We thought about openings last week with Arthur Slade at the helm. Editors, agents and publishers want to be taken in from the very first few sentences, because readers want that too. Lively, compelling openings are essential to hook your reader and make them want more.

A storm is on its way.

Use this opening line to start a story or a novel. This week, think about how to use the prompt to make your opening utterly ‘un-put-downable’!

Write up to 400 words.

Imagine that your character gets a letter from someone they didn’t expect to hear from, giving your character a gift. Only problem – your character can’t accept this gift for any reason. Write the scene from the moment the letter arrives, thinking about how putting problems in the way of characters makes them have to grow and change.

Write up to 500 words.

We’re thinking about journeys and how at the heart of every story is a journey. Journeys change and shape us. They transform us and renew us – everything good writing should do too.

Write up to 500 words describing a journey that either you or your character have taken. Think about setting the scene of the new place and think too about transformation – how does the journey impact your protagonist? Just because a protagonist is moving through a place DOESN’T mean they are changing and transforming. Keep it interesting and keep the momentum by having your protagonist react to the world around them rather than just sitting on an airplane!