This one is pretty simple:
Write an opening sentence.
Post it in the comments below.
Any genre will do, really, though versatility has value.
The sentence should be on the shorter side. Let’s say, mmm, no more than 25 words. Some things to avoid, since sometimes folks fall into these traps: avoid blood, death, dead people, kids being hurt, and so forth. Think original. Conceive of a sentence that, when crafted right, is a strong hook. The kind that makes people want to read further. It makes them want to know more. Compelling and maddening in equal measure.
By next Friday, I will pick between five and ten I really like, and I’ll pop them into next week’s challenge, and you guys can choose one of those I pick to serve as the opening sentence to a new piece of flash fiction.
Today, no story necessary, though.
Just an opening line.
Due by next Friday, 2/26, noon EST.
John Lucas says:
Even in the dark, he could hear her footsteps behind him.
February 19, 2016 — 3:27 PM
Write Your Wrongs says:
The gravel crunched under his feet with each satisfying step through the rain.
February 19, 2016 — 3:28 PM
ninamckissock says:
She was hoping she’d be dead when this happened, because sixty-four years was a long time protecting the secret.
February 19, 2016 — 3:30 PM
Alexandra Leh says:
“Just get on with it,” she muttered.
February 19, 2016 — 3:32 PM
Colin says:
The first thing he thinks– in the three, maybe four seconds of silence after it happens– is “Why is that girl in a dinosaur suit?”
February 19, 2016 — 3:34 PM
boundbeautifunk says:
This one makes me smile.
February 19, 2016 — 5:38 PM
Sarah Brentyn says:
A year ago, this would have been an unthinkable act.
February 19, 2016 — 3:39 PM
Glen Donaldson says:
Very thinkable.
February 19, 2016 — 5:07 PM
ryanjamesblack says:
Even before her fist connected with the boy’s crooked nose, crunching bone and bursting mucus, Fiona regretted punching him.
February 19, 2016 — 3:42 PM
roblaman says:
Did some more. Here’s the link. Hope it works.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RobLaman/posts/Ap3PX3psGAB
February 19, 2016 — 3:46 PM
Abby says:
“So, you’re telling me this is the point where I have to make the decision?”
February 19, 2016 — 3:48 PM
Leah McClellan says:
Glenda slapped the alarm clock and winced at the clatter; she hadn’t meant to send it flying, but “hadn’t meant to” was her life’s refrain.
February 19, 2016 — 3:49 PM
T Hammond says:
Have you considered something like: Glenda slapped the alarm clock and winced at the clatter; she hadn’t meant to send it flying, but “Oops!” was her life’s refrain.
I like the sentence, and the sentiment 🙂
February 19, 2016 — 4:35 PM
Leah McClellan says:
T Hammond–My response is about 10 posts down. I don’t know why it flew down there. I swear nobody smacked it 🙂
February 19, 2016 — 4:49 PM
Joe Hayden says:
Máthair, please help a loving daughter. Don’t let that bloody bastard find me.
February 19, 2016 — 3:49 PM
Teresa Reasor says:
Had he not already killed the man responsible for his injury, he’d do it now.
February 19, 2016 — 3:50 PM
curleyqueue says:
Like this- he sounds badass already!
February 19, 2016 — 8:11 PM
Ashlee says:
As the bear slowly emerged from hibernation, he looked around and thought, “oh no, not this again.”
February 19, 2016 — 3:53 PM
addy says:
monday?
February 22, 2016 — 6:42 AM
Author SJ Baily says:
A visit to the cheese man was definitely in order.
February 19, 2016 — 3:55 PM
Author SJ Baily says:
It is good therapy to touch the spider or visit the cheese man.
February 19, 2016 — 3:57 PM
Erin says:
Once the news began to filter in, thanks to an explosion of Facebook notifications and texts, Mary Jane found herself frozen with indecision.
February 19, 2016 — 3:59 PM
Joe Turner says:
The eyes in the jar followed me round the room.
