Hello, writers. This revision I’m working on has really sapped all available time, so tonight’s challenge is stolen from John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist.
(Or possibly from his The Art of Fiction. You should read both, but you should also read more recent books about writing because baby, the game has changed. And since we haven’t discussed this in a few months: What’s your favorite writing book?)
Last week we talked about brevity—less is more. The story is built as much by the reader as by the writer, so trust the reader.
So, for tonight’s challenge, please try to keep to a 100-word limit again.
Okay. So, you can use the Callow Youth again if you want, this guy/girl:
A callow youth (male or female) is the Chosen One who must obtain the sacred jewel of Togwogmagog in order to save the kingdom.
…or you can drop him/her and pick some other character.
Tonight’s challenge:
In 100 words or less, write the scene just before the discovery of a dead body.
Don’t show the discovery, but create the mood in which the discovery can happen.
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