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This month, the Ink Well is engaged in the "Fast and Furious Festival". That means a month of fun, excitement, and learning. Day 1 of the Festival deals with Character and Dialogue. I'm excited to learn from a different perspective how to develop my character and incorporate meaningful dialogue.
If you'd like to join in this festival, visit this post to sign up then check out the activities for Day 1 here.
Day 1 Prompt - Character and Dialogue
Task 1
In your post, take what you learn about each of the three characters from the dialogue in the extract below and then develop them until you have a paragraph describing the character more fully. Source of directions taken from The Ink Well Fast and Furious Festival - Day 1 Post.
A woman in a restaurant whispers to her friend:
"You know who that is over there, don't you?"
The other woman surreptiously glances at the other table:
"No, who?"
"That's just it, she's had so much work done you don't recognise her. That's Betty Grainger."
"No!"
"Yes, she's had her nose done, cheeks lifted, even a hair transplant."
"Whatever for?"
"She's going into politics."
"Seriously, that's really her?"
Barbara Harlinger, aka "Babbs or Babble", whichever title fit that day according to who she was talking to or about. She's waiting in the restaurant with her friend when she spots Betty Grainger. Temptation takes over and Babble emerges. In her early 50s, short in statue, and a tad bit on the heavy side, Barbara's constant struggle with chocolate was proving too much, as she saw herself tipping the scale on the losing end. But help was only minutes away as her second home was the Dallas Branch of the Mayo Clinic. Babbs enjoyed the lifestyle of the rich and famous, even though she and her family wasn't rich. Her claim to fame and fortune was through marriage to a well-known, successful banker. Through his connections, she was able to enter the socialite status in North Texas. Her three children attended prominent boarding schools. She loved sports and gained numerous lunch buddies from sport team owners' spouses. She tried to gain a foothold in political circles and would often attend fundraisers and socialize where political figures mingled.
Charlotte Rathbone. A true socialite. Not prone to pettiness or gossip. At 60 she is well preserved in both facial and body features. Not an overly tall lady, she does command attention when she enters a room or speaks. Her exquisite fashion sense is recognized yearly in appropriate magazine outlets. She's also well established as a member on the Texas Who's Who list. Her only child is an attorney and partner in a successful firm on the East Coast. Her husband is the head of a brokerage firm in Dallas. Charity work is the most pressing issue in her life. She briefly saw but never personally met Betty Grainger two years ago at a political event. She thought at the time that Betty was a no-nonsense individual who would be heard from again in the political arena. She met Barbara Harlinger a few years ago at a charity event. Immediately, she decided they would not be close, although she couldn't help a laugh or two escaping when Babble got going. She only agreed to meet with Barbara, or "Babble" as she now calls her, after receiving a message from the organization that Barbara expressed an interest in donating to one of her charities. Otherwise, she spends her time wisely as she wished Babble would.
Betty Grainger. The girl from the other side of the tracks - and not the good side of the inner city of Texas in the deep South of the U.S. Her rise in the political spectrum by the age of 40 was by sheer determination. Not having attended a well-known college like many of her classmates didn't stop her from pursuing her dream of power in a political career. At 5' 10" with a lean body that sported curves in the right places, her street smarts, strong will, and tomboyish appearance came in handy when dealing with people who dared to demean her because of her looks and background. Some say her family engaged in illegal activities. She'd say they were entrepreneurs who helped their community. Her spouse and two children urged her to get involved in their state political scene. Things couldn't be any worse than the direction the current incumbent governor had led them down. Betty's view of politics at the start of her journey took a drastic turn when tragedy struck her household. Afterwards, she vowed to win even if she had to put in a call to her family. They'd take care of the rumormongers. She laughed hard at the hair transplant story that her wig almost fell off. But no time to reminisce. The campaign manager was on his way to brief her on the atmosphere surrounding her first pit stop at an upscale restaurant on the campaign tour in Dallas.
Task 2
Write a short dialogue (70 - 100 words), like the one above, no more than 70-100 words, where two characters are talking about a third one. What can you reveal about your characters in your dialogue? Source of directions taken from The Ink Well Fast and Furious Festival - Day 1 Post.
"Three people dead. Nature and location similar. We've got a serial. Five people confessed to the killings. Three in jail; one 90 years old; one out of state. I'll never understand people, Chief Jackson lamented."
Two days later, a similar death.
"Round up the usual suspects, Chief?" the senior officer replied, then smiled.
"Five dollars say he'll try to pin it on the minorities." His freshman partner leaned in closer.
"No way. The gangs. Been six months since we rounded them up. Let's flip."
"Pot calling the kettle black, his freshman partner snickered.
The perpetrator eavesdropped with crossed fingers hidden.
I approached this Day 1 assignment completing Task 2 first. I wanted to tackle my short fiction before delving into the character development in Task 1. The complete assignment for Day 1 took me two hours. External interruptions were the cause of this. I will visit the five (5) posts later and return as the instructions stated would be allowed.