Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Writing Excercise #1

As I stated yesterday, I am working on my writing, and here is the first exercise I have done. The exercise was to write 1 page describing a scene in somewhere public and having 2 characters interact with each other. The idea is to se what I remembered as fact and what I had to make up as fiction. Here it is:

The bar was bright and warm; it’s always hot in here during summer. The many fluorescent lights give off electric heat, clinging to the humid air floating through the one door establishment. The tables by the dart boards are full of activity, mostly in the form of drinking and talking. The restaurant crew just waltzed in from the last shift of serving mediocre food to mediocre people for mediocre pay. Beers are poured, darts are thrown, complaints are made and jokes are laughed at. The tall blond Sandy shoots Jack Daniels with the same affliction one would attribute to shooting heroine. She knows its killing her, but for now it kills the pain. Jake throws his last dart and chugs his last sip of beer, having used his last quarter he strikes up what he feels will be his last conversation. Another typical Friday at the Red Harlott.

“So is it just me, or is Tammy a complete bitch?” he as-a-matter-of-factly asks Sandy.
She gives him a sympathetic look as she states “You just have to get used to her”. Jake throws a dart at the board, not caring that he is not playing the game but content with being allowed to watch. “I see, and her walking in and shouting orders on her first day doesn’t seem a little trite to anyone else but me I assume?” he sarcastically remarks as he makes his way up to the bar for some change and another round of beer. Sandy watches him walk away, hoping more beer means less moody conversation, but she is not that lucky, and she knows it.

Jake walks back with two beers in hand and gives one to Sandy, asking if she would like to throw a round of darts. Thinking it may help steer the conversation off of work, she agrees and throws the first dart. Triple seventeen, and their playing cricket. Looks like her luck is better than usual tonight. “So are you going to the company Christmas party next weekend?” she asks, hoping he will say yes. Putting down her his beer and picking up his darts, he replies “no, why the hell would I want to spend an evening with people I spend all dam day with? I don’t like most of them professionally, what makes you think I would like them socially?” It looks like her luck really hasn’t changed much after all.

Sandy disappointingly states how he should go, merely on the fact that she is attending alone and would like someone to hang with. He knows how she feels around him, but he can’t figure out why. The only time they see each other is either at work or at the bar, and in both scenarios he is usually cranky and standoffish. “Tell you what, why don’t we go together, that way you won’t be alone and I will have an excuse to leave. We can take off early and maybe hit a movie r something before going to the bar, how about that?” he asks her without looking at her. Her eyes light up a little but she pretends to blow it off, replying “Sure, that sounds like a good idea.” as if his offer had no impact on her. She sips her beer and thinks to herself “Well what do you know, luck changed once again”.

-B
Mr. Richard Smoker, you’re a poopy poker

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