Beginning Lines: Start in the Middle

This exercise was all about the first lines of a novel or story. The best novelists are masters at hooking the reader with those beginning sentences. They can seemingly transport you to another time and place with a handful of magic words (or is it magic beans?)

The objective was to start your readers in the middle of your story, in the midst of the action, but also to give the reader an immediate sense of setting and character. Here are my four attempts this morning:

1. Her eyes met mine over the tangle of clinking glasses at Mr. Rosenmann's exclusive party.

2. I knew the explosion would be big, but I didn't expect it take out the entire city block. The chaos had me in fits of giggles.

3. Ransoms have their perks. For instance, now you can put a monetary value to how much your family loves you.

4. Talin's brother always said she was too good at finding trouble, but she had a feeling finding herself up to her elbows in the stolen ship's electrical wiring as it began taking off was going to make the top of his list.



Feel free to comment with your ideas and attempts!
-Exercise from What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter