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United Kingdom
I've been creative writing all my life, though with various haitus(es) along the way. IFrom 2010 I started this blog and enjoyed sharing writing and other information with everyone. illness and bereavement supplied the more recent hiatus.

Wednesday 29 September 2010

With Murderous Intent

Many of you will remember that I signed up for a Crime Writing Workshop
‘The Body in the Library’  and I have to say I was not disappointed. It was run by the lovely Myfanwy Cook who has written commissioned articles on the craft of writing and has had over 90 short stories published in the UK and Australia, including romantic and historical fiction. She has also been a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society.

Her workshop inspired me to write the piece below,
which I thought would work in the Bad News Blogfest
 Submissions should have emotional impact, where the character receives bad news. It can be written in any genre, any POV, any means of delivery up to 1,000 words:

So, whadja think?

The Body in the Library Workshop covered:
The Vocabulary Of Murder
Setting Crime Scenes: Place and Setting
The Victim: Clinical vs. Emotional
The Detective
Red Herrings & Clues
Cliff-hangers
Opening Scenes
Era/ Transformation: Past or Present
Useful References and Resources

I enjoyed all of the writing exercises Vanni set and met some very talented, lovely people. At the risk of sounding boastful, amusingly while many of the others on the day managed to write 36-50 words,I scribbled down a staggering 125! My point being that daily writing practice makes all the difference.

I chose Magda Mort or maybe Mortimer for my pen name on the day. (Tongue-in-cheek here) What would your pen name be?

Bizarrely my Weds post came up with Tuesday date!

14 comments:

  1. I'm really pleased the workshop lived up to your expectations. I've never written crime fiction myself but the workshop sounded so intriguing.

    I loved the last sentence of A Fly on the Wall!

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  2. Thanks Ellie, yes my Hubby commented on that line too. :O)

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  3. Ooh I actually have three pen names, but I'm not telling yet ;-)

    I like Magda Mortimer more, since the name Mort is a tad obvious to me.

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  4. What a great short story. I loved the pixelated image...brilliant!

    No pen name for me, although my boys would like to call me book worm.

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  5. I like the imagery in your "Fly on the Wall" :-)

    Just wanted to let you know that I gave you an award on my blog...

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  6. Wow, Britian's got talent! The fact that there were no maggots present makes me think that the body had been dead for a few days only. I cleaned out Mom's apt. after she had been dead on the carpet by her bed for weeks. The smell is nasty. A broken pane on the window suggests a projectile. It would have to determined if it is an exit or entrance shot. Elementary my dear (Emma) Watson. My pen's name is "BIC". Just kidding. How about Blackie McRae. Take a former pet's name and a street you have lived on. Chow Bellas. Gord Smith41

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  7. Hi Barb, Yes that must have been *terrible*.

    Thanks for the enthusiastic comments.

    Thanks also to Mischa, Julie and Rachel. Glad you enjoyed the gore. :O)

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  8. I like the amount of information you get across about the scene, and I think the slightly distanced feel of it works surprisingly well. Curiously, I'm not as much a fan of the last sentence as others. It's a nice sentence in itself, but I'm not sure it connects to the tone of the rest of it.

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  9. Thanks for your feedback Stu, I will think about how to revise it so it blends :O)

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  10. Hi,

    Re A Fly On The Wall: It's certainly atmospheric descriptive wise and impacts on all the senses of the MC. Very short, sharp, and not so sweet ending! ;) Nicely done.

    best
    F

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  11. Love your descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed your piece! Nicely written! ;)

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  12. Iteresting picture you 'painted';-) You fit alot into such a few words. Great job!

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  13. Aww, how awful to come across such a horrible scene. Definitely bad news. Great Post! :D

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  14. LOL! Yes not so sweet, Glad it hit the spot, though.
    Thanks Francine, Talei, Cinette and Brenda. :O)

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