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IWW
Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: Caught in the Act
These exercises were written
by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice
opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice
as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop
(http://www.internetwritingworkshop.org/).
Prepared by: Alice Folkart
Posted on: November 27, 2011
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In 400 words or less write a scene in which someone is 'caught in the act.'
Focus on the emotions of the person who discovers what is going on and of
the person who is caught. Your scene could rely heavily on description and
inner dialogue, or it could give you an opportunity to use dialogue to
provide back story. You could open your scene with the 'catching,' or build
up to it.
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The 'act' can be something good or something not so good: a child swiping a
cookie from the cookie jar, someone doing an anonymous good turn, or a jewel
thief helping herself to diamonds, the church secretary taking a cut of the
tithes. The scene could show a wife catching her husband in an act that is
not what she expected to find—she might be suspecting that her husband is
fooling around with her best friend, but when she confronts them, she finds
that they're planning a surprise party for her.
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In 400 words or less write a scene in which someone is 'caught in the act.'
Focus on the emotions of the person who discovers what is going on and of
the person who is caught. Your scene could rely heavily on description and
inner dialogue, or it could give you an opportunity to use dialogue to
provide back story. You could open your scene with the 'catching,' or build
up to it.
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In your critique, consider whether the writer elicits your sympathy for any
of the characters, and whether the surprise of catching someone at something
is well set up. From the details of this short scene are you able to imagine
what went before and might come after. Would you read more?
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Greg Gunther.
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