Hello and welcome back.

I recently found a book called What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. So I am going to use this book for a series of posts using the exercises in the book. I will go from beginning to end.

From part one of the book Beginnings they explain not to give too lengthy a discussion as to how things got to the point of the story. Start in the middle of things.

Chapter one is First Sentences. The exercise is to come up with ten first sentences to stories. Here goes:

1. Love is not a fickle thing, no, it’s a non existent thing.
2. How much insult and disrespect can one man take?
3. “We know you did it,” Detective Williamson said.
4. The last day of my life wasn’t what I had planned.
5. The woman suddenly realized she was lost, the streets did not look familiar, the houses were all different, then she realized she couldn’t remember who she was.
6. They let me down again, I’ve lost count as to how many times this has happened.
7. Sitting in the lifeboat the debris field on the surface of the water stretched for miles, the sun scorched his skin, he was getting ready to give up and accept death’s mercy.
8. What is that shadow in the photograph, a ghost – friendly I hope.
9. Have you ever wondered about why someone would shoot you?
10. The dog seemed adamant that the compost bin be opened, some smell got her attention.

And there’s my ten first sentences. Click on the link below to buy the book.