Thirty Next Sentences: A Writing Exercise

I've been thinking about how in a conversation, there are actually many paths leading from each sentence.

Combine that with an idea from Lois McMaster Bujold that she may throw away her first three ideas for what happens next, and I realized I had a writing exercise on my hands. I'm going to try it here. My plan is to write one line of a conversation – a somewhat banal one – and then see if I can come up with at least thirty different next lines.

Here's the starting line, "I really like your dress."

All these lines are different choices for what the next line might be.

"Thanks, I made it myself."
"It's a Siriano, don't you love him?"
"What, this old thing?"
"Hold on, I'll just change and give it to you."
"You should have seen the one that didn't fit."
"I wanted the original, but this knockoff isn't bad."
"Do you like the shoes?"
"You're just saying that because you want to take it off."
"I'm not sure this color really works for me."
"My mom chose it."
"I like yours, too!"
"I'm trying a new style."
"Please take my card."
"Buy me a drink?"
"It's a sample of a new line. Here's our website."
"Look at the time. I really must be going."
"It's lovely, but it will dissolve at midnight. Truly fast fashion, you know?"
"The Renaissance Fair always gives me a good chance to express myself."
"The shoes are killing me."
"It took me four hours just to close the corset."
"I did want to wear something special to our anniversary dinner."
"Only the best for you."
"Only the best for me."
"Wait until you see my jacket."
"I borrowed it from my sister. Good thing we are the same size."
"Thank you."
"Silk, it's always perfect for evenings."
"Did you know that witches prefer pockets?"
"If only I lost a few more pounds, it'd hang better."
"Ah! Only my true love sees a dress instead of these prison swabs."

That's 30!

What's cool about this is that other writers would create a different list. Some of these might be in anyone's list. Some are likely to be in very few lists, whether from the particular words I chose or the relationships and stories that come to my mind when I brainstorm like this. I like how the second speaker can have a variety of attitudes. There's a big difference between replies that accept the compliment and replies that brush it off. The speaker could be happy, or defensive, or take many other stances. In even one line, I can start to imply a world other than our own. And the next line might not really relate. People do talk past each other sometimes. For story, that seems to need more context to work.

I also like how much difference a single word can make. I find the changed slant between "Only the best for you," and "Only the best for me," tasty. What if the speaker borrowed her dress from her grandmother, roommate, or brother instead?

All in all, I like this exercise. Help yourself if you want to do it, too! What other starting line might you choose?

People Who Aren't Getting Anything Done Are Helping Me Out

I'm always alert for my sister paradoxes. And here's a lively one: people who aren't getting anything done are helping me out.

First off, of course, staying home has been of major assistance in reducing the intensity of the coronavirus pandemic. It looks like a good portion of regions have started flattening the curve. Here in Washington state, we may yet keep acute cases from overwhelming our hospitals and especially our supply of respirators. May it be so! We'll need to continue the efforts and we might just assure that everyone who needs intensive care can get it. Other well-governed regions are managing as well. This massive achievement comes largely from not getting anything done: not going out, not meeting up, not traveling, not doing the work and play we usually do within coughing distance of each other.

Second, while staying home has made a hit to my productivity, a number of generous souls have also admitted they aren't getting anything done. I particularly liked this tweet from author and book reviewer Gabino Iglesias:

"Everyone has a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination & Insecurity Mountain, kill the fear demons, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, & use it to slice their chest open and yank that book out."

He's new to me, and his Twitter feed shows a rich way with words.

Then there's Neil Gaiman, long one of my favorite authors, talking about failing to write a book, failing to write a screenplay, and failing to identify chickens. He looks a bit down, and as usual, he's giving gifts: https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1247477244332654595?s=20

At first, I was underwhelmed by this offering, and it continued to grow on me. If one of the world's most celebrated authors can not act... so can I.

I began to feel better as others told their stories of not getting anything done.

Third, when I do need to go out, empty streets, clean air, and half-filled supermarkets have all made it easier to gather food and pick up prescriptions. Thank you to everyone who wasn't driving or shopping at those times.

I could extend this list indefinitely. I'm getting less junk mail, and I appreciate those who aren't sending it. I'm liking seeing more hobbies in my social media. I'm glad emissions are down, if only temporarily, and we have pretty pictures of cities without smog. Let me finish up with the most consequential reason people who aren't getting anything done are helping me out.

Fourth, I and we are getting a look at how much we do that we don't really need. It has been easy for me and us to pile up activities and push for more, and more, and more. Because I was doing them, I didn't stop to think if I needed to do them. And, partly due to the current slowdown, I discovered I was fatigued and overextended and not enjoying this lifestyle very much. Maybe others are seeing that now, too.

I'd really like for us to continue doing fewer things in favor of making sure everyone has the basics. We are ambitious – we'll probably continue to extend what "the basics" are over time. Even so, this has been a great sanity check on what we really need. And that might just be the enlightenment we need to refocus on making sure everyone has it.

A Change of Pace

I'm reading quite a bit of Twitter posts and articles about the novel coronavirus pandemic. It's a riveting story, the more so as I'm part of it. So far, my family is well. Narrowing my daily activities has worn on me some. For some reason, I felt particularly anxious when the new advice to wear masks came out. Still, we have made some at home and are doing our best.

I lost track of who called this The Great Pause. I like that name for our time of staying home more and slowing the economy. My own work has fallen quite a bit. I work from home normally. I connect with clients through email and video calls – much like more people are doing now. I did have one company that was sending me a significant portion of my work end the project I was working on. So I have fewer hours and reduced income.

My slower schedule is a good time to review my direction. Do I like the work I've been doing? Yes – I have been helping authors complete better books, both by helping them organize the work of writing and by editing. Authors are among my favorite people to work with. Most of the ones I work with want to help other people. They write books that offer wisdom and tips and hard-won experience. Or if they aim to entertain, our current situation is showing how very important good art is. Stories and images give me my most pleasant moments. Food and water and shelter and utilities are necessary; art makes dreary days bright.

When I support these authors, I help their audiences indirectly. I like spreading those ripples of help. I might like to do more directly.

On a larger scale, our society also has a chance to review our systems. A lot of them are letting us down now. We are particularly falling down on taking care of people who live in more polluted and poorer neighborhoods, people who work at minimum wage, people whose health care depends on their job – and these people are disproportionately people of color. Their extra vulnerability shows in sharp contrast right now. We rely on minimum wage workers to harvest, shelve, and ring up our food. We are closely connected to them, and to the homeless people in our neighborhoods. COVID-19 doesn't respect bank balances, and if we want food, we need the people who work to bring it. We urgently need to see that everyone in our community has a living wage and quality health care. Our diseases will be common even if our resources aren't.

I am hoping that we'll take this chance to notice our interconnection and work for a more equal society. I'm hoping that we will let go of rigid systems that we thought we couldn't do without until the pandemic came.

I don't know how high the chances are for my hopes.

On a small scale, Doug and I are living well. We are healthy, we enjoy our cats, we are eating well, we have shelter. I wish that much at least to all of you.