That classic challenge is back:
Do not write a story.
Nope. Mm-mm, don’t do it.
Instead:
Write only an opening sentence.
Not two sentences. Not three. One. Good. Sentence.
Drop the opening sentence in the comments below, and then next week we will make use of some of those sentences for the next challenge. You’ve got one week — due by next Friday, the 17th, noon EST. Get cracking, word-herders.
Eric says:
The mad-eyed squirrel had followed her to work and now sat outside her window preening the small tufts of fur that covered its battle scarred body.
April 10, 2015 — 3:20 PM
Seylor says:
Interesting!
April 18, 2015 — 3:40 AM
CN_Martin says:
Helen’s Home and Guidepost for the Wandering and Lost sat on the edge of a forest, in the middle of nowhere, and at least half a day’s walk from anything relevant.
April 10, 2015 — 3:26 PM
lisaprose says:
oooohhhh. there is an old english word I learned recently that goes with this sentence. apparently people went into the forest just looking for trouble back in the old days..
April 10, 2015 — 11:56 PM
Kalen says:
Daddy, are you listening?
April 10, 2015 — 3:47 PM
MsShonnerz says:
As Willow wiped the blood from her face, she regretted her decision not to wear a hat.
April 10, 2015 — 3:55 PM
J M Beal says:
I’m nabbing this one for the 2k challenge. It should be up tomorrow. 🙂
April 21, 2015 — 12:03 PM
jsgestalt says:
So there it is.
April 10, 2015 — 3:58 PM
Harry-le-beau says:
You wouldn’t believe some of the things that wash up on this beach.
April 10, 2015 — 4:00 PM
devsmess says:
Haha… this could go so many ways. Nice!
April 12, 2015 — 12:15 PM
erikaviktor says:
How did his body end up on the moon?
April 10, 2015 — 4:07 PM
glenavailable says:
Someone forgot to yell ‘duck’/’incoming’/’heads’ when space junk came hurtling?
April 10, 2015 — 5:32 PM
Melinda says:
The unnatural end of a natural life leaves an indelible mark on all it touches.
April 10, 2015 — 4:09 PM
mbawden2014 says:
Elegant, thought-provoking and snappy – very cool!
April 10, 2015 — 4:11 PM
katemcone says:
I really, really, really like this line. I’m curious to see where this goes.
April 15, 2015 — 3:50 PM
nmdela says:
Norah sat at her computer looking at hundreds of photos of young Indian men dancing and throwing color.
April 10, 2015 — 4:21 PM
jcbenes says:
With horror reflected in his eyes, the blood draining from his face, he reached back and felt that indeed he had sharted.
April 10, 2015 — 4:28 PM
Paige S. says:
Bahahah
April 14, 2015 — 4:53 PM
weylyn42 says:
I woke with the certainty that someone would be dead by nightfall, I just didn’t imagine who.
April 10, 2015 — 4:42 PM
warjna says:
At 4:13 AM the damn cat stuck his ice-cold nose in her ear, and Varina shot upright with a yelp.
April 10, 2015 — 4:47 PM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
UGH.. as someone who owns a cat who does just that… I feel her surprise and irritating at being woken up so very early! 😀
April 12, 2015 — 10:56 AM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
irritation^ (obviously. le sigh)
April 12, 2015 — 10:56 AM
warjna says:
AAAAND true story. That very morning. *sigh*
April 15, 2015 — 4:32 AM
Rudis Muiznieks says:
I was far from Earth, the limitless cosmos laid open before me.
April 10, 2015 — 4:48 PM
StarNinja says:
Then the peyote wore off and I was like, “Holy Fuck.”
Nice intro. Lots of potential!
April 14, 2015 — 11:25 AM
Dave says:
I awoke to the lingering taste of tarnished copper on my tongue, startled by the slow, cold drip piercing the flesh on the back of my left thigh.
April 10, 2015 — 4:52 PM
Someone says:
Like most of the times something went wrong, I had a brilliant idea.
April 10, 2015 — 4:53 PM
authormilligib says:
That is so one of my characters… Odd that I was just reading that last night, looking for somewhere to start on editing.
April 10, 2015 — 5:28 PM
lisaprose says:
This is actually me. Are you stalking me?
April 10, 2015 — 11:39 PM
Beth Turnage says:
Great line!
