Take your character from last week's exercise (or use a new character if you wish) and give them a dilemma (a problem). Connect it to the character's ambition or secret. Write about the same number of words, but concentrate on conflict and making a beginning to a story.
In Keith Grey's words: "Decide how you are going to start your story. Can you think of an opening scene that will help you explain the Dilemma to your reader?" Link to podcast if you'd like to view it again.
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Here is my new character. A pregnant woman in her 30's.
"A Passage from Heaven"
I was twenty-eight years old back then. I just graduated from my Masters Degree, and was eager to start my dream job- a Teacher. After the graduation ceremony, I celebrated with my colleagues, my family and with my loving and very supportive husband, Jacob. That night was definitely one of the most happiest moment of my life, and also the most unforgettable. It was, at that night, in the midst of the celebration, Jacob accidentally spilled his drinks on me so I had to go to the washroom to dry my dress. I wasn’t wearing a bra that night, so I could see my bare breast in the mirror. The was something strange in it. I touched it and felt the lump at the lower part of my left breast, just below my nipple-for the first time. Oh, God, I should’ve known, I should’ve guessed, and I should’ve thought, that it was one of the most feared sickness of women in the whole world: Breast Cancer.
I took it for granted. I was focused on my career. It was my dream. For three years, I put aside my dream of being a mother, until I realized that I was getting too old to have a baby. So, I decided to finally have a child. It wasn’t hard for me to get pregnant. We went to seminars and sought advices from different doctors. It didn’t take too long, I got pregnant. I was so happy, when my menstruation stopped coming. I could also see the unusual gleam in the eyes of my partner. After nine months, he’ll finally have his very first trophy.
My stomach started to dilate; it got bigger and bigger.
I was on a regular check-up, It was my first time of being pregnant, so I must admit I was scared, in fact, very scared. But it was on the sixth month check-up when I asked my Doctor to feel the lump, that never seems to leave my breast. And it was then, when she told me, that I should get it looked at. The following day, I went to a specialist. She performed a series of tests on me. She examined my whole body using various kinds of equipments that I’ve never seen in my life and didn’t even thought that existed. After she was done, she told me to come back in a week to get the results. I waited anxiously for the next week, and then it came.
Her office was very white and very clean. It has posters of women wearing bandanas on their heads and has quotes printed in it that says “ I am a Woman and I am Fighting Breast Cancer.” I waited for a few minutes, looking around and around the room, not knowing what kind of news I was about to hear. The door behind me opened, it was her, Dr. Mila Agatha- I will never forget her, even afterlife. She asked me how I was doing, and I said I was doing better than ever. Dr. Agatha’s smile was very pleasant. She was beautiful and probably just few years older than me. She asked me some questions about my family, and about my life. I told her how happy I was to have my first child. What I want him/her to be. I also told her about my husband, about how supportive he was. That he didn’t took a Masters after finishing his Bachelor’s Degree, so that he could work and pay for my school. She wanted me to be happy and seeing me smile makes his life worthwhile. I love him. We were best friends since grade school. He was a big part of my life and I was of his‘. After few minutes of chatting. I asked her about the results. Without saying anything else, she told me I have Cancer. That it was on level 4, which means it was incurable. And the hardest fact that she told me was that I had to choose between saving my child’s life or my own. I didn’t know what to say, nor how to react. I simply looked at her eyes, and try to convince myself that the Doctor in front of me was telling a lie. But she wasn’t. She came over to me and gave me a hug, told me that It was ok- even though she just told me that either me or my child would die- and that everything was going to be just fine.
I got home later that day, crying. My husband asked me why my eyes were bursting with tears. I told him I was dying, without even thinking how to say it, or how to deliver it. The outcome was still the same. He was devastated. I asked him the most difficult question he’d ever answer in his whole life. Who do you want to lose, our unborn child or me? I explained to him why he had to choose and everything that Dr. Agatha had told me. He chose me; he wanted me to live. But, if I lived, I would have died soon, anyway. My life was already marked. I had less than a year to live.
Last week, the time had come. Though I was very happy that Jacob chose me until the end, I wanted him to have her. She would remind him of our memories, and of my undying love. Kyla, our little angel, was born the very moment I died.
