I quickly wrote the prologue. I was tempted to edit it, but resisted. I didn't want to stifle my creativity. Instead, I plunged into chapter one. Again, I faced the first-sentence challenge. I wanted more intrigue than the prologue's "I love adventure." And I wanted punch.
Inspired by Dickens, I penned "Everything was fine, but nothing felt right." I liked it; much later I still like it. It depicted my emotional state on the threshold of my adventure, and it created the cognitive dissonance needed to push the reader into the hearing of it. The rest of the chapter spilled onto the screen as thoughts and emotions tumbled over each other. Don't edit, keep writing. I described my inner turmoil in much detail, the yearning for more of life than I was getting.
My search for identity and a larger story led me to Africa. Another good chapter start. It was a bit long (I like to keep opening sentences to 10 words or less), but for some reason the word Africa intrigues people. The words still flowed like a river filled with Spring rains. I was writing about a pivotal time in my life, and the memory was still fresh many years later. Maybe I could write a book after all.
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