Creativity Exercise: First Lines

One of the things we talked about at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival was the importance of first lines in short stories. They're also important in poems, novels, business letters, emails, ads, love letters, and grocery lists.

Well, maybe not so much in grocery lists.

Anyway, here are a few first lines I'm playing with. Come up with at least three first lines you like today. Post if you want -- I'm thinking about putting together a poem of first lines. Here's where I'm going:

1. If they would only die, she could write a great novel.
2. Deirdre Stein was dead the moment her head hit the ground -- she just didn't know it.
   
3. It's amazing how quickly you get used to blood.
   
4. In my house, we weren't allowed to say the word "hate."
5. The recycling fairy came to visit last night.