Writing the first sentence

Short Story Tip Time

5th Installment

Thursday, April 20th, 2017

Good Afternoon everyone ~ Hopefully you are back here with the first sentence of your Short Story.  We're going to go over ideas for your short story just in case you have drawn a blank (which I sincerely doubt resourceful writer!).

If by chance you were able to come up with a first sentence with ease, the ideas that will be shared with you today will just be something additional for your Journal.  Remember that Notes are always helpful for your future Writing Projects.

Whatever idea that you may happen to come up with, the best thing to do is to write the first sentence.

Here is a quick List of Ideas for Short Stories:

1.  What has happened to you in your life that had a great impact on the way your life was going?  Was there ever a death in your family or a friend that passed away suddenly that took you off course financially or emotionally?  If so, write about it.  Tell your story in a way that expresses all of the emotions that you felt when the incident happened.  Were you able to fully grieve, or are you still in the process of grieving?  Take a moment to write sincerely and thoughtfully about your feelings.

2.  Did you ever move to a different state or travel to a different place and discover new and exciting things or places that you would not have ever had an inclination to look into before your move?  If so, write about it.  Tell your story in such a way that the Reader will feel your excitement, and experience the newness of life that you felt.

3.  Have you ever met a person that completely changed your trajectory?  You may have had a dream that was packed away, and someone came along that awakened that dream in you.  If so, write about it.  Fuel your dream even further by writing exactly what you have learned through your connection with the individual that walked into your life at just the right time.

4.  Have you ever been wounded either physically or emotionally?  How did the wound effect your life?  Write your story about the circumstances surrounding your wound(s), and the aftermath.  What did you learn?  How can you help someone else with your story?  Did you go through a medical process that you can share in your story?  Did you seek therapy?  If so, what type of therapy, and how did it help you?  Your story may change someone's life by providing needed encouragement or a sense of understanding.

5.  Have you ever seen a ghost?  When did you witness the ghost or ghosts?  Was it in a property that you purchased and moved into?  Was it in a relative's home?  Was it inside or outside?  Have you experienced the presence of spirits that you could not see fully, but you could sense fully?  If so, go ahead and tell your story.  Let your Readers feel the presence of the ghosts and/or spirits just as you did.  Give your Readers a view of how the experience felt to you and let your Readers know how the experience affected you.  And don't pay any attention to people who may laugh at this story idea, there are thousands of people who have experienced ghosts/spirits, and are not afraid to talk about it.  Consider the many movies made about this subject matter.

6.  Have you ever had a bad encounter with a friend, neighbor, spouse, significant other, family member, associate, or co-worker that ended up becoming a lasting feud?  How did the feud start, and what was the reason for the feud?  Is the feud still ongoing?  Allow your Reader to understand the exact details by writing all about it.  In the process of writing your story about the feud, you may even discover a solution or resolution that can be implemented.

7.  Do you have a fear of anything?  What is that fear?  Why do you fear whatever it is that you fear?  Is the fear debilitating?  How did your particular infirmity come about?  Any physical or mental weakness should always be addressed, and the best way to address fears and other debilitating issues of any kind is to write about those issues or infirmities in detail.  In doing so, you will not only help yourself, you will potentially help others as well.

8.  Try writing about coming into a fortune.  You can make the story personal, or write about a fictitious character that comes from a state of poverty into the comfort of riches.  Remember that stories that involve huge sums of money can also take a sudden turn and plummet.   You can write about either gaining successful riches, or the terrible pain of losing riches.  Another thought for you about Riches -- they are not always in the form of money as so many people believe.  Riches can come in the form of education, the beauty of natural resources, enlightenment, spiritual maturity, the awareness of the beauty of life and the loved ones in your life.

The above eight (8) Short Story ideas are just a start for you today.  Take a little time today to think about coming up with a few Short Story ideas of your own.  Use your Journal to write down those short story ideas that peak your interest.

You can test some of your ideas out before you begin writing.  Sharing your story idea with a friend, a writer's group, or an online community can add fun to your short story writing project.  When you toss your story ideas around, you'll be surprised at the additional input that you will receive.  You'll also gain writing buddies and those who will be interested in reading the story that you come up with.

        

As mentioned in our last Short Story Tip Time Session, there is no short list of ideas for Short Story tales.  You'll find that short story ideas will begin to flow to you freely.  Just make sure you have your Writing Journal at hand to capture those awesome ideas!

~ See you back here for the 6th Installment of our Short Story Tip Time Session ~

Be ready to Write in your Journal at all times!

Peace, Love & Light,

  René

©Copyright - René Allen - APRIL 2017 - All Rights Reserved