WRITING EXERCISE #4

My Daily 1FS: The smell of fresh blueberry bagel in the toaster warming prepared my taste buds for a late night snack.

PART I. BEGINNINGS

Chapter 4) BEGIN A STORY WITH A "GIVEN" FIRST LINE

It can be challenging to begin a story with a "given" first line--especially one that starts in the middle. You can use a line from a poem, make one up, or use the one in this exercise. Or ask a friend or fellow writer to give you a first line--this is what Doris Lessing's characters do in her novel The Golden Notebook. When we come to the place in the novel where Saul gives Anna the first line "The two women were alone in the London flat," we realize that Anna did write her book, and that The Golden Notebook, which begins with that exact line, is Anna's novel.

THE EXERCISE: Begin a story with this line: Where were you last night?

THE OBJECTIVE: The objective is to once more start the story in medias res--in the middle of things. Notice how this question begins in the middle of a situation. for example, "last night," the subject of the question, has already happened. If one character asks another this question there are already two people "on stage." And the question will probably produce a conflict. But don't get hung up on making it a line of dialogue--it can be used many different ways.

Here are two other "given" first lines:

1) I met him on the stairs.

(Note how many different ways the characters could be moving: both up; both down; or passing each other.)

2) If I went there a second time...

(This is the first line of Enid Shomer's poem "First Sunset at Outler's Ranch" from her book, Stalking the Florida Panther.)

My Exercise:

"Where were you last night?" my mom asked me when I returned home from school. Ok stay calm, she doesn't know, I thought to myself, or she does know and wants to see if she can catch me in a lie. Hmm, think quick, my thoughts scattered and racing yet still controlled as I glanced over at the calendar and saw the note for the Science Fair this Saturday. So I answered while slowly walking downstairs to my room, "Mom, I was at Marci's helping her with her science project for the fair this weekend; she asked me to help her since I had already participated in it last year."

Without wasting a moment, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed. "Marci, hey I need you to do me a quick favor k? You know those rollerblades you've been wanting? Call my mom in about fifteen minutes or so and tell her that you just want her to pass the message along to me, thanking me for helping you last night k?"

"What for?" Marci asked confused. "Because ok! Please just do this and don't ask any questions and I'll take you to go get those rollerblades at Skate Alley, got it?!"

My Next Exercise:

I met him on the stairs as he came out of the apartment above me. I couldn't move, 'Mr. Hottie", was coming my way. And would you know it, just as clutsy as ever, I managed to mumble and spit out, "Hi", the same time I tripped over the last stair, dropping my groceries all over the place. Only me, silly silly me, I can't even say HI to an attractive guy without landing face first into the cement! "Where's the damn rock!" frustrated I managed to say out loud.

"What rock?" I hear a voice coming from behind me and as I look over my shoulder it's HIM, Mr. Hottie, extending a hand to help me. "Oh just the one I want to go crawl and hide under," I'm now embarrassed, humiliated and excited all at once!

And My Last Exercise for this activity - for tonight:

"If I went there a second time then I could get a better look." he told his friend. "I don't know if it was drugs or just my imagination. But I know where it is and I'll sneak a peak to know for sure."

"Are you crazy? You're going to get caught! NO WAY! Let's just call the cops and let them do their job!" frustrated with him, Jason tried to convince him otherwise.

"They won't believe me, they'll just think I'm some stupid kid with nothing better to do than waste their time by making pranks or something. Come with me and you can watch my back while I look inside the containers. We can go now and make a quick move before they transport them!"