The exercise:
I think the random book prompt should make one last appearance before I close up shop, so. Grab a random book off the shelf. Poke around Amazon and make use of the Look Inside feature.
However you get your random piece of literature, make use of its first line as your own (credit where it is due, bien sur), and then take things from there.
2 comments:
I went to google books, as usual, for this, and gave it a search term of "hunting knife" as that was what happened to be the lyrics being sung at the time from the radio. Ignoring the books on types of hunting knives, the first result was what I've used... it turns out to be easy enough to work in recent characters but it's not what I expected to be writing about!
Apologies for the typos in the first paragraph -- they're in the book so I had to copy them.
Extreme Hunting
Desperate to distract the public from their ever diminishing lifestyle, the government steals a page out of the Roman’s playbook. They brings back the gladiatorial arena to give the unwashed masses a chance to revel in the blood and gore of true reality TV. The news announcer looked slightly stunned and picked up the paper in front of her and read it carefully. Then she looked up, into the camera as though addressing every member of her audience personally, and said, "That's actually what it says here. I have no words...."
"Cut!" The Director waved a hand at Steve, who obligingly put a roll of adverts on, and then glared at the presenter. "Jane, I've told you before about editorialising!"
"You also told me that these ad libs make us feel warmer and more human to the audiences!"
"Well... yes. But the Minister--"
"Is here," interrupted the Minister in grave tones. The Director literally went rigid and sweat sprang out on his forehead. It was several seconds before he got himself back under control, turned round, and greeted the Minister with insincere but gushing words.
"Yes, enough," said the Minister. "And stop calling me Rupert. I don't know you that well, and I don't care to." The Director nodded soundlessly. "I thought the news report was well done, myself. No editorialising, just an awareness that this is something new, something novel. Something for everyone and not just the tone deaf who think they can sing, or the fast-fingered who believe that thieving is beneath them. Anyone can be given a knife and a chance to fight for food."
"I thought they were fights to the death?" asked Jane. She barely knew the Minister, or his reputation, and so felt little fear.
"Yes," said the Minister. "But the winner ought to have a reward too, don't you think? Or should the thrill of the kill be sufficient?"
Jane's eyes narrowed; it seemed like the Minister was trying to trap her into incaution.
"I think it would be better if it was to first blood," she said, as though her words were navigating a minefield. "But the winner should get a prize, sure."
"Indeed! And the prize shall be groceries for three months, from a top-end supermarket."
"That sounds quite appealing." Jane was expecting to have a two-week old potato topped with off-off-brand tuna fish for her tea that evening and would certainly have welcomed other options.
"Quite so. As the Roman, whoever he might be, undoubtedly showered his gladiators with gold, we shall shower ours with food. And well-fed warriors are more likely to accept an invitation to return to try again, and thus we create a lasting interest in the competition. As well as a small cadre of elite warriors, of course...."
Greg - that sounds like a delightful (if rather complicated) way of finding an opening line!
And it does quite smoothly return us to this tale, doesn't it? So many angles on this... solution... of the Minister's. Also - I do very much appreciate that you manage to make reference to one of the typos within your writing :)
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