Challenge #93

[shivver]

I'm on a mailing list from that Jerry Jenkins dude, because he sends out great writing advice. He just sent out his "Seven Deadly Sins of Novel-Writing", and I'm going to base the next few challenges on them, where appropriate.

The first sin is "Starting with Throat-Clearing". He writes that "throat-clearing" is "anything that delays the real beginning. Your job is to get on with things, not spend pages describing settings or setting up scenes or unloading a dump truck of backstory."

As an example, for a fantasy story, you could spend three pages describing the kingdom and the castle and the forests, and the marketplace full of people... Or your heroine could be riding home on horseback as fast as she could, thinking about why she was going to be big trouble when she got there while passing the forests, galloping through the farmland, into the capital and through the marketplace. (This, by the way, is the first chapter of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Excellent novel.)

For your challenge today, pretend you're starting a novel. Choose a setting - say, Victorian London - and then, have your main character do something and let your description of them doing it paint the setting for you.

Fill- Challenge 92 (DW)

[romanajo123]

 The team-up you didn't know needed to happen!! Literally based on shower thoughts.  Kind of want to expand this a bit. 

This was going to be easy, thought Christina.  Get past the guards, figure out the combination to the vault, get the jewels.  The double- decker bus was parked outside,  whenever she was ready. See, Lady Christina had stealing down to an art form by now. But something threw her off- a rather loud BOOM! coming from the entrance to the bank. 

 

As Christina turned to see what had just happened, a rather casual voice floated by her ear. "That should give you about fifteen minutes. " 

Christina noticed the voice belonged to a teenage girl, dressed in leather and hair tied in a ponytail. " How did you do that?" she asked the newcomer. 

 

"A few well-timed Nitro-9 explosives. Sent those big blokes running. " Ponytail-girl replied. "I'm Ace, by the way.  And you're..Catwoman?" 

 

" Lady Christina de Souza" she answered, "And I suppose I should thank you. You made this a bit easier. " 

 

Ace nodded. " Travelled for a while with a friend who was like you. " 

 

"In what way?"

 

"Cat burglar. And posh." 

 

Christina shrugged, unsure if that was meant to be a compliment. 

 

---------

" 25, 16!" Ace called, trying to not be extremely loud. 

 

Christina rapidly spun the combination lock.  "That's the one!" She said, grabbing the great blue jewel as the vault opened. 

 

However, the partners in crime couldn't help figuring they'd forgotten something. Once Christina had touched the jewel, a sea of blue lights came on from either side of the wall and a klaxon blared. 

 

"Gordon Bennet!" Ace exclaimed, "Run, Catwoman!"