We asked all the readers of our monthly newsletter to give us the first paragraph of a fictional novel. We didn't ask them to write the whole novel, only the introduction. Here's all the responses we received. Can you add your own entry?
For 20 years Ben was a fireman, but for the last 10 he has been walking up and down on beach every day looking for things that might be useful to someone.Nearly everything in his cottage has come from the beach-chairs, tables, even tins of food.
Ben seems to be a very happy man. ' I' ve got everything that I could possible want. People spend all their lives chasing things they don't really need.' He founds way to live a simple, honest life.
From time to time he finds bottles with messages in them. If there is address in the bottle, they usually get a reply. But, this morning when opened a bottle Ben was stunned. The message was named to him, Ben Walkley and was sent 7 years ago........
Marija Andjelkovic, Serbia
This is a book about my first and unique my 24 years.In several days I will 25 years and I regard that is good time to make a good brief of my previously life and highlight my successes and my failures... In the beginning, I will describe my childhood, then I write about my primary school and my first love. In the middle of book I will describe same interesting situation during my studying and same things which are important for my future life.In chronological order I will try to emphasize important event in my life.
Nikola Mitrovic, Serbia
Oh, what beautiful days!!! The weather is fine - Indian Summer. But it seems to me that so wonderful days we didn't have even in August. Everything is good, but the holidays are over. And what we are waiting for - rains, job and soon will be winter. But stop to be so depressed, we have a fine possibility to describe the whole things that happened and that will be in our life...
Marina, Ukraine
I was conscious of a fact that I am going to the best college in Europe and I was very proud about it,but I just wasn't...excited or thrilled.
I was there. It was boring, so I laid on the grass and opened a book I took from the library 'Pride and Prejudice'. Suddenly, I heard someone saying to me: Oh, I've read that one. I love it. Are you a student here?
I looked at him. He was so perfect. Blue eyes, dark brown careless hair, fashionably sensitive, obviously. The most beautiful smile ever!
-Oh..No, I am actually....
Adela Pupovic
In the jungle of the amazon there once was a little glittering ball.
He wants to bounce all over the world...there is so much to see.
But how would he do that?
Hmmm maybe he could try to jump so high he could make a hole in the ground.
Mariska van Hamburg, Netherlands
Dear Students, bureau of Control permitted the experiment. Until now we're learning the theory, discussing how could different ways of interferencing the Past influence the Future. And now we're going to have practical classes. Of course we're not permitted to interference anything serious, such as preventing death of people, to cancel the wars or acts of terrorism. Thus I'd like to tell you what particularly we've to do.
No Name
I was flying on my way home when a woman, called Rachel, asked me what the time was. I looked at my watch and told her it was four-thirty. She smiled at me. Suddenly the young lady took a gun out of her pocked and walked to the front of the plane. Rachel said we were hijacked. I made up my mind to talk it over with her, but...
Kristel Toplaova, Bulgaria
The young man woke up early that morning and refused to open his eyes. He wanted to make absolutely sure that the smallest detail and every word were well "recorded" on his memory. It was the third time in a row he saw this beautiful woman. A fragrant scent was coming out of her to his nostrils. A sweet-pleasant odor never smelt before that used to last till after wake up. He was afraid the wonderful smelling would disappear if he opened his eyes. He wanted to make it last longer and keep it vivid.
The woman talked to him in a sweet-running voice in a language he didn't understand. He used all his inner being's capacities to get the meaning of or any meaning, a clue, an idea, anything really to help him decipher the message.
This was the third time and still he couldn't fathom anything. But this morning he got a feeling , kind of inspiration that the woman is sort of telling him "You Are Mine"
Mo Hobeyl, Algeria
Many years ago there was a king who was interested in astronomy. He spent most of his time in the observatory which was built near his palace. He wanted to have all the books that were written about the sky, stars, space and astronomy so far and all the maps drown about them in his...
Ozkan Akseki
A little boy no homes, no relatives. He lived in a makeshift house was abandoned and dilapidated. One night, he saw an old man with a silver euphoria hair in his strange dream, he was holding three glittering stars on his hand and there was a light around him which made the little boy's dark little room lighten up as electricity. The old man went toward the boy lying there in the cold clear night of keen winter and gave him a gentle smile. He offered the poor boy three things.
Thuyen, Vietnam
I just can't get rid of these thoughts, thogh it's even funny to muse. The fairy tales, which my granny used to tell me about very different kind of life above the ground, always make me anxious. Now it seems so unreal to live anywhere else but under the water in the ocean. I'm running next to my boyfriend, who is by the way the most handsome fugitive in the whole underwater world, and I know for sure we're going to go through this together.
