EXERCISE: Gimme a real romance?
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writercisesOriginal Posting 8 February 2009
That was romance?
Sunday, Mitsuko was flipping through the channels and stopped on "Love on Sunday." I'm not quite sure whether this is a continuing series or a special, but we tuned in just in time to see a young man stopping a young woman from jumping off the roof. Yes, she was trying to commit suicide. And he walked her home, and then stopped her from killing herself with a knife. He finally gets her to explain that her last boyfriend died in an accident, so she is trying to kill herself.
Oddly enough, they fall in love. I think I missed a couple of scenes at this point, but . . .
And now the young man discovers that he only has six months to live. Doctor tells him, and he goes into a whole set of flashbacks about the young woman and her attempted suicide, plus several flashforwards about what he wished . . . long life with her, kids, etc. But now . . . what should he do?
And he proceeds to lie to her. First, he continues the relationship, with no hint of the problem.
And then one day . . . she discovers an earring in his bed. Not hers. And proceeds to storm out of the house because of the "other woman" that he has been hiding.
He has faked the whole thing, of course. He bought the earrings just for this purpose.
Flash/cut to the man lying in a hospital bed. The doctor (or nurse?) comes in and asks if there is anything he would like. And . . .
The doctor/nurse wheels him out to the park where they always went on Sunday. Sure enough, his young female friend comes around the pond and sits down, reading a book. And the doctor/nurse says something about "Let's talk to her." He refuses. No, it is enough to see that she is healthy. And then another young man comes out and sits down beside her, handing her a drink, putting his arm around her.
And our hero smiles, happy to see that she has found another man to live her life with.
The doctor/nurse turns him around, and heads back to the hospital. Roll credits.
EEP? That was the end? Even my wife was disgusted. Neither one of us liked that one. I suppose his lying to the woman to give her a better life was supposed to be a "noble sacrifice" but we both thought it was just stupid. No resolution, just a lie?
Okay. Your assignment. Take that basic situation -- boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy finds out he is going to die in the not too distant future -- and then figure out how he, and she, should react. Should he tell her? And then . . .
So the best way to end a relationship is to pretend to have another relationship? Yowks, what fools these writers be.
sometimes stories fizzle
That was romance?
Sunday, Mitsuko was flipping through the channels and stopped on "Love on Sunday." I'm not quite sure whether this is a continuing series or a special, but we tuned in just in time to see a young man stopping a young woman from jumping off the roof. Yes, she was trying to commit suicide. And he walked her home, and then stopped her from killing herself with a knife. He finally gets her to explain that her last boyfriend died in an accident, so she is trying to kill herself.
Oddly enough, they fall in love. I think I missed a couple of scenes at this point, but . . .
And now the young man discovers that he only has six months to live. Doctor tells him, and he goes into a whole set of flashbacks about the young woman and her attempted suicide, plus several flashforwards about what he wished . . . long life with her, kids, etc. But now . . . what should he do?
And he proceeds to lie to her. First, he continues the relationship, with no hint of the problem.
And then one day . . . she discovers an earring in his bed. Not hers. And proceeds to storm out of the house because of the "other woman" that he has been hiding.
He has faked the whole thing, of course. He bought the earrings just for this purpose.
Flash/cut to the man lying in a hospital bed. The doctor (or nurse?) comes in and asks if there is anything he would like. And . . .
The doctor/nurse wheels him out to the park where they always went on Sunday. Sure enough, his young female friend comes around the pond and sits down, reading a book. And the doctor/nurse says something about "Let's talk to her." He refuses. No, it is enough to see that she is healthy. And then another young man comes out and sits down beside her, handing her a drink, putting his arm around her.
And our hero smiles, happy to see that she has found another man to live her life with.
The doctor/nurse turns him around, and heads back to the hospital. Roll credits.
EEP? That was the end? Even my wife was disgusted. Neither one of us liked that one. I suppose his lying to the woman to give her a better life was supposed to be a "noble sacrifice" but we both thought it was just stupid. No resolution, just a lie?
Okay. Your assignment. Take that basic situation -- boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy finds out he is going to die in the not too distant future -- and then figure out how he, and she, should react. Should he tell her? And then . . .
So the best way to end a relationship is to pretend to have another relationship? Yowks, what fools these writers be.
sometimes stories fizzle
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