is a fucking Rancaster! You tell that cocky sonovabitch to land that plane!” The Commodore’s outburst cut through the low murmur of the bridge like a hot knife.
April 12, 2012 — 7:36 PM
Alison says:
It was, Jake discovered, much hard to put the pin back in the grenade than it had been to pull it out.
April 12, 2012 — 8:32 PM
AmandaKay says:
My husband will go to any length to win an argument, including time travel.
April 12, 2012 — 11:28 PM
Jim Franklin says:
When you’re locked in a top secret government bunker with a disgraced CIA agent, a stripper and a Columbian drug runner you just want out, and if it wasn’t for the polar bear we probably would never have made it out of there alive.
April 13, 2012 — 5:13 AM
Mike says:
Had dozens in my head, then decided to use a character from another challenge, a Fairy Tale http://www.ravensview.ca/ravens/2012/04/once-upon-a-time.html
So for here …
“Don’t get me wrong,” said the witch, “I do need a job, but if it’s another sickly sweet Disney movie I’ll scream.”
April 13, 2012 — 9:53 AM
Eden Mabee says:
Using one for the present WiP:
“Her brother woke up, but for three weeks no one knew it–not even ‘Listii himself.”
April 13, 2012 — 10:04 AM
Albert Berg says:
Frankly, if I’d known Frog was going get his thumb bitten off by the deputy mayor I probably would have passed on that second helping of potato logs.
April 13, 2012 — 10:08 AM
Frederick Cross says:
“Riley was fucked and she knew it.”
April 13, 2012 — 10:32 AM
Kaytee says:
Cara was surprised to find the dead watching daytime TV.
April 13, 2012 — 11:13 AM
Samuel Schultz says:
The sun rose over the parched desert landscape, glittering off sand, rock and one distinctive enormous rusted arch; “Welcome home” it seemed to say, “Welcome to St. Louis”.
April 13, 2012 — 11:24 AM
terribleminds says:
FYI: Will go through these over the next day or so. Hope to announce winner by tomorrow morning! Already have a few favorites.
— c.
April 13, 2012 — 3:31 PM
terribleminds says:
OOOOTAY.
I’m a day late, but hey, you try keeping up with my 10-month-old.
I’ve gotten a winner, but first, some comments: some very strong opening lines here. Some also not so strong — and quite a few with typos and errors and misused words. People. PEOPLE. Check yourself. ‘Fore you wreck yourself.
Here, then, is the winner.
James Hamilton with:
“My deathbed still hadn’t turned up.”
I want to read that story.
James — email me. Terribleminds at Gmail dot com. Hit me with your physical mailing address.
Rock on.
— c.
April 15, 2012 — 5:47 PM
kathy boles-turner says:
Congrats, James!
April 18, 2012 — 11:27 PM