Excellent A brush with the little people Woodland Encounter by Terry Reilly Opening Line writing prompt entry Artwork by lillyxxmayxx at FanArtReview.com

“Did ye think ye were seeing things?” mocked the leprechaun. Well, what else could he be? A tiny, wizened old man, squatting on a red and white toadstool. Struggling to retrieve my composure, I registered his distinctive sartorial style. A battered green stovepipe hat; a six button yellow waistcoat over a green shirt; green baggy trousers; shiny black shoes with silver buckles. “Have ye an eye in yer head, a brain in yer skull, or as much common sense as McGinty’s goat?” My inquisitor was seriously lacking in the “how to win friends and influence people” department. “Well…,” I stuttered. The leprechaun cut me off. “Those mushrooms ye gathered here yesterday are mind benders. Did ye ate them?” I was reeling from the relentless interrogation. “As a matter of fact…” “Never mind. I need yer help, be ye gombeen, moon shouter, gobshite or a bit o’ both. Me pal Seamus – Seamus Always – has fallen down a rabbit hole and I need help to get him out.” Writing Prompt The first sentence of your story should entice your reader to keep reading. There needs to be a hook to reel them in. It could start *in media res* (in the middle of the action/plot) or a mysterious phrasing that intrigues the reader. Ex: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. (Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka) Ex: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (1984 by George Orwell) Compare this to: The alarm went off and I got out of bed. Which story would you rather read based on the first sentence? ****Write an opening paragraph to a story, with a 'hook' in the first sentence. The intrigue/action can continue making the whole paragraph a hook, but the punch should be in the first sentence. ****Prose only, one paragraph, not a whole story (this isn't a flash) just an opening paragraph. Any genre. Fiction or Nonfiction. Author Notes Gombeen = a stupid fellow. Moon shouter = a lunatic. Gobshite = an unlikeable, untrustworthy chap. Bit o both = leprechaun*s logic! This is the (modified and abridged) first paragraph of the third chapter of a children*s fairy story, a work currently in progress.

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