vituperation

November 22, 2004

Okay, class, I have an assignment for those of you who are interested. It’s a simple one, and hopefully one you’ll enjoy.

First, a couple of questions. One, would you consider yourself an avid reader of books? Two, do you enjoy books of suspense, with plenty of action thrown in for good measure?

If you answered “no” to either of these, you’re dismissed — this assignment is definitely not for you. If, on the other hand, you answered “yes” to both, keep reading.

Robyn and I are playing around at jointly writing some fiction. Here’s how we do it:

In bed at night, I babble incessantly at Robyn with my ideas until I get some half-hearted agreement from her that one might work. Next, I sit down and write an outline for a chapter and give it to her. She turns it into a real chapter and gives it back to me. We both gripe about how stupid the premise is for a bit, then I settle in and rewrite the chapter from scratch, using what she wrote as a guide, and harvesting out the pieces I think need to be kept. Then I polish it a little and give it back to her, and we go over it together, giving it one final tweaking.

That said, I have a finished first chapter I’d like to hear your opinion on, if you’re of a mind. Your whole assignment is this: read the chapter that’s right here (in Word format) and share your thoughts in the comment area below or in email to me.

Tell me what you liked, and what you didn’t like, but most importantly tell me this: if you’d read this in a book in a store, would you want to keep reading the book?

Thank you in advance, from the both of us.