I created a list of sentence beginnings that appear in Jeanette Winterson’s first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Notice how deceptively simple yet loaded they are!
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Quickly pick a line that attracts you and begin spilling by continuing the sentence. That alone may be enough to keep you writing for 10 minutes! If not, continue grabbing starter lines from this list to keep you writing.
When your timer goes off, reset it for 15 minutes, pick another starter line and continue to spill, weaving a new line into your writing every time you’re not sure how to continue.
This is an excellent way to work with a text, letting it lead you in directions that surprise and engage you. Enjoy!
My mother liked to…
My father liked to…
She had never heard of…
Enemies were…
Friends were…
I had been brought up to…
She was bitter about…
I cannot recall a time when…
One of my earliest memories is…
Sunday was…
Usually we…
She always ____________ because of…
First of all she…
She said one of these things…
It was always the same; we…
I had to…
You can tell someone by their…
My mother would rather not _________ than…
She taught me to…
She told me all about…
A girl’s motto is…
I learnt that…
This was why, in the old days…
I discovered that everything in the natural world was…
I asked my mother to teach me…
One day, she said finally, I’ll tell you all about…