Last week’s challenge: “1667.”
Once again, time to write just the opening line to a new story.
No more than 15 words long.
Plop your opening line in the comment section below. Only one entry, please.
Then, the following week, it will be the task of other writers to pick one opening line that they will use in a new piece of flash fiction.
If you write the line that is most chosen by other authors, I’ll send you a signed physical copy of my new writing book, The Kick-Ass Writer. I’m not doing the picking, so your goal is to write a line that excites other writers enough for them to write a story using that opening line.
Tricky? Could be.
So, get to writing.
You’ve got one week — due by Friday, November 15th, noon EST.
(I’ll send the physical book and pay for shipping if you’re in the United States. Outside the country, you’ll have to front the shipping, I’m afraid, or be okay with an e-book copy.)
kevinhearne says:
It’s difficult to explain away a tin of vienna sausages lodged in your anus.
November 8, 2013 — 1:30 PM
marlanesque says:
Oh come ON, Kevin. How are we supposed to followup on that?
November 8, 2013 — 1:31 PM
doverwhitecliff says:
Please tell me that’s the first line of Attic us’ next adventure, Sir…
November 8, 2013 — 1:50 PM
Jason. says:
Okay, i was going to write my opening line, but now i don’t think there is a point.
November 8, 2013 — 1:35 PM
jsgestalt says:
I was born legless, premature, on life support and for this, I am eternally grateful.
November 8, 2013 — 1:30 PM
Bree says:
It was a strange feeling to wake up dead.
November 8, 2013 — 1:33 PM
Mark Gardner says:
It would be difficult and the dangers were many, but today would be the day I kill my husband.
November 8, 2013 — 1:34 PM
Mark Bennett says:
A Tommy Caravella party promised regrets beyond my wildest dreams.
November 8, 2013 — 1:35 PM
marlanesque says:
It was the second time she had seen her father, knowing that this time, it would be the last.
November 8, 2013 — 1:36 PM
David Nickle says:
Joshua hollered fling it already, but I’d lost my nerve and that was that.
November 8, 2013 — 1:38 PM
Jason. says:
After one hundred years in purgatory, i fought my way back to kill you.
November 8, 2013 — 1:41 PM
Chris Chambers says:
Brian’s mum’s hand closed around my windpipe, as cold and merciless as the cyborg-steel of her heart.
November 8, 2013 — 1:42 PM
DeeBee says:
“Just go. You might enjoy yourself and if you don’t, well, say no next time.”
November 8, 2013 — 1:42 PM
DeeBee says:
OK, so how many of you can’t count to 15? 🙂
November 8, 2013 — 1:44 PM
Mickey Platko says:
Apparently not me!
November 8, 2013 — 1:56 PM
Nico Serene says:
LOL, too bad I can’t vote for this as an opening line. 😉
November 8, 2013 — 2:00 PM
DeeBee says:
Maybe not, but if it won that would be really funny 🙂
November 8, 2013 — 2:05 PM
Cat York says:
I would like to vote for this one. It’s the reason I retread the directions.
November 8, 2013 — 2:27 PM
Michala Tyann says:
I’m not sure how the skillet got in my hand; nor how the blood got on my clothes but I couldn’t resist looking behind me when I heard the whimper.
November 8, 2013 — 1:46 PM
Mickey Platko says:
I felt my way through the moonless darkness, my clothes stinking of gasoline, my bare feet finding every sharp stone, the gun at my neck encouraging me every step of the way.
November 8, 2013 — 1:47 PM
Krud (@Krud) says:
“Shetland ponies,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Why did they always turn into Shetland ponies?”
November 8, 2013 — 1:47 PM
dangerdean says:
I picked a different line, but in retrospect this one could have been a lot of fun.
November 21, 2013 — 2:15 AM
Jemima Pett says:
Me too, danger Dean – so I did this one a week later… The Scottish Connection http://jemimapett.com/2013/11/29/friday-flash-fiction-the-scottish-connection/
November 29, 2013 — 5:59 AM
Hilary B. Bisenieks says:
“Katya, honey, darling, no offense, but this place sucks.”
November 8, 2013 — 1:48 PM
S.C. Barrus says:
When chased by assholes down neon streets, escape into the club, don’t sucker-punch the bouncer.
November 8, 2013 — 1:49 PM
Jimmie says:
Two things happened when the timer hit zero — first, nothing, then the color blue.
November 8, 2013 — 1:51 PM
Jack says:
It wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever had, despite ending up dead.
November 8, 2013 — 1:53 PM
mikes75 says:
Jen fretted over eating the offered fruit, having seen a squirming beneath its skin.
November 8, 2013 — 1:55 PM
doverwhitecliff says:
Not sure why I wanted to conquer Nomanistan…seemed like a good idea at the time…
November 8, 2013 — 1:57 PM
Rachel says:
As it splatted sharply across her cheek, she tried hard not to flinch.
November 8, 2013 — 2:00 PM
catyorkc says:
She’d already named the bird “Gabbers” and the closer we got to Thanksgiving, the more I knew she was going to hate me when I told her what was on the menu.
