You Got What Where? How?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 12:37:03 EDT

I was contemplating my navel, and the fuzz, and it struck me...

1. Pick one of the following (roll a die, whatever)

a. ear b. mouth c. nose d. navel e. underwear f. eye

2. Pick one of the following

a. water b. sand c. lint d. foam e. a twig f. an ant

3. and one of these...

a. a business meeting b. a wedding c. a funeral
d. a church service e. an operation f. a political rally

4. last, but not least...

a. a beach party b. a birthday party c. something I can't remember...
d. a night at home e. a day at the office f. a taxi ride

Okay. got your pieces in mind?

(if they are in the gutter, pick them up right away and wash them well...then spin dry your cortex and try again...:)

When I went to (3), I discovered that (4) had left me with (2) in my (1).

Go on from there--remember the little child watching you, the way the boss's wife happens to glance over just as you peel back your...well, you know how it goes.

Remember--only you can get yourself into these things, and only you can get yourself out again...

*let's see, where did I put my bellybutton fuzz collection anyway?*

A red and yellow basket

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

original posting: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 17:11:09 EDT

At one end of the rainbow...

One character convinces the other to reveal their

1. sin 2. crime 3. real goal 4. hidden secret 5. true feeling 6. dream

In the middle...

1. An employer criticizes one character
2. A lover interferes
3. A waitress offers advice
4. A child isn't where they are supposed to be
5. A pet wants more attention
6. Parents want to put their two cents in

At the other end...

One character tries to

1. buy dinner for the other
2. put a paper in the other's pocket
3. blackmail the other
4. give the other one a ride
5. outbid the other at an auction
6. talk the other out of a bad investment

(Wheee! I love rainbows, don't you?
and the gold I pick up for taking the time to look at them...)

Okay? Three pebbles in the flow, just connect them up and write that story.

TECH: How Do We Mystify?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Before we go to far, you might want to think about how you, as a writer, like to set up your mysteries. Or suspense.

How do you get a reader interested, how do you keep them reading, how do you convince them that somewhere down the way, you are going to reveal something interesting?
( meandering . .  )

Hum. Let's see. Mystery by expectation? Suspense in the interruptions?

How do you create that air of mystery, anyway?

When we write, we learn about ourselves.