Natalia Gorban, Ukraine
I feel poetic, my thought right now will be transform like magic in something not from the humans hands possible to feel and from the humans eyes not possible to see. Fly with me right nowand you will be in the fantastic world that I'm created! Ready? Let`s go!
Zanna Saskevic, Russian
This is a story about 1 episode of my life, it seems to be fiction, but it is true...
I have a cat, called Tom. One day his meal was finished and I had no money to buy him a new one. He was so hungry and I was so sorry. But I promised myself to find him his meal next day, it was night already.
In the morning I woke up and went to the kitchen...I was so surprised when I saw a whole box of Whiskas on the table, I couldn't believe it, but it was real.
I was alone at home for a week, and no one could bring it, for sure. I was amazed so much. I thank God. I believe that miracles happen.
Mukhangaziyeva Alina, Kazakhstan
Some day there are two sickness old man occupied the same room in hospital
One of theme can't move from his bed but the other one spend one hour every day moving around and looking from the odd window in the room trying his best to describe the overlook out side to his room mat trying to compensate him little and let him fell better while telling him what people outside doing and how children playing in hospital garden which lead the flatted man close his eyes and imagine every thing as he told him.
One day the telling story man pass away this life and the other man asked the nurse to move him beside the window and she did .with every his power tried to propped himself to take a look from that window but he found nothing just a black wall he surprise and asked the nurse what was his roommate saw from that window she smiled and said that he was a blind.
See how a blind man let anther man fell better while talking to him about nice things happened out side even though he cant see. It is just his imagination . It is a miracle how we can change the sorrow to happiness with our imagination.
Safa Al Thaher
I know you're inside me. Your eyes see twilight or just feeling cold in my body. Maybe you would be disturbed that my smoke's puff out. I know, I should quit my glass is what is full. Maybe the life that I have never lived is starting with you now.
Nage Zeybek
Christmas Eve
The night was cold and still. The old people said they had not seen such a cold winter for thirty of forty years. Trees, roofs, fences, roads, fields and forests were all covered with thick white snow. There were many stars in the dark sky. The big round moon shone with a bluish light. Long silvery moonbeams lay across the snow, making it sparkle like fine diamond dust. All the children were asleep. Christmas Eve was coming…
Matuzova Elena, Russia
It was a nice sunny day. It was a day indeed, because in the sky the First sun was shining. The Second one was smaller and shined during nights all summertime. People had been living on this planet for last one thousand years. Very very old men remembered the Earth and how they lived on it. When they told that on the Earth only the Sun was no one believed them.
Serge
The homeless call for houses, the hungry need some food, the patient demand some medicine and this book expects those who have a sympathetic heart to read. In this story some characters are the same as thousands of those kindhearted and people in the world.
Dieu Linh, Vietnam
Once upon a time there was tiny little girl lived with her brother in Gobi . They do not have Mom and Dad, but they live very happy. Her Brother is name is Amar. He is a big and he is very handsome. Little girl is name is Enkh. She is very ugly, but she loves to help to people.
Enkhmaa, Mongolia
I had just packed my last appliance. The I pod was now in my backpack, with my best songs. I shuttered it, and a feel of relief came instantly to me: the trip that I had been longing for years was now really about to begin. I had been working for years, in order to save money enough for it. But now, it´s real: three months travelling around America and Oceania.
Gustavo Lloret
After a very good lunch the man began to talk to the landlord about the dinner which they would be taking next.
'We will want it early,' he said. 'A boy of his age ought to be in bed by eight.'
'I can see you know to bring up a child.'
'You see, his mother is dead.'
Bodil Abildgaard Dibbern, Denmark
My book tells you about my childhood's retrospective life story during the Lapland's war. While reading the book you'll see how a child has experienced sunny and dark days of the life.-- A wonderful life began while Swedish people offered us safety. Great thanks for them!-- That is why it is easy to understand today's refuges.
Vappu Hietanen, Finland
It is not easy to persuade an alter ego that some questions should never be asked. Mr. Klawieszky
was one of them. He was that kind of person who wanted to know everything. Now I see how important
it is, for some things to remain unknown.
Dzanan, Bosnia and Herzegovina
After a brief trip up the North Coast to her favorite secluded pensioners hideaway, grace enjoys being treated like a queen with her personal butler and 5 star accommodations. Amazing sea views, high noon teas and sharing stories among her friends. Grace loves her piece of human on earth.
Joann Hsu
When he woke up, a strange man, green eyes and a strange expression, was looking at him.
He was so close that he could smell his stench. The man was very dirty, a very strange expression on his face.
Just him and the man, where? He didn't know.
He felt the street behind his neck, the smell of the night.
Martina
