First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Carrie by Stephen King.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true...

What's Happening Now?

Well, folks, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. What have you been up to lately? Seen any interesting places? Encountered any intriguing people? Fought any maleficent creatures? Found yourself in a spot of trouble, supernatural or otherwise?

Feel free to spill any and all of your latest adventures, and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Favorite Memory

Hey, everyone, let's get nostalgic!











What is your most cherished memory? Is it something you did or something someone did for you? Do you like to reminisce about a special day or a particularly special someone?

Tell us all about it, and then tell us what makes this particular remembrance from your past so special.

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

Nobody was really surprised when it happened, not really, not at the subconscious level where savage things grow. On the surface, all the girls in the shower room were shocked, thrilled, ashamed, or simply glad that the White bitch had taken it in the mouth again. Some of them might also have claimed surprise, but of course their claim was untrue...

What's Happening Now?

Well, folks, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. What have you been up to lately? Seen any interesting sights? Slayed any wicked demons? Met any interesting creatures? Found yourself in a spot of trouble, supernatural or otherwise?

Feel free to spill any and all of your latest adventures, and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Most Precious Thing

We all have something we value above all other things, be it a physical treasure, a dream, or a principle.














So tell us about it! What's your most precious thing, and how did it come to have such meaning for you?

Is there anything that could make you give it up?

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Watership Down by Richard Adams.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

Novalee Nation, seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight – and superstitious about sevens – shifted uncomfortably in the seat of the old Plymouth and ran her hands down the curve of her belly. For most people, sevens were lucky...

What's Happening Now?

Well, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your pleasures, your pitfalls, your ambitions, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Emote This: Disappointment

We all face disappointments in life. Sometimes love, work, friendships or family matters go awry and we're left with feelings of sadness and frustration.










How does disappointment make you feel? Does it make you want to flee to a dark room and hide, or does it inspire you to charge back into the fray and make things come out right? Do you have a strategy for dealing with disappointment?

Discuss!

First Line Challenge

Well, shut my mouth, I can't believe I'm so late today! Can it really be Friday?! Seriously, where does the time go?

Anyway, it's obviously time for the weekly edition of First Line Challenge.

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake. Congrats, by the way, to Ginger for guessing it!)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

The primroses were over. Toward the edge of the wood, where the ground became open and sloped down to an old fence and a brambly ditch beyond, only a few fading patches of pale yellow still showed among the dog's mercury and oak-tree roots...

Oh, and have a great weekend, everybody!

What's Happening Now?

Well, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your pleasures, your pitfalls, your ambitions, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

You and Your World: Marriage and Commitment

Today, let's talk about happily-ever-after!

Or not.

In your world, what ways to people commit to each other? If they get married, is it for love, social status, or politics? Do they marry only one person and commit to monogamy, or is some other type of arrangement allowed?












Equally important, how do you feel about the marriage and commitment customs of your time and place? Are you on board with the status quo, or are you determined to flout convention at all costs?

And finally, what makes for a good marriage? No matter how or why two (or more) people commit to each other, what makes it work out for the happiness of all involved?

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Congrats to Candy for guessing it!)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

Lieutenant Dunbar wasn't really swallowed. But that was the first word that stuck in his head. Everything was immense. The great, cloudless sky. The rolling ocean of grass. Nothing else, no matter where he put his eyes. No road. No trace of ruts for the big wagon to follow. Just sheer, empty space...

What's Happening Now?

Well, another seven days have flown by, and it's time once again for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your pleasures, your pitfalls, your ambitions, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Phobias

Admit it, we all have one: an irrational fear that no amount of reasoning seems to conquer.

What's your phobia? Is it spiders?











How about heights or enclosed spaces?

You can tell us. We're your friends and we promise not to laugh.

So this week, share your phobias with us. Maybe you'll find you're not alone!

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from It by Stephen King.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth...

What's Happening Now?

I can't believe another week's gone by. Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Wait – you are having fun, aren't you?

Well, I hope you've made room for work and play this week, and I trust that you've seen a little more progress with your current writing projects.

'Cause, whether we like it or not, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your joys, your woes, your dreams, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!

Getting to Know You: Comfort Food

We've all had those days. A tough day on the job has got us down, family is on our case, and it seems like the whole world is spinning out of control.

When that happens, what we need is comfort food!










What's your favorite comfort food? What cozy memories does it bring back for you? Tell us all about it, and maybe we'll share...if you let us.

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?

I'll give you the first sentence or passage of a famous novel, and your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to attempt this little exercise. Let's see how many different perspectives we can create. As a bonus, try to guess the book that's being quoted.

(Incidentally, the last opener was from Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.)

Okay, are you ready? Here we go!

The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years – if it ever did end – began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain...

What's Happening Now?

Wow, has another week really gone by? Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Wait – you are having fun, aren't you?

Well, I hope you've made room for work and play this week, and I trust that you've seen a little more progress with your current writing projects.

'Cause, whether we like it or not, it's that time again – time for our midweek update – a chance for characters to reveal their current whereabouts. In this way, authors can share what's happening within their stories by speaking through their characters' unique voices.

So, let's hear it, characters. It's time to share your joys, your woes, your dreams, or whatever else is on your mind – and hopefully, by revealing where you are in your story, you'll help inspire your authors to keep moving forward with theirs.

Remember, this is for characters only!