In the hopes of getting back into some sort of writing routine, and learning along the way, I am taking part in the #FastandFurious Festival Writing Challenge. You can find out more about it HERE
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Task One
...take what you learn about each of the three characters from the dialogue in the extract below and then develop them until you have a paragraph describing the character more fully.
A woman in a restaurant whispers to her friend:
"You know who that is over there, don't you?"
The other woman surreptitiously glances at the other table:
"No, who?"
"That's just it, she's had so much work done you don't recognise her. That's Betty Grainger."
"No!"
"Yes, she's had her nose done, cheeks lifted, even a hair transplant."
"Whatever for?"
"She's going into politics."
"Seriously, that's really her?"
Character 1:
45-year-old Mary Anne is a stay-at-home Mum, raised by strict, religious parents, her life has pretty much panned out as planned. Married to the perfect man and raising a kid that's unofficially other parents' benchmark for comparison, she is the life of the party. A great cook, generous and friendly, even strangers gravitate towards her making her very popular in real life and on Facebook. Friends are compelled to share their secrets with her and ask for advice, which she is more than happy to dispense.
Character 2:
39-year-old Darla, Marybeth's best friend, some call shadow, others who know better call an ambiguous rival. Single, opinionated and always one mark short of making the cut. Has a chip on her shoulder of life's unfairness but hides it well with words and action of support and kindness when the situation calls for it. At other times, short-tempered with a low tolerance for stupidy. On her own she wallows in self-pity, stalking her friends on social media and coveting their lives. She is on a spiritual quest and depends heavily on her pendulum and tarot cards for advice.
Character 3:
51-year-old Betty was born into poverty but blessed with beauty and brains. Clambering out of her rathole, she felt she could do better, be better, work harder. Her actions matched her desires and she aced her assignments but not the affection of the kids and later colleagues. They begrudged her good grades/promotions and looks and were/are even a little scared of her. Continuously working on herself from the time she was seven, she has fixed much of her, including her walk, personality traits, words, expressions, body language and now, her face so when she runs for office, the involuntary, unconscious judgements of the masses would be in her favour.
Task Two
Write a short dialogue, no more than 70-100 words, where two characters are talking about a third one.
"You promised!!!"
"What now?"
"What now?!! You gave him money- again!!"
"He got a job. He'll give it back."
"Like 6 months ago, the year before that?! He is a useless bum! You allow it!! You encourage him!!"
"We are family. We need to look out for each other."
"You are so worried about what people will say about your precious son. That money is mine, not yours to give. How about you look out for me for a change? The one who takes care of you", she turned away, angry with the tears threatening to spill. (97 words)
And that wraps Day 1. I was supposed to have finished this assignment in an hour, but I have taken longer, gahhh. Will need to work on my timing. I also messed up with the first time I posted this, so here I go again and hope that the first post stays deleted...
Thank you for reading😊
Till next time, Carpe Diem❣️
Sh33la