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Writing Group / Re: Writing Prompts!
« on: January 11, 2011, 03:10:33 PM »
lol@TK421: That made me laugh.
Dhalagirl: Really enjoyed that.
Last week's prompt (it's a bit long so here's the link): http://bit.ly/hJ9Gro
This week's prompt: Writing Prompt: Pick a typical promise that a child might make, and use that as the promise you’re making to your readers.
The Promise of Pizza
Billy notices a strange woman doing strange things on his front lawn. He goes outside to inquire “Excuse me, what are you doing?”
“Hi Billy”
“Do I know you?”
“Billy!”
“Carlie? Carlie Smarlie Barley and Rye?”
“Yes, it’s Carlie”
“How have you been?”
“I’m doing very fine. I see you’re doing well for yourself, Billy Cranston”
“Can’t complain. So er…why are you measuring my house?”
I like things to be done properly.
“Landscaping?” Billy asks. “Survey?”
“Pizza”
“Pizza?”
“Mrs. Graham’s pizza party.”
“I remember that…I got sick that night. But what does it have to do with…”
“You ate so much pizza.”
“I guess I did”
“You ate Eddie Mitchell’s slice and Janice Brown’s slice”
“You have a great memory”
“They were my friends”
“They must have been my friends too…to give me their pizza”
“You took their pizza”
“I did?”
“Yes. You ate my slice also”
“I took your pizza?”
“No. I gave it to you”
“We were good friends”
“No. You made a promise”
“I did?”
“Of course you did. If I gave you my pizza you would make me a pizza pie bigger than your house”
Billy chuckles “That sounds like something I would have said”
“You did say it”
He continues to chuckle until it hits him that Carlie had never been the humorous type and that she now stood before him, measuring tape in hand. “Hey, let me buy you a pizza.”
“That’s why I’m here. 45 by 65”
“What’s that?”
“That’s bigger than your house”
Billy looks at the woman before him. 30 years had changed her. People become psychopaths in less time than that, he thought. He remembered, again, how she never laughed…maybe she had always been one. “How much money will a pizza this size cost?”
Carlie takes a calculator from her pocket. “Eddie wants pepperoni. Janice wants extra cheese and assorted vegetables. I take mine plain”
Billy shifts, searching for a relaxed pose to hide his uneasiness “You guys still friends…that’s great”
“Of course we are. We play Scrabble every Tuesday” She continues to calculate “have you considered which flour you’ll be using?”
“Flour…no. I haven’t considered that”
“That has to be factored in.”
“Why don’t I just give you a round number. Round up if you like.”
“I don’t want money. I want pizza. Pizza bigger than your house.”
“Carlie. How do you expect me to do that?
“You made the promise, Billy Cranston, you’ll figure it out. I’ll be back next week.”
“Right. Next week.”
“I never noticed that before, Billy.”
“Noticed what?”
“The twitch. You didn’t have that in 1st grade, did you?”
“No I don’t think I did. Nice seeing you Carlie. Say Hi to Teddy and Janice.”
“Eddie. Eddie and Janice”
“Right. Eddie and Janice”
Carlie walks off. Billy returns to his house, locking the door behind him. He watches her through the blinds.
“What are you looking at, Dear?” His wife asks
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“The kids want Pizza for dinner”
“Pizza? Sure. Pizza is fine.”
Dhalagirl: Really enjoyed that.
Last week's prompt (it's a bit long so here's the link): http://bit.ly/hJ9Gro
This week's prompt: Writing Prompt: Pick a typical promise that a child might make, and use that as the promise you’re making to your readers.
The Promise of Pizza
Billy notices a strange woman doing strange things on his front lawn. He goes outside to inquire “Excuse me, what are you doing?”
“Hi Billy”
“Do I know you?”
“Billy!”
“Carlie? Carlie Smarlie Barley and Rye?”
“Yes, it’s Carlie”
“How have you been?”
“I’m doing very fine. I see you’re doing well for yourself, Billy Cranston”
“Can’t complain. So er…why are you measuring my house?”
I like things to be done properly.
“Landscaping?” Billy asks. “Survey?”
“Pizza”
“Pizza?”
“Mrs. Graham’s pizza party.”
“I remember that…I got sick that night. But what does it have to do with…”
“You ate so much pizza.”
“I guess I did”
“You ate Eddie Mitchell’s slice and Janice Brown’s slice”
“You have a great memory”
“They were my friends”
“They must have been my friends too…to give me their pizza”
“You took their pizza”
“I did?”
“Yes. You ate my slice also”
“I took your pizza?”
“No. I gave it to you”
“We were good friends”
“No. You made a promise”
“I did?”
“Of course you did. If I gave you my pizza you would make me a pizza pie bigger than your house”
Billy chuckles “That sounds like something I would have said”
“You did say it”
He continues to chuckle until it hits him that Carlie had never been the humorous type and that she now stood before him, measuring tape in hand. “Hey, let me buy you a pizza.”
“That’s why I’m here. 45 by 65”
“What’s that?”
“That’s bigger than your house”
Billy looks at the woman before him. 30 years had changed her. People become psychopaths in less time than that, he thought. He remembered, again, how she never laughed…maybe she had always been one. “How much money will a pizza this size cost?”
Carlie takes a calculator from her pocket. “Eddie wants pepperoni. Janice wants extra cheese and assorted vegetables. I take mine plain”
Billy shifts, searching for a relaxed pose to hide his uneasiness “You guys still friends…that’s great”
“Of course we are. We play Scrabble every Tuesday” She continues to calculate “have you considered which flour you’ll be using?”
“Flour…no. I haven’t considered that”
“That has to be factored in.”
“Why don’t I just give you a round number. Round up if you like.”
“I don’t want money. I want pizza. Pizza bigger than your house.”
“Carlie. How do you expect me to do that?
“You made the promise, Billy Cranston, you’ll figure it out. I’ll be back next week.”
“Right. Next week.”
“I never noticed that before, Billy.”
“Noticed what?”
“The twitch. You didn’t have that in 1st grade, did you?”
“No I don’t think I did. Nice seeing you Carlie. Say Hi to Teddy and Janice.”
“Eddie. Eddie and Janice”
“Right. Eddie and Janice”
Carlie walks off. Billy returns to his house, locking the door behind him. He watches her through the blinds.
“What are you looking at, Dear?” His wife asks
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“The kids want Pizza for dinner”
“Pizza? Sure. Pizza is fine.”