50 word openers

[Colyngbourne]

The Indy is running a competition to win the Big Read 100 books by writing an opening to an imaginary novel in 50 words or under. I thought we could throw it open to Palimpsest folk for fun, but if anyone wants the Independent addy to enter officially, I'll put it up or PM it. I'm off to work on mine now. (I think multiple entries might be allowed here.) :)

[Wavid]

Good idea, Colyngbourne.

I was actually thinking of something very similar myself, though on slightly different lines.

My thoughts were towards having a go at writing mini sagas - 50 word stories that have to have a start, middle and end. The Telegraph has a competition based on these every year or so.

But shall we have a go at the openers instead people?

[Colyngbourne]

Okay, this is the first of two. They're both from other bits of stories and pretty much unaltered. I'll put the other one up later.

The paper lay untouched. The questions wanted his answers. He had to inscribe himself onto that flat dull blankness so the teacher could read into his head and his life. She wanted the boy on the page, a boy she could peel off like a transfer and apply to herself.

[gil]

Over at Mornington Crescent, we had a contest of:

First Paragraphs of Novels one just knows one will Hate

This was one of my entries:

The willows knew. Why else would they wave me away with their flimsy branches as I walked into Upper Catfield that windy day. The cottage knew. Why else would the door have resisted my entry until the estate agent came to my rescue with the proper key? The brook chattered a fateful warning as I stood on the bridge. Oh, yes. The brook knew. The very stones in the wall knew. It seemed the only ones who knew nothing were poor dear Desmond and me. I should have turned right around and returned to my ruined home in Paignton. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

and:

Whilst partaking of a quiet brandy in the Athenaeum in 18--, I was approached by Major M., recently returned from India, with the following curious tale.

My entries were by no means the best. The game (which started as "Wish you were Here") is over now, but can be viewed at

http://parslow.com/mornington/move.pl?45&quick&extend=all

[gil]

I'm sorry. I'll say that again...

http://parslow.com/mornington/move.pl?45&quick&extend=all

[wshaw]

The drinks party his new boss at the biotech company had thrown to welcome him was dull, dull, dull. At least, it was until his boss tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Have you met my wife?"

As it happened he had. Only last night, in fact.

[amner]

Arthur did not appear at Ely railway station to meet me and, not knowing the town, or being able to hail a cab at such a late hour (it was almost ten), I was forced to work my way as intuitively as I could toward the top of the hill.
.

[Colyngbourne]

Another -
He saw the car approaching and grinned. He lay still on the hot tarmac, breathing lightly, as if he needed to breath at all. His golden hair spilled around him, fraying like thread, unspooling on the black of the road. His burnished skin shimmered like the hazy air.

[skanky]

I was eight when it happed. Though it occurred out not two streets from me, I had no idea of the full story. I was however, able to deduce from the hushed references, and euphemisms, muttered from under darkened brows, that something deeply shameful, and shaming, had taken place.

[skanky]

You might think that watching your own death would be a surreal experience, and initially, you'd be right. After ten run-throughs though, it starts to get a little tedious.

[amner]

'You could make some money,' he had said. 'You could make lots of money.

Finn hadn't been able to sleep, so he was there with hours to spare. He stood on the common, his eyes tight shut, and the ground wet and slippery beneath him. He tried to concentrate, breathing
.

[skanky]

At eleven-thirty, Tony watched the ground crew tow the Airbus into the maintenance hangar and close, main doors, and depart. The maintenance teams would be arriving shortly so he started work on the manifests. At one minute past twelve, something made him look up into the empty hangar.

[NottyImp]

That one will never run, amner. :wink:

[skanky]

First Paragraphs of Novels one just knows one will Hate

"McGraw was angry. As a tough, no nonsense cop, you didn't want him angry."


and

"It was the winter and Mrs Earnshaw was throwing her first party of the season. The twins were squabbling over their dresses and dear Mr. Hanratty was trying his best to ignore them while he explained to me, in the most earnest of terms, his dilemma."

[wshaw]

'You could make some money,' he had said. 'You could make lots of money.

Finn hadn't been able to sleep, so he was there with hours to spare. He stood on the common, his eyes tight shut, and the ground wet and slippery beneath him. He tried to concentrate, breathing
.

... hanky panky on the common? Must involve a Labour Cabinet member somewhere...

[NottyImp]

"Galenial the Elf-lord sliced off the Orc's head with a single magesterial blow from his two-handed sword. Leaning on the finely tooled weapon, he sneered at Necrofaust the Thaumaturge.
'Is that the best you have to send against me?.'"

Book 1 of the "More Bollox in Fantasyland" trilogy.

[The Milk Oracle]

"Galenial the Elf-lord sliced off the Orc's head with a single magesterial blow from his two-handed sword. Leaning on the finely tooled weapon, he sneered at Necrofaust the Thaumaturge.
'Is that the best you have to send against me?.'"

I like it. I liiiike it.

[Noumenon]

First Paragraphs of Novels one just knows one will Hate

All he had were questions. Why? How? Where? Why? How could this have happened to him? Why? Where was the justice in this world? Why? Every question seemed bigger than the last, but the biggest was Why? And he didn't think that He was going to answer him anytime soon.

[CassieZoe]

Noumenon and Notty Imp could enter the Bulwar Lytton Competition for the worst opening to short stories... Anyone else heard of this? Here's my entry:

When Professor Tallyrand opened that obscure book in the British Library that day he little knew what horrendous events he was to set in motion by inadvertantly speaking aloud the opening words of the Great Gnome's Curse.

[CassieZoe]

Admittedly, not as good as Notty and Noumenon's!!

[chillicheese]

First Paragraphs of Novels one just knows one will Hate Fact: The Priory of Sion - a European society founded in 1099 - is a real organisation.

[Noumenon]

Admittedly, not as good as Notty and Noumenon's!!

Charming, thanks! And not necessarily true. I'm sure it's impossible to know without having the last fifty to round off the experience.