All too often, modern novels start with a bang and end with a whimper, as if everything of interest happened in the first few pages and there's nothing left worth talking about for the next however-many-pages.

To me, that's also a promise unfulfilled. 🙁

Thanks, Ellen, glad you liked it. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your world, character backstory, novel, and short story to go with it.

V. M. thanks for sharing but you're making me crazy -- what's in the box?? All kidding aside, I think you have a well-done, detailed opening that will draw readers in. Clearly you have done a great deal of world-building and it shows. Thanks again.

OMG! How could I miss this one? One of the most famous openings ever penned. Another example of how Writers in the Storm allows us to work together. Thank you, Denise!

Your post is timely! I've written my character's backstory and am about to write the opening for a short story - adjacent to a novel I'm revising.

Mr. Patterson, Thank you for your comments and question. I am just learning about flash fiction. Although wildly defined in various circles, I think it safe to say it is story in 1000 words or less. I am attracted to flash fiction, because for me it feels familiar as I have written mostly poetry to date. And I believe poetry and 'micro' fiction have much in common. [smile]

Hammevaro reined in his horse outside the gates of Meridor. He ran his hand through his mane of blond hair and wondered what to do with the box he carried. He looked around. Where would it do the most damage? He decided not to take it into the city. What if one of the guards wanted to see what it contained? They would be in their right to do so. After all, they had to safeguard the trade, and the city did stand close to the border with Erian.

Charged with taking this strategic city, Hammervaro paused next to the river on the road leading towards the Erian pass. He placed the box he carried in the meadow at the side of the road. The mage smiled. The Master had plans. Meridor had never been defeated, but today that would change.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Ooooh, Alicia, this one is subtle. Andrew "makes sure he bumps into her. . . " -- at first it slips by but then you realize how much this first line conveys. He wants to see her, but it has to appear accidental; it can't be planned. Immediately the reader wants to know what has happened to their relationship. His fingers ache at the memory of touching her hair -- Andrew's in pain. Also, points for handling the dialect well and not overdoing it. Nice Job!