April 11, 2015 — 9:43 AM
Someone says:
Thank you, guys. That means a lot to me :3 and yes, I am stalking you 😀
April 11, 2015 — 10:10 AM
authormilligib says:
At least now I understood what Dad meant when he said running for your life is good exercise.
April 10, 2015 — 5:12 PM
Michala Tyann says:
This one made me laugh but also made me think… Hmmm….I could write something around that. Good job
April 11, 2015 — 9:31 AM
Sue says:
Best way to burn calories lol
April 12, 2015 — 1:18 AM
Theresa says:
A note, and a cold cup of tea.
April 10, 2015 — 5:48 PM
Kiara G says:
Even when I’m reborn, I still want to know you
April 10, 2015 — 5:49 PM
Gina Scott Roberts says:
Ignoring his sexy neighbor’s claim to be psychic and her warning of danger had landed Jim in hell…literally.
April 10, 2015 — 5:57 PM
kylejohnmorgan says:
“Welcome to the Galactic Tea Party!”
April 10, 2015 — 6:01 PM
Donald says:
“So, I was supposed to press the other button to stop World War III?”
April 10, 2015 — 6:12 PM
Beth Turnage says:
Made me laugh!
April 11, 2015 — 9:44 AM
Annie says:
This is so clever! I love how you can tell a little something about the character already by this one line. Good job.
April 11, 2015 — 11:32 AM
Cyd says:
No matter what everyone else said, Fox Grey wasn’t an international terrorist.
April 10, 2015 — 6:21 PM
Michala Tyann says:
Very nice. Sets up a good back story and future one.
April 11, 2015 — 9:32 AM
Hugo Nue says:
“When I was young I stole two things: money from a bank, and a priest’s heart, it was delicious.”
April 10, 2015 — 6:29 PM
Sue says:
A man after my own (delicious) heart!!
April 12, 2015 — 1:17 AM
Hugo Nue says:
*blush*
April 13, 2015 — 6:56 PM
Devyn Price (@DevynPrice) says:
It’s actually really hard to kill someone with a knife.
April 10, 2015 — 6:37 PM
lisaprose says:
oh my….
April 10, 2015 — 11:42 PM
Em says:
Seven milliamps.
April 10, 2015 — 6:40 PM
Mozette says:
“You’are a cancer on society, on me.” He said to me in the darkness of our bedroom.
April 10, 2015 — 6:56 PM
Nicholas says:
The 3rd time I killed Mr. Jenkers I knew i had a problem.
April 10, 2015 — 7:00 PM
Pavowski says:
I had to use this one. Good stuff happened. https://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/the-immutable-mr-jenkers/
April 19, 2015 — 4:22 PM
Brenda BowenBrenda says:
He was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life until she entrusted him with an extraordinarily deadly secret.
April 10, 2015 — 7:17 PM
Pat says:
“I could’ve lived my whole life without crossing that bridge.”
April 10, 2015 — 7:25 PM
Rose says:
Every night I risk getting caught when I come out of page 26 to whisper into her ear.
April 10, 2015 — 7:50 PM
BlackbyrdGyrl says:
The End began on an ordinary day.
April 10, 2015 — 8:40 PM
smkay70 says:
Layla woke up with a dry mouth and a raging headache.
April 10, 2015 — 8:44 PM
Laura Hazelwood says:
I quit!
April 10, 2015 — 8:52 PM
stephanie says:
It seemed I had been asleep my whole childhood and suddenly awoke, somewhere in my twenties, hugging the inside corner of a musty broom closet.
April 10, 2015 — 8:55 PM
Raphaeline says:
Dread filled her when she heard the sound of liquid pouring over the tile.
April 10, 2015 — 9:16 PM
Penny says:
11:38 on a brilliant January morning, as he gasps his last breath, and I stand there, a numb witness, imprinted on the moment like a newly hatched bird.
April 10, 2015 — 9:37 PM
Adam says:
The earthquake and bat infestation shocked everyone at the wedding but Gwen, who had conjured them.
April 10, 2015 — 9:42 PM
Kristin Mireles says:
All those disapproving looks — was it HER fault she misjudged the purpose of the duct tape, bull whip, handcuffs, chocolate sauce and eye mask that sat in such a peculiar arrangement on the coffee table?
April 10, 2015 — 9:42 PM
lisaprose says:
BIG LAUGHS.. most of them out loud. Thumbs up.
April 10, 2015 — 11:43 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
I like the attitude implied in this. Did she stumble on to a movie set?
