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First Sentence Contest
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First Sentence Contest...
First Sentence Contest
This is an idea I came up with in an attempt to help revive BaB!
I will provide a summary of an invented book (it doesn't have to be actually written, just a book idea -- and it cannot be an already published book). Then you will post a sentence that you think would make a good first sentence for the book.
Remember, first sentences are very important. It's what pulls you in and keeps you reading. Books with good first sentences are usually very good.
Deadline is October 16. I will judge on the 17. Whoever wins first place will be the next judge. If you win first place and would rather not judge please tell me and the role of judge will go to the second place winner.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions! I look forward to reading your first sentences.
Story Summary:
Humans have finally landed on Mars. The human habitat is encased in domes of transparent material. Drones big enough to transport people fly around, hovering above the surface of Mars. Contact with Earth is strong and extremely important. Everything is going well, until contact with Earth ceases. No one knows why and things are tense. When one of the transparent domes start leaking the precious air into the Mars atmosphere the tenseness escalates at an alarming pace. There isn't enough oxygen and supplies to share with others for long. Groups of humans turn against other groups. Everyone is blaming another and nothing towards fixing the problems is being done. Sevianna -- a young girl born on Mars who has never seen or set foot on Earth -- realizes that something must be done. The adults aren't doing anything, so she gathers the other Martian children. Together they must save the human habitat and reconnect with Earth. It is a daunting task and many children give up. Soon only Sevianna and three other children are left trying to fix the problems. Can so few do it? Or are they doomed with the rest of the humans on Mars?
submitted by Peregrine, age Many moons, The Eyrie
(October 6, 2020 - 10:25 am)
(October 6, 2020 - 10:25 am)
Sorry for not clarifying, the due date is the 16th, so you all have two weeks.
(December 3, 2020 - 12:49 pm)
I'm not sure what a typical reaction to time travel is, but mine was to blindly run away screaming. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this, though, as one can easily collide with a disgruntled teenager on a bicycle.
(December 3, 2020 - 8:20 pm)
What a great promt!
I'm not sure if it's okay to join my own competition. I let it go through a couple rounds before joining though, so maybe it is. Just don't include me in your judging if you think it isn't!
Aspen stepped out from the gloomy interior of the decrepit hollow structure she had walked through and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the brightness outside, the sack of rubble scavanged from the ruins heavy on her back. She looked around, expecting to see the desolate desert of ruins she called home but, no -- her heart skipped a beat and she blinked in shock -- glimmering buildings soared in to the sky above her, people whizzed by on strange contraptions, horns and voices bombarded her ears -- where was she?
(December 4, 2020 - 12:32 pm)
It's totally fine! The more the merrier :)
(December 4, 2020 - 3:52 pm)
The lady stared down at me, like "What are you doing in my city?" I told her (although she didnt respond) that I had no idea.
(December 4, 2020 - 1:27 pm)
The sky was gray, like it always was, when Aspen stepped into the wreckage of what seemed to be an enormous statue. It was probably glorious in its day, but now it was just a sad, crumpled mass of gray-green metal, not much different from the other remains Aspen had scavenged.
(December 5, 2020 - 8:42 pm)
I catch my breath, blink frantically, and pinch my arm, hoping desperately that the sight in front of me was just a dream. But no, the skyscrapers are still there reaching up to the sky, the strange vehicles are still filling the streets, and the people are still hustling back and forth like the apocalypse had never even happened.
(December 5, 2020 - 10:57 pm)
The first thing I remember after stepping out of the statue was seeing a huge insect coming toward me at full speed. Then everything went black.
(December 7, 2020 - 6:20 pm)
(December 13, 2020 - 5:13 pm)
(December 16, 2020 - 5:06 pm)
Okayyy here's the judging! Don't let this die, guys!
Honorable Mention:
peppermint - I really liked this! I think that if it really were a first sentence to a story it would both make you laugh and wonder what happens next. Time travel usually gets people's attention really fast, so good job!
Third Place:
TIE between Lupine and Kitten!
Lupine - I think that this uses some lovely discriptive language and it really sets the scene. I could autimatically tell that you were describing the Statue of Liberty without even having to try. This really works as a first scentence because the reader's second thought after realizing it's the Statue of Liberty is 'Why is it in a state of disrepair? What happened?"
Kitten - I think the thing you did really well here was drawing the reader into the story. It's really interesting to wonder why the narrator is surprised by what we consider a normal city. When you get the last part, though, and she mentions the 'apocolypse', it really prompts the reader to keep reading on about 'What happened at the apocolypse? Did she travel back in time?'
Second Place:
Rainbow Riot - So I'm not sure if you all know this, but I grew up in New York City, and every time I passed the Statue of Liberty I remember having a very similar thought to this go through my mind. The Statue of Liberty does, in fact, look like she is holding a blowtorch at first glance. This made me laugh, and it connected to my personal experience in NYC, so good job!
First Place:
Peregrine - I loved this discription! It really puts the reader right in the thick of it and makes them wonder a whole lot of different things about the situation. You used some very impressive wording, too. Congrats, you won!
SHOUTOUT to everyone else who participated!! You all are amazing XD
@Peregrine: Because you have already made a prompt, I am going to pass the privelidge of that to Rainbow Riot, if that's okay with you! I just want to make sure that everyone gets a turn; don't worry, you still placed first!
@Rainbow Riot: Even though you placed second, you still get to make a prompt for the next round! Can't wait to see what you come up with :)
(December 17, 2020 - 1:39 pm)
Thanks for the honorable mention! I'm excited to see what the next prompt will be! :)
(December 17, 2020 - 7:27 pm)
Wow, thanks for the 3rd place! Everyone did great:)
(December 17, 2020 - 8:37 pm)
Wow, thank you! Yes, I am absolutely okay with Rainbow Riot making the next promt.
(December 18, 2020 - 10:24 am)
Please post another prompt! Don't let this die!
(December 19, 2020 - 10:56 pm)