Starter Sentence Poll #20*

Don't let the Spanish Barbary Sheep hypnotize you! Pick a sentence! Pick a sentence! Choose from the following-

David says, "I can't handle this, cause if what you're telling me is true we're..."

J.C. Montgomery says, "You know...there is nothing as tempting as a locked door."

Flannery says, "You know you're screwed when Leo gives you the cold shoulder."

The Professor says, "He walked in and slid the photograph across my desk."

MRM says, "The price of admission was more than he/she/they could afford."

Doc says, "It's a little tricky at first cause sometimes you have to give it a bit of finger."

Randal says, "The magic of Satie did more than murder the parade of seasons."

Aussie Paul says, "When it came right down it, I guess it was better this way."


*Technically, Poll #19 never really got off the ground, but, hey.

Line up those Starter Sentences!

You can line up Tomin (Tokyoites) by convincing them that there's a new iPhone 4G to be had...

...but wouldn't you rather line up a starter sentence, instead?

You know the drill or if you don't, check out the older posts to get an idea. Please remit a new sentence or submit an old one (that wasn't chosen previously) in the comment section. I will then load those sentences into a poll that will post, Thursday, September 2nd @ (amended to) 7:35 AM, Pacific Time.

F-F-F #36

Well, it's official...




...Blogger's poll once accurate polling system has now gone buggy. It's no problem, because if anything, adapting to unexpected changes is what writing is all about. So you, the aspiring scribe, can chose from the following three sentences-


MRM says, "Looking at it from your/their/his/her point of view, then yeah, I would be pissed also."

Sue says, "You know that feeling when you wake up sweating and think 'thank goodness it was only a dream'?"

Welles says, "In the distance I saw all kinds of birds circling over something, but I couldn't tell what from where I was."


All you have to do is build a story around one of those three sentences. Sounds simple enough, but if you've done this before, you know better. You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, July 20th, all right?

Good night, good luck, and keep plucking bugs from those chickens.

Starter Sentence Poll #19

Sacré merde!*

C'est Le Tour de La Fiction Flash Vendredi! We will all talk like Jacques Pepin and break into Lance Armstrong's hotel room! Uhhh, actually, why don't we urge on a starter sentence, instead? Choose from the following-

MRM says, "Looking at it from your/their/his/her point of view, then yeah, I would be pissed also."

Sue says, "You know that feeling when you wake up sweating and think 'thank goodness it was only a dream'?"

Welles says, "In the distance I saw all kinds of birds circling over something, but I couldn't tell what from where I was."

The results will go live on July 16th, 2010, @ 9:00 AM.

*As you know, there is no such idiom in French.

F-F-F #35

Let's get organized here, and if you don't know what this picture means, scroll down...

The people have spoken, and they have picked the following starter sentence-


Flannery says, "I don't disagree with you, but you have to admit, this puts me in a delicate position."

All you have to do is build a story around that. Sounds simple enough, but if you've done this before, you know better. You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, July 13th, all right?

Good night, good luck, and keep positioning those chickens.

Starter Sentence Poll #18

Cheyenne The Dog cannot decide between starter sentences!

Help her, before her eyes pop out of her sockets!

Choose from the following-

David says, "Oh my God, what the hell was that?"

Flannery says, "I don't disagree with you, but you have to admit, this puts me in a delicate position."

The Professor says, "It was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk."

Aussie Paul says, "Stomping mudholes into the guts of bad dudes was all I knew how to do."

Über says, "Most smells wafted on the air; this one assaulted your nose like a drunken pub brawler's right hook."

Nicole says, "Her eyes held mine with some mysterious force making my breath hitch, until she removed the scarf and revealed the lower half of her face."

Sue says, "Killer heels and wild hair - she spelled trouble with a capital 'T'."

The results will go live on July 9th, 2010, @ 8:00 AM.

F-F-F #33

Don't follow me...




...I'm lost, too. The people have spoken, and they have picked the following starter sentence-

David says, "It was a shortcut that I would regret for the rest of my life."

All you have to do is build a story around that. Sounds simple enough, but if you've done this before, you know better. You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, June 14th, all right?

Starter Sentence Poll #17

You can crank it and crank it...

