# 2.3.4 More starting ploys

Figure 13

There are many other tactics you can use to help you to launch into your writing.

For instance, begin with ‘I remember’, write three lines to follow on from that phrase. For example: ‘I remember that last week there were thunderstorms. It rained and was grey right up until Friday evening.’

Delete the initial phrase and you would be left with: ‘Last week there were thunderstorms, right up until Friday evening.’

There are numerous other starting phrases, just to get you launched. These are grammatical formations which you might then go back to edit out, if you so wish.

Did you find the phrases suggested so far (‘Emma said’ and ‘I remember’) useful as prompts? Did they help you to attain a voice for telling the story? Think about some other opening phrases you might use to get you started, and note these down.

OpenLearn - Start writing fiction: characters and stories
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