EXERCISE: Start with an 884-year-old heart...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting 6 March 2012

Okay. Thanks to Howard Tayler for pointing this out, but if you take a look at this article -- or even just the headline!

Headline: Dublin cathedral pleads for return of 884-year-old heart

Link:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/06/dublin-cathedral-pleads-for-return-of-884-year-old-heart/?hpt=hp_t3

Now, take that seed. A religious community pleading for the return of an 884-year-old heart. Mix well with whatever you like, and see if you can't whip up a little secret-history urban fantasy. Toss lightly with romance, mystery, a dash of derringdo... and chill for four hours before reading?

Anyway. Have fun. What does that headline suggest to you? Where would the heart have gone? Why? And then...

Write!

EXERCISE: Hooking your reader?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting 19 March 2012

Here we go, just for fun...

Over here, Sarah Hoyt is running an online workshop about starting stories.

http://madgeniusclub.com/2012/03/04/hooking-your-reader-workshop-i/

She's up to number 3 now, but for the moment, let's take a look at that first one.

The key here is surprising lines. Nonsense? Well, okay. Or just edgy. Some of the examples she gave included:

The Stealth Chickens were back again.

It was Tuesday, and Smith was dead again.

And the key here is that the line should pay off. It's a hook, yes, but the story relates to the line, it isn't just a grabber that then gets tossed aside. And in the end, it needs to pay off. There needs to be something at the end.

Okay? Tell you what, here's the line I ended up playing with when I read her posting:

801 moths filled the porch.

But, feel free to pick your own hook, your own starting line. And then write... let's say a page. And at least suggest where you think you're going with the story.

I'll post my draft a little later, too. But try it yourself!

Okay?
WRITE!