...but let's face it, you'll never get that jalopy started. Why don't you choose a starter sentence instead?

Choose from the following-

David says, "It was a shortcut that I would regret for the rest of my life."

Flannery says, "Taut and alert, she laid in bed with a cell phone in one hand and a candlestick in the other."

Nicole says, "I awoke and answered my ringing phone at 3:31 am. Where the caller immediately asked, 'Is this (insert name)- I was told you could help me?'"

The Professor says, "He (She) gritted his (her) teeth while wrapping the bandage tightly around the bloody gash on..."

The results will go live on June 11th, 2010, @ 8:00 AM.

F-F-F #32

Soar with eagles...



...or stumble with geese. The choice is yours.

The people have spoken, and they have picked the following starter sentence-

Nicole says, "So much for plan B."

All you have to do is build a story around that. Sounds simple enough, but if you've done this before, you know better. You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, June 8th, all right?

Starter Sentence Poll #16

It's simple enough, pick the starter sentence that is just right for Friday Flash Fiction #32 or...

...these birds will go Alfred Hitchcock on yer neck.

Choose from the following-

Paulie Decibels says, "If everything Tony says is true then this time next week we'll be kings of the world."

Flannery says, "Let's not count our chickens before they hatch, gentlemen."

Sue says, "You break eggs to make an omelet, but you break legs to make a point, or maybe just for revenge."

Lewis J. says, "As last laughs go this one was short and sweet."

Nicole says, "So much for plan B."

The Professor says, "The sound was much like a hiss..."

The results will go live on June 4th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #15

In Ukraine, you don't pick your Starter Sentence...

...the Starter Sentence picks you! Apologies to Yakov and Randal.

Choose from the following-

Flannery says, "Hitchhiking wasn't my preferred method of transportation."

Paul says, "Comedy is a very personal thing, I know, but was what I did really THAT funny?"

Sue says, "Is it me, or does this coffee taste weird?"

Doc says, "I'm tired of sucking the hind teet and today I'm going to do something about it!"

The Professor says, "I sat at the table, bleary eyed, and watched as a fruit fly made love to a banana."

David says, "You/I/we/they either run away or stay and fight this thing!"

Rhapsody says, "I know what I saw and years of antipsychotics and group therapies couldn't convince me otherwise."

Starter Sentence Poll #14

As Rabbit Ultimate Fighting goes, this poor sap seems done for before he even gets into the ring...

...still, you can give him a fighting chance, by picking out the best starter sentence.

Paulie Decibels says, "The trouble with me is that I never realise how deep in the shit I am until I'm choking on the stuff."

The Professor says, "On the porch of the decrepit rental home, a Big Gulp cup had fallen, splaying its soda like a pool of blood."

Flannery says, "He could almost feel tumbleweed cross the desert of his throat as he pondered how to answer her question."

MRM says, "Would you care to look at our Dessert menu?"

Sue says, "This was no time to be squeamish, so I forced my hand into the hole and felt..."

Aussie Paul says, "They say rules were meant to be broken - not bones."

Nicole says, "Examining a piece of bacon with a picture that perfectly resembled the rose tattoo on her buttocks, realization hit her, 'I fell alseep and you guys ate my ASS?!'"

Doc says, "The pizza boy looked up from his ticket long enough to look her in the eye and see the hints there."


The results will go live on April 9th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #13

You can paint the toenails of mercurial coked-out models...

...or you can pick a starter sentence. Chose from the following-

David says, "Oh, is that a gun in your pocket or..."

Aussie Paul says, "He had been told crawling would get him nowhere."

Nicole says, "She woke up to the sound of a click next to her ear and found herself looking into a set of hard set eyes."

The Professor says, "He/she ran up to the police officer, and gasping for breath, said..."

Welles says, "The worst part about March 18th is washing green vomit off the walls."

The results will go live on March 19th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #12

Why are these eleven men angry?



No, it's not because Über flaked the last session, and no, it's not because Randal ripped one and blamed it on Nicole. It's because you haven't chosen the sentence that will kick off Starter Sentence Poll #12. Pick from the following-

David says "As the journey began, he patted the gun in its holster and smiled."