This is my attempt to write a dilemma, i hope u like it...^^*
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“Are you going somewhere?” my wife shouted as I prepared to go outside.
“Why? Are you going to come along?” said I, wishing my wife wouldn’t come along because I have to wait for hours and hours to wait her to get dressed and watch her do a makeup.
“No, just asking… Oh, if you’re going to Safeway, don’t forget to by these!” as she said this, she handed me a list, the list I have to buy.
In the beginning, it wasn’t like this; my wife shouting at me,and don’t have to wait for hours and hours to wait her to get dressed and watch her do a makeup. In the beginning, I was the one who was late for everything, and my wife always kissed my cheek to remember her by. She always bought the things in the list before I did. It was so sweet of her.
Here I am, fixing my fishing poll again. So quiet, so peaceful. I don’t want to go back to my home because of my wife.
Words:175.
People were gathering to the meeting hall. There’s a mobilization to”purify the class ranks”. That was very important to clarify who is our reliable comrade or the class enemy.
Mr. Fu, the chief of the revolutionary committee, sat on the stage, and the party secretary beside him.
Humming in the hall, they were chattering while waiting. Of course everyone had a “red booklet” in his /her hand.
Suddenly, Mr. Hull stood up and asked loudly: “Comrade Fu. Why did you send someone on a mission to spy my family?”
“I beg your pardon! Comrade.”
“I say, someone followed the track of me.”
“I don’t know. I bet it!” Mr. Fu replied positively.
The hall began to be quiet immediately, for they all know that something big would happen. Just at this moment, Mr. Hull turned around and pointed at a man at the corner. “MR. Bean, how dare you to spy my family!”
The attentions of all the “revolutionary mass” were focused on this man at the corner. Mr. Bean stunned by this bolt from the blue. He was dumbstruck as a wooden chicken.
After the celebrating party my team prepared for me, I was so eager to go home. There was another party at home waiting for me, with all my families.
I’ve taken some wine, but not so much, actually everybody in my team took some. There was no other moment worth of celebrating than this. I had the greatest election team ever.
After the party that night, I was heading back to my hotel with Bob, my driver and my body guards. I closed my eyes slightly, even my brain was still so exciting about the result.
The car moved smoothly, and I fell into a little nap. There was a queer dream during this little moment. I was about to open the door of the white house, a black dog just rushed and barked at me.
“Bang!” I was awoken by the sudden break of my car. “What happened, go and check out,” I simply ordered them, although they didn't seem need it.
“Someone was hit by our car,” one of my guard reported within a minute.
“Are you kidding me?” I couldn’t believe how sucks it was. “Is it serious?” I asked.
“Yes, sir, very badly. It’s a jaywalker suddenly appeared and hit out car. He is still bleeding and seems the injury is on his head.”
“Damn it, call ambulance, what are you waiting for?”
“Are you sure?” my guard looked at me, “It won't be good for you, sir and Bob had some beer too. It would be on the head line tomorrow if so and . . . .”
Yes, he was right. For the moment I wasn’t sure too.
How Can I Drive Her Away?
Somebody approached me, stopped, and sniffed my tail, my claws, and my body. At the strange noise, I woke up. It was her—Jin Hua, the newcomer.
“What do you want?” I got up, faced her, and hissed her, my back hair standing up.
She turned back, went to the kitchen, and looked for help.
“Hey, Wang Cai! You bad boy! Why don’t you leave her alone?” mom shouted.
“Give me a break! It was she picking a quarrel!” I thought, “I’ll give her a lesson, right now!”
I widened my eyes, quietly approached to her, and she tried to run away. I intercepted and captured her at the hall way—I hissed at her face, clawed her lips, and bit her ear. She cried aloud, jumped away, and hid under the sofa.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you, Wang Cai? I’ll lock you in the bathroom if you bite her again! You hear me?”
“Mom loves her! It is bad! She’s mine!” I meowed as a protest and I felt so angry, “What should I do? How can I drive her away?”
I decided to fast tonight and tomorrow—mom would know what I wanted, she always knew.
