During an Internet trawl, I somehow stumbled upon an almost surefire method for improving a story. You might've heard of it, but it was so entertaining, I'm posting it here anyway. That method is:

Take the first line of your story, and make sure the second line is, "And then the murders began."

No, seriously. It sets up an inciting action and almost always provides a dramatic contrast with the first line. Try it with some famous stories.

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