MRM says "I/He/She/It/They/(place name here) had to kick out the back window to escape."

Aussie Paul says "The chances of this plan gaining him entry in the Darwin Awards were pretty high, but he had to try - he had no other choice."


The results will go live on March 5th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter sentence poll #12

Friday Flash Fiction Seal says that it's the Year of The Tiger!




Of course, I speak very little Chinese and I can't read a single word of it, so we will just have to take the Seal's word that this written symbol is a tiger.

Chad says, "He had $1.17 in his pocket, a bruise on his thigh, and the residue of pear juice on his chin; maybe life was turning around."

Jimm says, "Margaret had never seen one of such length and girth and certainly not one with such a luminous green glow."

Australian Paul says, "For six days straight Gary had gone without it and now it was really starting to get to him."

CJT/Nicole says, "In the event that he/she/it fights back..."

David says, "You're having a laugh at that price, I'll do it myself."

Deegan says, "In matters of life and death, one could not forever rely on the judgment of his fellow man."

MRM says, "He looked at the tooth in his hand and shuddered."

The results of the poll will go live on February 12th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #11

Help the red panda find the starter sentence...

...or he'll leave yellow snow on your porch. Chose from the following sentences-

David says "His life would have been a lot simpler if he'd just said no."

Doc says, "Some say that the bomb is the worst of our ills but I say that the mirror has killed so many more."

Australian Paul says, "The lights went out on the fourth day - but that was the least of our problems."

The Professor says, "The glint of sunlight reflected off the hard metal surface in a way that..."

The results will go live on February 5th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #10

We have two of London's most astute coatis overseeing this poll, and they will make sure that everything runs smooth as a São Pauloan sea breeze.

David says, "As the sixth shot of whisky burnt its way down, I suddenly remembered what I left the house for."

Über says, "You insolent pigs aren't getting one more thing from me!"

Lynn says, "Do you ever use..."

MRM says, "So what did I do this time to piss you off, Baby?"

Doc says, "He had turned his back on a few things in life before, but now he knew he had to turn his back on her and walk away."

The results will go live on January 22nd, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #9

Hold that tiger!

He's running away with our starter sentence!

MRM says, "I am not supposed to remember any of this."

David says, "Don't you just hate it when that happens."

Randal says, "'But Vladimir Putin will always permit breakdancing.'"

Paulie Decibels says, "When Karen looked into the room it was empty but the moment she closed the door the sounds started up again."

Lewis J. says, "As soon as he heard the cell phone notify receipt of the text message he knew there was no going back."

The Professor says, "It always seemed to be at sunset when I would remember..."

Über says, "Most people attempt to rescue their captured comrades using stealth and strategy."

The results will go live on January 15th, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #8

Faith, The Two-legged Dog has cornered a starter sentence in a tree, and it's up to you bring that sentence down...



Paulie Decibels says, "Whenever it rains on a Sunday, Peter thinks of his grandad's last words and, for the 1000th time, tries to work out what the old fool was talking about."

MRM says, "He was half way home when his pocket started ringing."

Über says, "The weak, sickly streams of winter sunlight did nothing to pierce the icy gloom and despair."

The Professor says, "He/she saw the orange Necco wafer on the counter top and started to cry."

Doc says, "It's ruined! Ruined! And it's all your fault!"


The results will go live on January 1st, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Starter Sentence Poll #8

...And they're off!

First out the gate, is Splotchy, via email, "As the rumble receded westward, a fine layer of dust settled on the tall stack of vintage condom boxes."

And there's David Barber with, "Who? Dead? You're joking?"

The Professor is on the rail, "As he/she opened the cardboard box and peered inside, the congealed puddles of opaque, orangish-white grease atop of each slice of pepperoni on the cold pizza made him/her feel nauseous."

MRMacrum is on the outside with, "She stepped off the bus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina."

Followed by Steve saying, "When she pulled the knife out of his neck, I knew we were in trouble."

Then bringing up the rear is Über with, "As he/she heard the crunch of tires on the gravel outside, she considered his/her options."

We'll see who comes through the final stretch on December, Friday the 11th, 2009, @ 10:00 AM.