April 11, 2015 — 4:58 AM
J.Southe says:
As the cackling glee of her disembodied, high pitched voice echoed down the walk, Gerald wondered “Why is she at it again?”
April 10, 2015 — 10:06 PM
Bill Rose says:
With a calculated swing of his net, Garoul captured the Janiquid and placed it in the pink crystalline container with the others.
April 10, 2015 — 11:24 PM
lisaprose says:
Clearly I’m the only weirdo that doesn’t write SFF on here. I write personal narrative and fictional short stories and poetry. Here goes:
Laying on my back, in a 8 X 10 room; surrounded by pills, notebooks, clothes, and items for health and beauty; feeling nothing but the cold floor beneath me; I began to think about and dread the inevitability of my death.
April 10, 2015 — 11:39 PM
authormilligib says:
I don’t either, so you’re not alone. 🙂
April 11, 2015 — 11:11 AM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
That’s the great thing here, you don’t have to be an SFF writer to have fun with the friday flash challenge. 😀 (Or read all the incredible advice and apply it to your writing in some way.)
April 12, 2015 — 11:00 AM
smkay70 says:
Sooo, would you be offended if I turned this into sci-fi?
April 22, 2015 — 12:01 AM
Caleb Herman says:
Richard’s good eye robbed the screen of its information as his hand idly flicked ash into the open mouth of his bosses corpse.
April 10, 2015 — 11:44 PM
katemcone says:
*Shiver* Damn. Nice line.
April 15, 2015 — 3:53 PM
TomB says:
Rain poured on the day the God of Justice was sentenced to death.
April 11, 2015 — 12:14 AM
Jen Spear (@blackskymetro) says:
I learned an important lesson today: When making a deal with the devil always, ALWAYS, get a receipt.
April 11, 2015 — 1:25 AM
Someone says:
Awesome!
April 11, 2015 — 10:15 AM
52lettersinthealphabet says:
love this one!
April 11, 2015 — 6:09 PM
the story hive says:
“It’s me, calm your tits!”
April 11, 2015 — 1:28 AM
mannixk says:
Ha! Is “calm your tits” a common expression? I have never heard this. I must use it.
April 11, 2015 — 10:31 AM
Claire says:
I think I’m just done living for today.
April 11, 2015 — 1:51 AM
warjna says:
I SO know just what that means! Sounds like magic and mayhem are about to ensue, and I want to read it!
April 15, 2015 — 4:37 AM
addy says:
Never say “you found my diary” when they discover the necronomicon, despite how true that statement is.
April 11, 2015 — 4:22 AM
Someone says:
Love it :3
April 11, 2015 — 10:15 AM
Demonified™ (@swtlyevil) says:
Oh man, did I leave it lying around somewhere, AGAIN?
Or
I really shouldn’t have put my address on the inside cover… (ahahahaha)
April 12, 2015 — 11:01 AM
addy says:
The worst part was that they were chanting a soup recipe in my ancient language.
Ha ha. I’m glad you like it. and i look forward to seeing what happens next. Thanks!!
April 13, 2015 — 5:53 AM
katemcone says:
Yes! Made me laugh. I want to read more.
April 15, 2015 — 3:55 PM
addy says:
thanks!
April 17, 2015 — 3:40 AM
katemcone says:
If you don’t mind, I’d love to use this as my opening sentence for this week’s challenge! I’ll give you credit for it, of course. 🙂
April 22, 2015 — 11:03 AM
addy says:
Absolutely. I look forward to reading it!
April 22, 2015 — 11:14 AM
katemcone says:
Oh, yay! Thanks! 😀
April 22, 2015 — 11:20 AM
ElctrcRngr says:
I thought the world would never finish ending.
April 11, 2015 — 4:55 AM
mannixk says:
Nice. I guess it would be better if it happened quickly.
April 11, 2015 — 10:34 AM
Mikey Campling says:
There were only three cigarettes left, but Frank held the pack out, offering it to the others, and muttered, “What the hell – we all gonna die anyway.”
April 11, 2015 — 4:57 AM
mannixk says:
Awesome. You packed so much character into one line.
April 11, 2015 — 10:35 AM
MTHarpin says:
It all started with a chinchilla named Carl.
April 11, 2015 — 5:35 AM
mannixk says:
Doesn’t it always? I love this line.
April 11, 2015 — 9:04 AM