Spark:
Many people at Borders or Kino will decide if they like a book or not by only reading the first line.
The following are some of the most famous openers for books written in the English language:
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. —William Gibson, Neuromancer
You better not never tell nobody but God. —Alice Walker, The Color Purple
In the town, there were two mutes and they were always together. —Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Assignment:
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to capture and motivate your audience through the use of a few well-chosen words.
Details:
By the time class meets in week 2, you will post to your blog 12 opening sentences. They will be the best you can think of, and they will all be written in the present tense and using the 3rd person. Use the active voice, but don’t add silly words for no reason at all.
Add this to the blog as a page, NOT a post, and make sure it is titled “openers.”
Questions: irs2@np.edu.sg
Here it is:
1)David stares into the air, playing with his own drugged up mind.
2)The skies bleed red in the evening, dying into a black night sky.
3)Tom knows that his visions of his tomorrows are nothing but illusions.
4)The handphone vibrates in silent mode like there is no tomorrow.
5)Her past; nothing but a big fluff of clouds.
6)The coffee cup leaves behind a brown stain, like bad influence.
7)He smashes his guitar on the floor like a glass cup.
8)He tastes the blood in his mouth, an all too familiar metallic taste.
9)Ian hangs himself in his kitchen, running away from everything that chases him.
10)The aliens hooks Jim up on a wall, and sticks a probe down his throat.
11)In his last attempt, Keith locks himself in his room to run away from the addictive chemicals.
12)His nightmares ends up eating his dreams.
Tom knows that his visions of his tomorrows are nothing but illusions. Drops of perspiration roll down his emotionless face. He knows this is going to be the end. He has made up his mind; he is going for it. He raises his arm and slowly stands up from his crouching position. Eyes from every angle turn to him. Now he knows that there is no escape. Tom confesses to the crime. Then, there is silence for a few seconds. Eyes move away from him and onto the superior being standing right in front of Tom. Tom’s heart skips. What is going to become of him now? The being looks at Tom with anger, but he does not say a word. He sends Tom out of the room with a stern movement of his hand, and to Tom, it means he is given time before prosecution. He waits outside the room as the people inside continue their discussion. He is getting more and more nervous. He can no longer stand the pressure. Suddenly, the school alarm rings. Tom takes this moment and grabs his bag and makes a dash for it. He runs as if time is catching up to him, he runs without turning his head back, not even once. Tom realizes that he has gotten himself into an even bigger mess, but it does not matter to him, for that is another problem for another day.