The One Show 25 Word Crime Story Opening Challenge - A Journey

OK! So picture the scene, I'm sitting typing up a blog entry whilst watching my son's puppy destroy the living room (at least she's not escaping through the fence into next door's garden again) and suddenly I hear it. The challenge. The TV presenter distinctly said to write a 25 word opening of a crime story set in your home location plus a title. My ears twitched. I LOVE mysteries, crime and a good murder. I LOVE writing. I could manage 25 words of an opening set here in the beautiful city of Canterbury - couldn't I? What about a title? Of course. I can write a title!

Purpose. Yes, I felt a sense of purpose. A reason to write. Ideas flooding through my mind, tumbling over each other in a rush to see the light of day. How on earth would I choose? Sitting here day after day wondering what is going to happen in my life. Will I have a job after next week? Will I be able to find another job if I'm dismissed? Am I really too ill to work? Not much self-confidence here then. How is someone who at the moment finds it difficult to decide what to cook for dinner even with the menu plan actually choose a title and those all important first 25 words.

So, instead of writing the beginning of a story I wrote another hub. Part II of a hub I had started and published not long ago. Confidence is back. My hub views are now over 100. Someone is reading my writing. I have some fans. I'm doing OK. I deserve a chance - don't I?

I CAN do this. I CAN write a 25 word opening of a crime story and send it in to the tv station with a decent title. It may not be read out but I will have achieved something. What a great positive achievement to tell the therapist next week. I told her, in a moment of madness, that apart from sending the stuff to my union rep and getting organised for the meeting next Friday, I was setting myself the personal challenge of publishing an ebook. I have no idea why I said it. I thought it sounded like I was being really positive and moving forward. Perhaps if I can find a decent 25 word story starter (something I ask my class to do all the time and they are 7 and 8 years old!) then it will give me the push to think about my book.

So here I am prevaricating. Why am I writing a hub about it? Well, I had this sudden and unexpected thought. I could write a selection of starters (they're short after all and shouldn't take much reading) and other hubbers could vote on their favourite and that would be the one I'd forward to the tv station. Of course, it would mean that I wouldn't have to decide myself which is great since I'm not much good at making decisions at the moment. I could do the same with the title.

I managed to write quite a few starters.  Some I felt quite proud of.  The only problem was they extended beyond 25 words.  What to do?  I decided to visit the source of my quandary and to read the starters sent in by other viewers.  There were some really great openers.  Result - I don't know that I'm going to try and take up that particular challenge in public.  I shall keep my openings to myself.

  However, there was one unexpected and surprise result.  Something that put a smile on my face and realise that life is full of surprises.

  As I read through the starters and the locations of those authors I came across an opening that stopped dead in my tracks.  It's opening set in a Scottish village where I spent many childhood holidays with my Granny.  Oldmeldrum.

  I've now revisited and revised this hub.  The reason I heard the announcement on the tv was NOT for me to participate necessarily with my own opening although I think I will.  I was meant to read the openings of those other viewers and crime fans.  It was destiny that made me read on and discover the opening set in Oldmeldrum.  To remember so many happy times from my childhood was the purpose of the challenge for me.

  I've also made public my idiotic declaration to my therapist of publishing an ebook by the time of our next conversation.  I can see the benefits of this particular challenge to me.  I shall have to be pro-active and actually DO something.  I will be forced to make choices and decisions, to take action and ensure that I meet the challenge I have set for myself.  For anyone who cares enough I shall post the result of that particular challenge in the comments section of this hub next Friday, 17th July.  Why?  Well, I will have to live up to the lofty aims I have set myself and I shall have something to take my mind off the troubles that seem to pervade my life and thoughts.  There will be something positive in the next week and whatever else happens that is what I need to focus on.

  Another result was that I had a brilliant (in my own mind) idea for a hub that would involve me doing something that I love - reading.

  Thank you fellow hubbers for sharing my journey and putting up with the indecision and prevarication.  You don't know how much support you've been, no matter how unintentionally.  This hub in its short life span has changed title more than once and been revised.  The challenge set by a tv channel to write the title and a 25 word starter for a crime story set in the place where you live has impacted on my life in ways I hadn't even considered and for reasons that I'm sure the presenters would never have foreseen. 

  Ain't life grand?