I have writer's block. Can anyone help me advance this story's opening?

Question: I have writer's block!. Can anyone help me advance this story's opening!?

The cobblestone path echoed against the black carriage wheels!. Apprehensively, I twisted a strand of the long, brown hair that dangled from my braid!. This was my first time away from home, after all, and I couldn't help but feel anxious!.
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Any ideas are greatly appreciated! ^_^Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Ooh!. You have the beginnings of a very nice atmosphere!. That first sentence is rich in imagery and suggestion!. One small nitpick: it's the wheels that echo off the path, no!? Not the other way around!.!.!.

Um!.!.!. aside from atmosphere, though, your last line implies the story is going to be character driven, which makes knowing your character even more important to knowing where you're going!. Many details are good for you to know about your character even (sometimes especially) if you don't put them in the story!. Some authors keep dossiers on their characters before they even write anything!.

In any case, who is she!? What does she look like in addition to the braid, where did she grow up!? Some of the answers to these questions could lead to answering more plot important questions like why she hasn't left home yet, where she's going, and what she wants!. Typically, people move away from what they don't want and towards what they do want, but you of course don't have to stick to that!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Suggest you put it into the third person!.

"The cobblestone path echoed against the black carriage wheels!. Apprehensively, she twisted a strand of the long, brown hair that dangled from her braid!. This was her first time away from home and she couldn't help but feel anxious!."

Reason why I suggest this is that, in the first person, your narrator is straining to give detail (the colour and style of her hair) that she would not naturally give if she was really describing her anxiety in this situation from her own viewpoint!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Have the character dwell on the possible consequences of leaving home!. I have written six full length novels and the problem of writers block pops up quite often, Changing the scene can work, it gives you the opportuniy of opening a new phase of the story!. Your imagination has to be put to work, you will work it out!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Its hard to help when you don't have an idea for a story! It sounds a bit disjointed so far are you setting this in the past with a horse and carriage-If so would you mean braids as in plaits!? That might be something that doesnt fit if you are talking about dreads and you would need to say something like- I absently played with a strand of hair as I thought to myself!.!.!.
I would change the last bit to something like: I had never been away from home before, and the sense of uncertainty caused a knot in my stomach!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well, what do you want to do with the story!?

Here's my idea, she's an orphan who is being sent to her real family because of a plague, and they need her to success their noble bloodline, yet she was given away because she was a bastard child!. Now she has to deal with a family that treats her like crap anyway, and she is now their only hope, say she's half royal, half common!. I have loads more ideas if you want them, but this is just getting you started, I have to leave some for myself now don't I!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

But I had to keep going, how could I turn back now!? I couldn't return without Greg (or some other name)!. He was in trouble, and if there was no one else that was going to do anything about it I would! He was my best friend, I couldn't live without him!. Seeking out a kidnapper and possible killer could be a deathly dicision to make, but if I did die I would leave this world knowing that I had done it for Greg, and that I wasn't that girl that sat there helplessly waiting for someone to do what I could do for myself!. And I would die with him, and that's all that mattered!. Taking a slow deep breath I clutched the ransom note with both hands and began to put myself in the mind of a criminal, hoping to find a way to find my Greg!. I reviewed the ransom note for the thousanth time reading the same words i had seen so many times within the past day, the worst thing i could hear, the words that enforced my choice to do this: P!.S!. Greg is bleeding!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I immediately thought of putting a sort-of flashback next!. Talk about the character's home, which will in turn go back to where the character is leaving to go to!.

For example, I looked into the an open window as we passed a house and observed the little kids playing with jacks on the floor!. Me and brother used to do that!. I'm going to miss him while I'm gone!.!.!.!.

(sorry that its not very well written, but you get my point)

I hope I helped!Www@QuestionHome@Com

The carriage came to an abrupt stop!.
The early century house sat on acres
of land!. The manicured lawn seemed
to hide a secret!. The air smelled of
death!.

A tall man approached, face hidden!.!.!.

**************************************!.!.!.

I looked back at my blog to
come up with a continuation,
and there are ideas to cure
writer's block!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

My father wouldn't tell me where we were going, which made my anxiety grow to a whole new level, but was lowered because I trust him!. My younger sister, Beth, and I couldn't help but pester him, asking things like, "Where are we going!?" or "Are we almost there!?" and he'd tell us to hush and be quiet!. Finally, after a few hours, the carriage came to a halt!. My father ordered my sister, my mother, and me to come out of the carraige!. We did as we were told!. As I got off, I observed my surroundings!. They were strange!. I had never seen anything like this before!. Great towers stood before me, along with busy streets full of these strange machines that drove automatically!. I looked into a window of one of those strange contraptions and saw a person moving some sort of wheel!. They were going quite fast, faster than any vehicle I've ever seen!. But the one thing that made me shiver the most was what everybody looked like!. People with white suits that looked so modern and new walked around the streets!. One man yelled, "Taxi!", what could that mean!? Beth was crying and hugging my mother!. I finally had the courage to ask my father where we were!.
"We have stepped out of the Amish World and into the great city, Philadelphia!."
Www@QuestionHome@Com

Rain hammered against long winding roads and the constant thudding thumped through me!. As the carriage came to a halt I looked up!. The rain had misted the road, but I could still see him!. His huge, warm, chocolate brown eyes gazed into mine and I was mesmerized!. He swept me into his arms and I clung to him through the pouring rain!. It had been so long!.!.!.

I hope this helps your writers block!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

use some references to the senses!.!.!. you already used the sense of hearing with "echoed"!. use the sense of smell or touch!. "the stench of the lake burned the inside of my nose!."

things that appeal to the senses are the best attention grabbers!Www@QuestionHome@Com

I let the strand go and watched it fall over my thin shoulder!. The carriage stopped at a red modest brick house!. I stepped out of the carriage and looked up to a balconey where a old woman looked down opon meWww@QuestionHome@Com

Marrying at age sixteen was both exciting and frightening, for I have only kissed once!.Www@QuestionHome@Com