Showtime

This is the sequence of a creative process I've gone through this week. 

It began Monday in Creative Writing when I gave the writers the main character questionnaire, along with the questions Steve Almond suggests for developing characters, and told them to create a character by answering the questions.

Then I sat down and wrote. This is what surfaced, the setting and the name of the character and the inner conflict, all by asking questions:

Character questions answered

She sits in her pink bedroom –the walls rosy pink, the carpeting pink flecked on black. Her bed is covered with a quilt made of geometrics in pink, white, black, and silver. Her furniture is painted light gray, covered from the dirty white she grew up with.

In the bottom drawer of her dresser, under her collection of pajamas and sweats, is a journal she records song lyrics. They come to her in the night, and she writes them down in a black moleskin book with a thin pink Sharpie.  She never reads them – she just writes. She’s on her third notebook, 200 pages each.

Alessia’s biggest problem is that she has no confidence. She has grown up with no real encouragement. She undervalues her own talent. She has made a habit of hiding – a habit that at 16 is hard to break.

 For Wednesday's class, I suggested the students put their characters into a scene.  We had some prompts that day, one being Late to the Party.  I sat down and wrote this:

Put character into a scene

She is late to the party.

Alessia knew that if she showed up, she would be put in a position where she’d have to admit to writing songs. The exposure would be too much. But she knew it was coming.

It had happened after school, in Scholars Club, when Dylan brought his guitar and was strumming some tunes as background music. Their sponsor – Ms. Cane – suggested that each team write a song or rap for the topic they were discussing – friendship. Off the top of her head and without thinking, Alessia sang some of the lyrics she had written just the night before on the subject. She felt comfortable around Dylan, so she didn’t mind him knowing, and they were the only juniors on the team. She didn’t care what the freshmen and sophomores thought.

Immediately Dylan said, “We should sing this at Kate’s party Saturday.”  Alessia knew that she had made a huge mistake. Now the cat was out of the bag and, even though Kate was one of her best friends she still had never revealed her secret obsession to anyone.

Alessia heard her phone vibrate – a text message coming in. It was Kate: Where R U? Dylan is asking.

For a brief moment, about as thin as an eyelash, Alessia’s heart fluttered. Dylan was waiting for her. Dylan noticed.  Immediately she felt stupid. He just wants to sing the song.

Alessia texted back: Leaving now.

Before turning the bedroom light of, she looked back at her moleskin notebook lying on the bed. She didn’t even feel compelled to hide it.

It was showtime.

 

I didn't really have a feeling of this being a big story, or even a character I would work with. Instead I realized this might be the time to try out something I had yet to attempt: a 100 word story. This is a form I have been aware of, and for some reason lately I can't stop thinking about it.

I began by getting to the issues faster. That took the original 266 words to 171.

I trimmed some more, rearranged, re-worded. That took me to 120.

Tightened up spots. 109. Put a hypen between "carefully" and "guarded," making 108.  

Trimmed, reworded.  103. Trimmed, reworded.  STILL 103.

Finally got the last words out of the second last sentence.

100!

Could it be better? Probably.  But this was FUN!  You can bet I'm taking it to my writers next week.

100 Word Story

"Showtime"

She was late for Kate’s party. She foolishly had agreed to sing a song with Dylan tonight, one they had spontaneously practiced last week. Whatever had compelled her to sing her carefully-guarded lyrics to his guitar: the secret revealed?

Text from Dylan: Where R U?

In a moment as thin as an eyelash, Alessia’s heart fluttered. Dylan was waiting for her. Immediately she felt stupid. He just wants to sing the song.

Alessia texted back: Leaving now.

Before turning the bedroom light off, she looked back at her notebook exposed on the bed. She left it there.

It was showtime.