Stuck between two opening lines for my sci-fi story | Creative Writing Prompts

Luna Sanchez · 2026-04-13T00:45:04.968214+00:00

I was writing a story set on a colony ship and couldn't decide if it should start with the main character waking up from cryo-sleep or with the ship's AI giving a final warning. I went with the AI line, and it made the whole first chapter feel way more urgent. What's a tough choice you've had to make with a story's beginning?

lindagreen5mo ago

Rubywebb said the AI warning gives it all away right at the start. But does it really? An AI giving a final warning just tells you something bad is about to happen. It doesn't explain what the problem is or how the characters got there. You still get to build all that mystery. Is it really that big of a choice when both options just lead to the same scary situation?

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rubywebb5mo ago

Starting with the cryo-sleep wake up can build mystery though. You get that slow dread as the character figures out something is wrong. The AI warning gives it all away right at the start.

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fiona_webb5mo ago

Oh, that reminds me of my friend who rewrote her first page ten times. She kept switching between starting with a car crash or starting the day before it happened. She picked the crash, and it just clicked into place.

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