Submitted by acmfox on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 11:21pm

Every story starts somewhere. But a beginning is more than just where you start the tale. It must first and foremost entice and engage the reader. To do this, a good beginning normally establishes three elements as quickly as possible: a Character, in a Context, with a Conflict.

This challenge is not about writing an entire story, although you certainly can. It's about creating a great beginning. One that hooks the reader and pulls them into the story. It should be relatively short, at most a few paragraphs. So get started!

dogsbody

Tue, 03/29/2011 - 12:01pm

Young Adult: Demonology, over reaching. Thirteen sentences. (Some very long.)

Title: Who knows?

     The indistinct contrasts of twilight had given way to crisp blacks and whites under a sky lit only by stars. A faint breath of wind stirred the leaves of the trees and the grasses surrounding them. The three young people were in a wide oak opening in a farmer's woodlot, huddled around a tiny bonfire, sitting side by side and drawing warmth from their touching bodies rather than the bright light before them. They stared at the far side of the fire, waiting for the apparation of the being they'd called. They had done this spell often, and they'd never been disturbed in this location, so that wasn't what was bothering them.

     Their wait grew longer; much longer than on other attempts. Of course, those attempts had been for beings of far less power than this one; beings who had been summoned for help with homework and such; nothing terribly important. Was this one was still fighting against their summons, or had the spell had failed? They began to wonder what might be the consequences of a failed attempt; one that woke the spirit, but failed to compel it. They began to calculate how long it would take them to ride their bikes home to the safety of their warded bedrooms.

     Suddenly, the flames of the bonfire fell back, and the three inhaled collectively through clenched teeth; they must not utter an unscripted word now. They gained their feet as one and faced what was on the other side of the red coals. The boy in the center was the strongest of them, and he said to the spirit, "Obey me in all things."