How many stories can I start with the same line?

[joy_of_cooking]

I drafted a story that starts with

"Nice shoes," she shouted over the music. "Want to fuck?"

The next paragraph reveals that he's wearing road cycling shoes with a big protruding cleat as part of his Halloween costume. They retire to her place afterward for some graphic femdom shoe fetish fun.

I just got the idea for another story that starts off the same way, only this time the shoes in question are your classic sky-high stilettos, the kind that make people wonder, "How can she walk in those?" And the answer is she doesn't: she uses a wheelchair. This second story is a much slower burn. They keep meeting and talking and eventually it ends when they exchange contact info.

The point being that this opening line is weirdly fertile ground for me and I think I could write quite a few very different stories with the exact same first line.

Has anyone ever done this? Do readers mind?

 

[Bamagan]

I drafted a story that starts with



The next paragraph reveals that he's wearing road cycling shoes with a big protruding cleat as part of his Halloween costume. They retire to her place afterward for some graphic femdom shoe fetish fun.

I just got the idea for another story that starts off the same way, only this time the shoes in question are your classic sky-high stilettos, the kind that make people wonder, "How can she walk in those?" And the answer is she doesn't: she uses a wheelchair. This second story is a much slower burn. They keep meeting and talking and eventually it ends when they exchange contact info.

The point being that this opening line is weirdly fertile ground for me and I think I could write quite a few very different stories with the exact same first line.

Has anyone ever done this? Do readers mind?

"It was a dark and stormy night when @joy_of_cooking asked the question."
If the people who follow you complain, you'll know it's maybe become too much of a gimmick. But other than people who go through your catalogue, no one else is likely to see or care if you decide to do this twice, thrice, or a hundred times.

 

[onehitwanda]

It could become your catchphrase! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

 

[NoTalentHack]

Ah, the classic goth opening. Surprisingly effective in my youth.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I believe I have used the line, "My name is, !!!!, and..." several times. That short of shit never gets old. I've thought of starting one with, "Call me Ishmael. It's not my name, I just like the sound of it."

 

[MrPixel]

"Call me Ishmael. It's not my name, I just like the sound of it."

Funny!

 

[MillieDynamite]

Yeah, but I haven't had the guts to give her a try.

Funny!

 

[MediocreAuthor]

I drafted a story that starts with



The next paragraph reveals that he's wearing road cycling shoes with a big protruding cleat as part of his Halloween costume. They retire to her place afterward for some graphic femdom shoe fetish fun.

I just got the idea for another story that starts off the same way, only this time the shoes in question are your classic sky-high stilettos, the kind that make people wonder, "How can she walk in those?" And the answer is she doesn't: she uses a wheelchair. This second story is a much slower burn. They keep meeting and talking and eventually it ends when they exchange contact info.

The point being that this opening line is weirdly fertile ground for me and I think I could write quite a few very different stories with the exact same first line.

Has anyone ever done this? Do readers mind?

"How long is a piece of string?" was definitely the quote I thought of as I read the thread title.

Personally, I think it sounds like a fun idea, and I can't imagine anyone getting upset.

 

[oneagainst]

Seven times. There, answered. Now you can move on with your life @joy_of_cooking

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Seven times. There, answered. Now you can move on with your life @joy_of_cooking

Are you saying that @joy_of_cooking asked a question, and you answered it?

Asked and Answered?

 

[MrPixel]

It was a dark and stormy night.

Ah, shit, no it wasn't. It was gorgeous, the sun was shining, the ocean was warm, and it was everything Anna could do to keep her clothes on for the hike between the car and the nude beach.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Well, crap. Cold, too. I knew I should have grabbed my Mackintosh and rubbers before rushing out the door. And Lindsey is going to be pissed about my forgetting the rubbers!

It was a dark and stormy night.

What? You're kidding, right? When was any night you knew of that wasn't dark, moron. Fuck you, Mr. Narrator!

Yeah, I think we could do something like that.

 

[ArdentHemingway]

A lot of various stories have begun with, "I never believed those letters were real or that it would happen to me."

 

[EmilyMiller]

I believe I have used the line, "My name is, !!!!, and..." several times. That short of shit never gets old. I've thought of starting one with, "Call me Ishmael. It's not my name, I just like the sound of it."

I finished a story with a bastardized version of the end of 1984. Does that count?

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

I drafted a story that starts with



The next paragraph reveals that he's wearing road cycling shoes with a big protruding cleat as part of his Halloween costume. They retire to her place afterward for some graphic femdom shoe fetish fun.

I just got the idea for another story that starts off the same way, only this time the shoes in question are your classic sky-high stilettos, the kind that make people wonder, "How can she walk in those?" And the answer is she doesn't: she uses a wheelchair. This second story is a much slower burn. They keep meeting and talking and eventually it ends when they exchange contact info.

The point being that this opening line is weirdly fertile ground for me and I think I could write quite a few very different stories with the exact same first line.

Has anyone ever done this? Do readers mind?

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a blow job.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I think it's a hell of a good idea. But I think if you shorten it to "Nice shoes," it frees you from having to jump immediately into a sex scene, every time, which might become a bit of a schtick. Make it an anthology series with no connection between stories. The Nice Shoes Collection.

 

[oneagainst]

Are you saying that @joy_of_cooking asked a question, and you answered it?

Asked and Answered?

Now you've just made it all weird...!

 

[MillieDynamite]

If you want it to count, it does.

I finished a story with a bastardized version of the end of 1984. Does that count?

Em

 

[FeralSmile]

762 times is the record, I believe, though they did change the opening narration to Dragnet a little over time.

"Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."​

 

[Britva415]

How many stories can I start with the same line?

"F**k around and find out"

 

[geronimo_appleby]

Do readers mind?

don't write it with that weight hanging off you. it will only inhibit you. write whatever you want.