February 19, 2016 — 4:00 PM
T Hammond says:
Creepy. I like it
February 19, 2016 — 4:46 PM
Dave says:
He could hardly breathe now; smoke had saturated the room and his only thought was if the pine tree was within leaping distance.
February 19, 2016 — 4:00 PM
David W. Blackstone (@DavidWriting) says:
There came a sudden noise from the hallway so loud and so disturbingly unfamiliar — almost an animalistic sound of pain or rage or panic — that instinct caused Everley to leap to his feet and hurry to the doorway to investigate.
February 19, 2016 — 4:13 PM
Derek Capo says:
Had he known his past was a constant loop, always coming back to him, he wouldn’t have chosen to follow his heart, but instead, his mind.
February 19, 2016 — 4:18 PM
dianadiehl1 says:
Peering up at the waning light from the rocky floor of the pit, I sighed, “That clinches it:17 is definitely not my lucky number.”
February 19, 2016 — 4:20 PM
Claudia Peel says:
The moment she became airborne, Judy knew she was in big trouble.
February 19, 2016 — 4:22 PM
StarNinja says:
Especially when you’re on the toilet.
February 21, 2016 — 12:41 PM
knish says:
Five men gathered in the woods outside of Kiev, they were part of a secret organization known as dark phantom.
February 19, 2016 — 4:24 PM
james orion says:
From the summit of Mount Odie the morning sun burned bright, looking almost to be the culprit of the fire steadily growing at the mountain’s base.
February 19, 2016 — 4:25 PM
Katy Cain says:
“Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been one hundred and twenty six years since my last confession and I accuse myself of the following sins….”
February 19, 2016 — 4:28 PM
StarNinja says:
“Sorry, we’re going to be here a while. Do you do after hour visits?”
February 21, 2016 — 12:43 PM
Katy Cain says:
Exactly…lol
February 21, 2016 — 8:07 PM
T Hammond says:
First line for my work-in-progress, The Dragon Gods:
Wings shattered, another dragon fell from the sky.
February 19, 2016 — 4:33 PM
Rich Hayden says:
Delivered from the abyssic bosom of oblivion, he emerged, rearranged and unmade before the unblinking eyes of time.
February 19, 2016 — 4:36 PM
StarNinja says:
This one is epic and eye catching. But please, someone get those poor eyes of time some eye drops!
February 21, 2016 — 12:45 PM
Rich Hayden says:
Thanks. Eye drops on the way, but GPS has a hell of a time navigating oblivion.
February 22, 2016 — 6:25 PM
kimberleycooperblog says:
“Mommy, you remember you said there were no monsters under my bed?”
February 19, 2016 — 4:42 PM
StarNinja says:
Oooooo! I like it!
February 21, 2016 — 12:46 PM
Leah McClellan says:
Thanks! Rephrasing the second “hadn’t meant to” is a good idea. I thought of it, but I wrestled more with whether I want “didn’t mean to” instead of “hadn’t meant to.” And I’m wrestling even more with 90k+ words that come after, so I’m not going to worry too much about the first sentence for now (this is an improvement though! 🙂
February 19, 2016 — 4:47 PM
Sherryl Ollamha says:
Maeve soared, her wings outstretched to catch the rising wind from the west, the humidity a salty kiss against her skin.
February 19, 2016 — 4:48 PM
moteridgerider says:
“My Dad said I shouldn’t meet my heroes.”
“Your Dad gave you some good advice.”
February 19, 2016 — 4:54 PM
StarNinja says:
That’s technically two sentences, but I like it!
February 21, 2016 — 12:46 PM
Mark W Fogg says:
“She studied the pursuing electradogs through her stolen binoculars.”
February 19, 2016 — 4:57 PM
Katy Cain says:
Well, I can’t find my previous post so I will post it again…
“Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been one hundred and twenty six years since my last confession and I accuse myself of the following sins….”
