>>> Item number 41105 from WRITERS LOG9411C --- (58 records) ----- <<< Date: Sun, 20 Nov 1994 23:15:39 EST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: the man under the bed Subject: EXERCISE: Better Late Than... [drat. between closing, moving again, and trying to keep that process relatively smooth, I've missed posting... but don't fret, before long I should be back with more comments from the peanut brittle gallery!] How about this one? 1. Pick an object, view, or something concrete. Now, for our purposes, that is the "criminal." [It seemed to cover..no, explode into sight. Fortunately, I hadn't eaten beforehand, so it only made me a bit queasy.] 2. Make a list of "clues"--points about this object, colors, scents, etc. Make sure there are some that identify a whole group ("It's a fruit") and some that apply only to this specific object out of all the bits and pieces in the world ("With a long, purple worm crawling out of the hole in its side...") [The crack wandering down one side was an unpleasant surprise. Still, I was glad to see it was fairly small. Only the whiteness made the jagged seam seem like a huge blemish.] 3. Pick one. Now try to state it in a way that is surprising, shocking, or otherwise likely to make the reader sit up. "It was floating three inches below the ceiling when I came in..." Try to avoid letting the reader know what "it" is! [I wondered why we had insisted...no, that's right, this was where we shuddered and blanched. Alright, so this was an improvement.] 4. Do that with a few more. Misdirect the reader, bamboozle 'em, give them that old razzle-dazzle! Your clues can be buried in a pile of similar ones, casually off-hand, or whatever you like, but make them up! [Outside, the trees seemed so natural. The clouds skimmed across the sky as if nothing had changed. But inside!] 5. Now write a scene including the clues. Introduce "it" near the beginning, using one of your clues. Then go on with some other part of the process. After a bit, toss in another clue. Then turn to the counting of the cracks in the ceiling. And keep going, right up to the climactic moment when you finally reveal to the world what "it" is. Have fun! [wallpaper? paint? how about we just let the purple-grey walls sit for a while? I know they're hideous, but at least they look better now than with the grey wallpaper or that wonderful fire engine red wallpaper with the gold figures cavorting...] I'll be right back... tink