Deadline: 7 October 2011
A good first line grabs your attention. It might be shocking, it might be intriguing, it might be funny, but it will leave you with lots of questions and wanting to find out more.
We asked you to write a short story beginning with one of three first lines, chosen from this year's Quick Reads:
- Helen was wishing it was all out in the open. Then she wouldn’t have to pretend.
- 'What would you do if you won the lottery?'
- My dad’s a policeman and it can land me in trouble.
The best five entries were chosen by a judging panel led by Maureen Lee, Bookbite’s former writer in residence. You can read the prize winners' stories below.
The first lines in this competition were taken from: Strangers on the 16:02 by Priya Basil, Men at Work by Mike Gayle and My Dad's a Policeman by Cathy Glass.
The deadline for entries has passed.
Winning entries
First place
Citizen's Arrest
by Michael Limmer
My dad’s a policeman, and it can land me in trouble. Only trouble didn’t come near it the time we burgled Wally’s sweetshop. It was Tosher’s idea. Tosher was bigger...
Second place
The Secret
by Sue Seabridge
Helen was wishing it was all out in the open. Then she wouldn’t have to pretend. She caught her reflection in the glass cabinet on the cafe counter. She saw...
Third place
Helen was wishing it was all out in the open
by Geraldine Durrant
Helen was wishing it was all out in the open. Then she wouldn’t have to pretend. It was ridiculous she had thought to herself for the hundredth time earlier that...
Third place
You'll Never Know
by Frederick Langridge
'What would you do if you won the lottery?' Julie laid the bag of compost against the patio wall and turned to gaze at Peter. ‘You’ll never know,’ she said...
Third place
Whodunnit
by Helen Westbrook
Helen was wishing it was all out in the open. Then she wouldn’t have to pretend. She realised that it couldn’t be. Certainly not after the discussion last night at...
