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Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

19 June 2023

Posted by Tabby Hayward

Timing

This week, we started by picking an existing character, and the writers had  5 minutes to list as many details about them as possible.
Then we thought about their morning routine - what do they do when they first wake up? 
And then the writers decided on the biggest/most life changing thing which could happen to them at this point - good or bad?

We then read extracts from the opening of random by debbie tucker green and discussed how she uses time and timings to build the tension, and to shape these characters through their morning routines. Inspired by this, the writers wrote a scene (monologue or dialogue) of their character's morning routine, leading up to a big event. 

The Granny Moon Chronicles by Lawrence

Early One Morning

04:53am:

It always starts the same way, that loop-the-loop stomach, head over heels

going down, down- splash

I gasp for breath, clawing at the sand that obligingly formed a stairwell for me-

I would ask the powers that be, ‘Since you go to all that trouble of building me a

staircase of sand, couldn’t we just… cut out the splash? Do both ourselves a favour

and simply deposit me on land?’ But then, one doesn’t like to look a gift horse in the

mouth; I never was much of a swimmer.

Once I’m on-land, the water just rolls off me; it’s good like that. And I get to my

morning stroll. That pale blue hue I recognise as my time to think. We breathe, the

day and I- eying each other at arm’s length.

I’m always sure to head to my hotel before 6, mind you, before Sunlight gets any

ideas.

I thought this day would be the same as the rest.

One never really knows that this particular day they’ve arrived upon is the day

everything changes. You just go about your day, until the day goes awry.

I was dipping my second soldier into my egg when it happened. The sky-cracking

solar flare.

The sky-cracking solar flare that violates every word of our accords,

even the footnotes at the bottom.

Long, leering tongues of Sun are cracking the sky wide open.

I drop my soldier, staring. Not knowing what to do for the first time I can remember.


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