February 19, 2016 — 5:06 PM
Katy Cain says:
oops…its up there…any way to delete the duplicate post?
February 19, 2016 — 5:07 PM
Rick Cook Jr says:
I keep meeting people I’ve killed.
February 19, 2016 — 5:13 PM
Ellen M. Gregg says:
Love it. I imagine the sentence said through a resigned sigh. 🙂
February 20, 2016 — 8:53 AM
Glen Donaldson says:
The resigned sigh definitely sprinkles the pixie dust on that opener!
February 20, 2016 — 7:11 PM
John Matsui says:
It was a dark and stormy night, strange since they were 14 miles from the centre of the Earth.
February 19, 2016 — 5:32 PM
Gabby Gilliam says:
I decided to regain control over my life on a Tuesday.
February 19, 2016 — 5:32 PM
Tamra Hart says:
My family suffers from a bad case of the Ordinaries.
February 19, 2016 — 5:37 PM
Glen Donaldson says:
Definitely something out of the ordinary.
February 20, 2016 — 1:09 AM
John Matsui says:
It was the best of times, the worst of times as the tiny blue pearl known as Earth shredded into the black hole.
February 19, 2016 — 5:37 PM
John Matsui says:
Without a doubt, that was the most satisfying meal I’ve had in years, Dr. Hannibal Lecter said, mopping sauce from his lips.
February 19, 2016 — 5:39 PM
John Matsui says:
You might as well finish brushing your teeth before I explain how I got the cadavers so clean.
February 19, 2016 — 5:43 PM
boydstun215 says:
I was going to kill that piano player.
February 19, 2016 — 5:45 PM
John Matsui says:
My partner’s accident and the Parkinsons ended to my career as a trapeze artist.
February 19, 2016 — 5:49 PM
Glen Donaldson says:
Most unfortunately, she-mergencies were an all too common occurrence in Becky Ballantine’s spearmint frappe flavored life.
February 19, 2016 — 5:50 PM
Diedra Black says:
Oh my lord. Mint and coffee together!? It’s an abomination!
February 20, 2016 — 9:18 AM
Glen Donaldson says:
Becky Ballantine, if she had any perspective on the gloriously malformed lollipop dipped in crazy she calls her life, would probably agree.
February 20, 2016 — 7:29 PM
StarNinja says:
Lady problems got you down? Try our new She-mergency kit!
February 21, 2016 — 12:49 PM
glenavailable says:
I’ll try it but is that kit Knight Rider approved?
February 27, 2016 — 5:54 PM
John Matsui says:
The teacher never told us about this in health class.
February 19, 2016 — 5:54 PM
Mozette says:
Sounds like the beginning of an episode of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’… 😛
February 20, 2016 — 8:08 PM
Happy beard says:
Monsters? Don’t talk to me about monsters! Are you kidding me? Monsters?
February 19, 2016 — 6:00 PM
Theresa Miller says:
She didn’t expect to encounter a troll in the library, one never does, but there he was leafing through a book on gardening.
February 19, 2016 — 6:01 PM
Glen Donaldson says:
Not weird but very ‘limited edition’. Superb!
February 19, 2016 — 11:58 PM
Tabitha Lord says:
It was the last good day.
February 19, 2016 — 6:02 PM
Belva Pummer says:
Old man comes out of the service station washroom, fly unzipped, always doing that, always making either my sister or me zip up his fly on the pretense that he, in his 80’s now, is too old and too feeble and too shaky to zip up his own fly.
February 19, 2016 — 6:13 PM
Glen Donaldson says:
100% brilliant.
February 19, 2016 — 11:55 PM
Carl says:
It’s never as much fun the third time you wake up in a body bag.
February 19, 2016 — 6:13 PM
disperser says:
Many dream life’s tapestry rich, bold and memorable. Me? No more. Going forward, I want vanilla. I want . . . No! Not again! HELP!
February 19, 2016 — 6:28 PM