or, Spending Afternoons Chasing Ideas Down Alleyways - We can be too precious with our words. Chasing ideas sometimes finds dead ends, but also new worlds.
There are so many ways to begin a writing -- you may have a plot in mind, or a character, or a location. I, myself, begin with a person or a person's name. I write one sentence and walk away. I come back later with a second sentence. Then I just "riff" until a story begins to arise. I often don't know what I am writing about until the end. Two of my favorite beginnings are:
1. "Kathoc Bose woke up. The air he breathed was as dense and gray as slate."
2. "Bartle Clunes looked at his reflection briefly in the old mirror hanging near the kitchen door. For want of a comb, he wet his hand at the faucet and smoothed down the mouse-brown hair on top of his head."
Thank you for allowing me to share this process with your readers. I would be interested to know if anyone else begins their fiction this way.
Yes, this is very much what I do! Not exclusively, but it's one of the ways I get into a story. My wait times between sentences are probably shorter by the sounds of it -- if the mood/inspiration strikes me, I'm likely to just keep writing until I've gotten to the end of the alleyway. But it's interesting the similarities!
I love the name "Bartle Clunes". You get a sense of who this person is immediately!
I often start a story like that, with a random sentence ... it's the mystery of where it will lead. Great post, Graham.
Thanks!
And "Hear, hear!" to the mystery of it all!
There are so many ways to begin a writing -- you may have a plot in mind, or a character, or a location. I, myself, begin with a person or a person's name. I write one sentence and walk away. I come back later with a second sentence. Then I just "riff" until a story begins to arise. I often don't know what I am writing about until the end. Two of my favorite beginnings are:
1. "Kathoc Bose woke up. The air he breathed was as dense and gray as slate."
2. "Bartle Clunes looked at his reflection briefly in the old mirror hanging near the kitchen door. For want of a comb, he wet his hand at the faucet and smoothed down the mouse-brown hair on top of his head."
Thank you for allowing me to share this process with your readers. I would be interested to know if anyone else begins their fiction this way.
Yes, this is very much what I do! Not exclusively, but it's one of the ways I get into a story. My wait times between sentences are probably shorter by the sounds of it -- if the mood/inspiration strikes me, I'm likely to just keep writing until I've gotten to the end of the alleyway. But it's interesting the similarities!
I love the name "Bartle Clunes". You get a sense of who this person is immediately!
Sorry my comment was so long, Graham! You got me going this morning.
Not at all!
You should see some of my comments elsewhere... lol
Glad the post got you going!
You riff great words Graham Strong. Write on.
Thanks Vera! You too!
I've had to miss the last two Wednesday Words, but I'm hoping to make it in April!