November 8, 2013 — 2:01 PM
Cat York says:
Oh no! I didn’t read the directions! I can shorten mine to “She’d already named the turkey ‘Gabbers.'”
November 8, 2013 — 2:25 PM
Bala Kolluru says:
Brody released plasma bombs that would annihilate all indigenous life, but prepare Vegas-79 for terraforming.
November 8, 2013 — 2:03 PM
Christopher Hayles says:
Standing naked surrounded by triads, I shielded myself with the briefcase.
November 8, 2013 — 2:03 PM
LindaGHill says:
The headline screamed like a town crier on crack: “The End of the World!”
November 8, 2013 — 2:09 PM
Gareth Wiscombe says:
Read on if you must, but the risk is all yours.
November 8, 2013 — 2:10 PM
Bre says:
The last bubbles sashayed through the water, instantly popping when they broke the surface.
November 8, 2013 — 2:12 PM
Rafe Brox says:
Alley didn’t know she was a god.
November 8, 2013 — 2:13 PM
John E. O. Stevens says:
A sussurating madrigal of fading spirits in her ear, the girl settled on the flat rock and watched the apocalypse unfold around her.
November 8, 2013 — 2:20 PM
Kelly M. says:
I watched the fire lick the ceiling, blackening the tiles, and I smiled.
November 8, 2013 — 2:23 PM
Wade says:
I like this one. My fav so far. Being an editor, however, I was wondering (of course) if you would consider tightening it to “I smiled as the fire licked the ceiling, blackened the tiles.” ? Is something of your original intention lost? “Watched” is implied by what is seen. Just wondering if we are more enticed by seeing the protagonist smiling first and then seeing the fire or vice versa?
November 11, 2013 — 8:29 AM
Noel says:
I know I’m coming a bit late… but I strongly prefer the original. The original starts with strong image and concludes with a surprising and intriguing character action that draws me in. The edited version begins with an unmotivated action, continues through an image, and then “blackened the tiles” doesn’t make a lot of grammatical sense. Ending on “blackening the tiles” would be ambiguous, as it would be technically unclear whether it was the speaker or the fire doing the blackening. You could say “licked the ceiling and blackened the tiles,” but I still prefer the image-then-response order. While not an absolute rule, event followed by response, I think, tends to be easier to relate to intelligibly. (I suppose “The fire licked the ceiling, blackening the tiles, and I smiled,” is okay, if “I watched” bothers you. Being the first sentence of the story, though, “I watched” cues the POV ASAP, and I kind of liked that.)
November 17, 2013 — 12:24 AM
Nico Serene says:
“All right, you unholy yahoos, one of you lost the portal key to Hell.”
November 8, 2013 — 2:24 PM
Joseph says:
The red retreated from his vision as the rage waned revealing that he did it again.
November 8, 2013 — 2:33 PM
Robert Sadler says:
It’s painful to inform you, dear reader, that you will soon join me in hell.
November 8, 2013 — 2:37 PM
Jeanne B. says:
Note to self: never believe Caldwell when she tells you it’s just a small favor.
November 8, 2013 — 2:41 PM
Gnash Chick (@Gnashchick) says:
The breeze stirred her hair, gentle as the last breath she stole from his mouth.
November 8, 2013 — 2:47 PM
Catherine Fleming says:
“I’m not swallowing that!”
November 8, 2013 — 2:48 PM
Jeb says:
Jimmy Bryant wasn’t fat.
November 8, 2013 — 2:55 PM
Christina says:
The shadow of wings engulfed him as the tiny lizard fell dead at his feet.
November 8, 2013 — 2:55 PM
Stephanie St.Clair (@StClair_Steph) says:
“Oh, f-ck.”
November 8, 2013 — 2:59 PM
zanzjan says:
His first mistake was burying it in his own backyard.
November 8, 2013 — 3:01 PM
Ken Crump says:
Oh yeah. This is it.
November 19, 2013 — 10:22 PM
Alex Kollar says:
It happened fast as the worm hole opened, the mistake was made that ended everything.
November 8, 2013 — 3:01 PM
e m bahnsen says:
“Do you understand the challenge of working with me for the next month?”
November 8, 2013 — 3:04 PM
David Wohlreich (@wallrike) says:
I would come to see that quiet Thursday as the beginning of my strange metamorphosis.
November 8, 2013 — 3:06 PM
justinlandon56961222 says:
Fuck.
November 8, 2013 — 3:13 PM
David Novak says:
“Well,” Jimmy muttered, “it was clearly a mistake picking this room to piss in.”
November 8, 2013 — 3:20 PM
Kathryn Goldman says:
Unless he ate he would die, but food was not what he craved.
November 8, 2013 — 3:20 PM
Kevin says:
The woman was dead to begin with.
November 8, 2013 — 3:27 PM
Eric Moore says:
She licked her lips as his cock sizzled in the frying pan.
November 8, 2013 — 3:36 PM
JoMax says:
A hundred dead things skittered across his view.
November 8, 2013 — 3:40 PM
Julia H. says:
I flicked the lighter open and watched the flame dance in the wind.
November 8, 2013 — 3:41 PM