Plunge-in Beginnings

Interesting this one.

Basically about giving your readers (audience in my case) no choice but to jump straight into your story with your characters.

I’ve been taught this in my Nuffield writing group too.

The exercise lists a number of arresting scenarios from which to choose so I plunged into my scene using the first on list and wrote for five minutes just to see what would happen.

Here it is, obviously (as with all of these exercises) unedited:

JAN and SHELLY, young women in a street at dusk.
 

JAN: He’s following us.

SHELLY: Paranoid.

JAN: I’m not.

SHELLY: You are, leave it yeah?

JAN: I’m serious. It’s the same guy. He was on the bus.

SHELLY: Got off on our own, Jan. Come on.

JAN: He’s following us.

SHELLY: Jan!

JAN: He is!

SHELLY: Come on, will ya. We’ll be late.

JAN: Stop!

SHELLY: No!

(JAN stops)

SHELLY: Jan! For fuck sake. Leave it, yeah? Late enough as it is. You and your–

JAN: Must of got off the stop after.

SHELLY: (Coming back) You’re nuts you are, come on! (Grabs JAN’s arm)

JAN: (Looking back, pointing) See. He’s stopped.

SHELLY: Where you looking?

JAN: There, next to Budgens.

Shelly: I don’t see. (Then) The bald guy?

Jan: No! On the phone. The bloke on the phone. He stopped when I did. Got out his phone.

SHELLY: So a guy gets a phone call. So what? Come on.

JAN: He was on the bus, Shell. He was looking at me.

SHELLY: You didn’t say anything.

JAN: Too busy talking bout Matt.

SHELLY: Great, thanks. And I thought you was listening.

JAN: I was.

SHELLY: Yeah, while you was staring at your lover boy.

JAN: He was staring at me! Like real creepy.

SHELLY: Right, I’ve had enough of this. Come on. (Turns to walk back from where they came)

JAN: (Panicked) What are you doing!?

SHELLY: Come on. We’ll talk to him.

JAN: No! No!

SHELLY: I’ll ask him if he fancies you!

JAN: No, Shelly No! (But Shelly has gone) Shell! No! Shell, come back! (Pause. She thinks for a moment, then reluctantly chooses to run after) Shell! Wait!

Pleasantly surprised.

–
From The Five-Minute Writer