-198 words
Here’s my practice on how to write a dilemma
I was at Winners again the next day, but at the fitting rooms this time with a staff whose friendly smile had turn to hostile grin when she saw me with a cart full of clothes.
I disappeared in the long hallway of the fitting rooms after she counted and gave me a number six for proof that I have only six out of my full cart of clothes.
As I tried to pull of my scarf, I realized it was not mine. It was the store’s and it has no security tag! I can just put it in my bag and nobody will notice! But that would be dishonesty.
“No, it won’t be because you need it,” a woman my age stood, looking at the scarf from over my shoulder, said.
“I barely buy clothes from any store, but take them free,” she smile proudly.
“But that’s stealing!”
“Who cares? They never know and you can do the same if you want.
Put it in your bag and go because she didn’t see it.” She took the scarf and attempted putting it in my bag.
No! I don’t and you can’t make me steal!
She frowned, glared and screamed at me, “I'm sure you don’t have mall buddy and you’re longing for one, but I can’t be because you … “don’t steal”!
How did she know that? That’s my longing, having a friend who would come shopping with me, but I never get one.
“So, are you taking the scarf?” she said, raising her eyebrow.
I’d love to have her as my mall buddy, yet I don’t want to steal! What should I do? Steal the scarf, and be her friend or don’t steal the scarf, and loss her as a mall buddy?
I’m on the fence.
299 words
“Redo it,” my boss Winnie said coldly, dropped my article in front of me. “Listen, hand me tomorrow morning. It’s certainly your last chance. If you still can’t make me satisfied with your work, you’d better find yourself another job.”
When I picked up the piece of papers from the table, I really would like to throw them at her face, but all what I did was just turned around and walked out her office silently.
I burst into the darkness, kept walking rapidly to the bus stop. It was cold, raining, and windy. The moan of the wind sounded like the shout came from my heart. The light which came from street lamps was winking just like Winnie’s eyes; it seemed that they were mocking at me.
“You old witch,” I reviled through clenched teeth. “No wonder your husband dumped you, you are insane.”
I couldn’t remember how many times Winnie talked to me in that way, threatening me to find another job. But this time would be the last, I decided. I couldn’t bear to be abused by this witch any longer because I’m a man, who used to be a managing editor in a national newspaper before immigration in his mother country. Just because my English was not good enough, I couldn’t find an office work except my present job--an editor in a local Chinese newspaper.
“Go to the hell, bitch, don’t expect to ride roughshod over me any more. I prefer to be a labour.” I decided to hand Winnie a letter of resignation instead of an article tomorrow morning.
“Daddy, you finally back.” Kevin, my five years old son gave a big hug when I stepped into home.
“Why do you come back so late? Kevin couldn’t wait to eat the birthday cake.” My wife’s voice came from the kitchen.
“Gees, I almost forget today is Kevin’s birthday.” I was led by Kevin to the dining table where was a small birthday cake on it. Besides the cake, there were several envelopes that were statements and bills from banks and some companies, and they have lain there for many days. Suddenly, I felt that I needed to have second thoughts about my resignation letter.
372 words
“Stop harasses me any more! If you ever not listen to me, I will throw you out of the door.” said the desperate housewife.
“You can lock me out of the door, but I will play magic and make another rosy. She is my buddy, and she will haunt you for ever” Said rosy
Every time after her mother ties up her shoes, she will untie the shoelaces again and leave the string hanging loose.
“You will trip and injure yourself” her mother warmed her, but she never cared.
If she ever got punished by her mother, she will cry and scream for the whole two to three hours. They are living at the ground floor. The next day, their neighbour living on seventeen floors told her mother that he heard the screaming of a child last night.
“Rosy, you need to eat” her mother begged; Rosy sat by the table and played with her toy, “When we are eating, you can’t play your toys” her mother snatch the toy from her hands. But she still refused to eat and play with her bare hands and imaginary toys on her hands.
“How about drinking the soup in your bowl” her mother commanded. Rosy picked up the bowl; flip-flop, all soup was spilling all over the floor. “Oh, I can’t bare it anymore” her mother cried
“I can’t do this anymore.” She talked to herself. I need to send her to the school and find her tough teachers; they will be able to fix her.
254 words
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