Dragaera

First Sentence competition? WAS RE: How to write an epic fant asy best seller

Fri Oct 15 05:44:15 PDT 2004

<random collection of headers trimmed>
> From: Jeff G. [mailto:Log0n5150 at hotmail.com]
> From: "Mark Tiller" <mtiller at ntlworld.com>
> > From: John Klein [mailto:zarkon at illrepute.org]
> > On Thu, 14 Oct 2004, Mark Tiller wrote:
> >
> > @> I don't know, we could try.  How about a competition for worst
> opening
> > @> sentence al la "It was a dark and stormy night".  Said sentence
> limited
> > to
> > @> no more than...oohhh...two pages? :-)
> > @>
> > @> Any volunteers to be judges?  (there is one logical choice, but I'm
> > @> reluctant to ask).
> >
> > >http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/
> >
> > I know, I've looked at the site, that's one of the things that inspired
> me
> > to suggest it.  I just thought it would be a bit of fun for the list.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
> 
> (here is a starter for ya. . . . .)
> 
> His Imperial Majesty Roddrick B'laine; son of Edward son of Uther; Lord
> Protector of the 17 Realms, Champion of the Weak and Downtrodden stood
> upon
> the westernmost edge of the unyielding granite tower of Griffindell, his
> eyes shimmering like the sun on the waves of the merciless C'ficap Sea;
> named for the one man to sail across and return alive,  clenched the fist
> that had wielded the dread sword Heklor Koch, slayer of countless foes and
> enemies; and cast his fell gaze upon the land of Medlir, the land of such
> unquenchable evil that it had spawned the fearsome Urck-Argh, killer of
> the
> North, as well as the terror only known as Darcniss, the most lethal
> assassin born, whose unstoppable reign of death had claimed his beloved
> wife
> Elindara, the half eleven Queen of Tolwais, and mother of his only child
> Jarrick, the scion of the Blaine line, less than a fortnight before,
> proving
> that he could strike in the heart of the Realm, and destroy that which
> Roddrick held dearest to his heart, while he was powerless to avenge her
> vicious slaying due to the Treaty of Gilneadom that ended the centuries
> old
> struggle between the two nations, signed on the same night the deadly
> killer
> struck the mortal blow to his lady love only an arms reach away and
> seconds
> before Roddricks pen touched the paper, wounding him in the most
> dehabilitaing manner, far worse than his own death could have ever done.
> 
> 
> 
> ( I actually had to cut it off, it was growing beyond my control. Once you
> start a sentence like that it gets a life of its own, I think I could have
> let it go on for a page more at least. Plus my boss was looking over my
> shoulder wondering what the hell I was doing.)
> 
> Jeff G.


I no longer wonder how a full length short story in one sentence would read.