(no subject)

[pensnest]

Only three panels and a floor now remain of the Lion's Cage, at least in this part of the county. The rest has gone to its new home.
*
Old school time! A meme, found on adelate's journal.

List the first lines of your last 20 stories (or however many you have altogether).
See if there are any patterns.
Then, tag your favorite authors.

Most recent first.

"I’m sorry, Brian. I have to make the call, and in the circumstances, there’s only one call I can make."
Fallen down I'm still alive

“Did we eat all the popcorn?”
Thriller

The morning after the concert, the first thing Nick did was shave his mustache.
Hair

Brian was on a mission.
in porco, veritas

"Good mor—good grief!" Joey said as Chris walked through the door to Fatone's Bakery at just before nine on Sunday morning.
Perceptions of Reality

"Going dragon-hunting this weekend, Bass?"
Dragon Country

JC was a born tease, Joey thought, as he watched JC cut up his pancakes and bacon and slowly savor each mouthful.
After Pancakes

"I'm feeling very warm and loving towards Justin right now."
doin' this tonight, or maybe in the morning

"Hi!" Nick Carter, grinning on the doorstep and wearing a Santa hat, said, "Merry Christmas!"
take a second just to breathe

Hey, JC.
"Lance! Hi, man, good to hear from you. How're you doin'?"
clear my eyes

"It's great to be back on a bus," JC said.
It's Cool, It's Hot, It's a Relationship, It's Not

It wasn't much of a dressing room, but at least there was a good-sized mirror over the cluttered table, and light enough to check out his makeup.
Wanna Tell Me About It?

Our eyes meet, and he makes me gasp, so full of love and lust and everything I want him to be.
The Oddly Glitchy Interface

"I'm—we're not doing anything."
just because

Lance's christening gift was a pile of books considerably higher than the baby was long.
Oh, the Places You'll Go

Chris awoke with his heart pounding in his chest like an twenty-one gun salute in overdrive.
Cake

It took Nick a long time to figure it out.
Wings Would be Cool

Once upon a time, there were five princes.
Fairy Tale

Ho, bandmates all, arise! and quit your games.
As You Like I Love You (being the first part of The History of Justin Timberlake)

"Tough cookies, Lance. Looks like you get to spend more time with your favorite Backstreet Boy."
Dfferent Harmonies


Well. It seems I am quite fond of opening a story with a morsel of dialogue. And not at all to my surprise, I tend to write in the past imperfect. It's pretty unusual for me to produce a story in present tense. There's also a strong tendency to a single-sentence opening statement, often rather short. See also:

There's an elephant on the bus, but Joey doesn't think Lance has noticed.
Pink Elephants

It was obvious Chris was obsessed.
A Tale of Torment and Sweet Revenge

This is the story of how I lost my favorite shoe.
A Night at the Palace

Anybody who thinks they have a hard life should try shovelling dragon shit for a living.
If You Want To Fly

and

"Not rat again!"
for this world to be unbroken

I contemplated posting the last lines as a companion meme—interestingly, they make a plausible story (more coherent than the Camp Sparkle Add Five Words story, at any rate, admittedly that is not a high bar to clear). But this post is quite long and self-indulgent enough for now.

Comments

[adelate]

more coherent than the Camp Sparkle Add Five Words story, at any rate, admittedly that is not a high bar to clear
Ahahahahhahha that is true!

I tend to have trouble with past tense, so I avoid it. Otherwise I wouldn't mind writing it. :)

[pensnest]

I know I've done a couple of present-tense stories, but they don't come nearly as naturally to me as past imperfect. Of course, I am writing in my native language, which makes a difference!

[adelate]

Sure, that makes sense. I mean I technically know the tenses, but for some reason when I try writing past tense, I always start doubting myself.

[pensnest]

Well, if you ever find a story wants to be told that way, I'll be happy to help. :-)

[adelate]

Thank you! I appreciate that! :)

[brandywine28]

The Lion's Cage! The end of an era!