Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A Great Writing Experience

Tonight, I had a wonderful experience. While hanging out in the tech booth, working a show, a friend and I sat down together to work on a story idea. (You heard some here.) We spent maybe thirty minutes in silence, passing the laptop between ourselves, working on the same story. And it was a truly wonderful experience. I got to write something with another person, sharing their ideas and becoming more acquainted with their style. It was wonderful. And really, really helpful. We had this story idea, together, over the weekend. I started working on it a few days ago, but found I was having trouble writing believable dialogue, always a problem with me. So I brought it to my friend, she took a look at it, giggled a little, and then dived in to rescue me. And the writing is much more articulate and the dialogue sounds more believable. Here's an excerpt:

Silence filled the shabby football arena.

The wind had picked up by now, and more then a few hats were being blown about. The monstrous alloy poles that held the blinding area lights swayed precariously. No one noticed. They sat silent. Then the teachers began to collect their classes. Students and teachers filed out of the stadium, every person passing by Michael's cell. Some looked in on him, most walked by without stopping. A small group gathered around the cell. The students stood there silently, judging him. Clouds had rolled in, and a few drops of rain had started to fall.

One by one the students made eye contact with their fallen comrade. Looks of nearly every emotion danced in their eyes. Some felt anger and resentment, some had looks of pity and remorse. But the look in everyone's eyes was confusion. A cloud of pure conclusion swirled eerily above the select members of the student body.

1 comment:

Michelle said...

I can't wait to read the whole thing...