Take three different characters and walk them through a scene. Convey their emotional states, their jobs, and their hobbies without directly stating any of those. The scene in question: walking through a marketplace, and they need to do a dead-drop.
-------
Character 3:
"Ryan, get over here." Beth nodded her head to the right and waited for her intern to join her in the corner behind the baskets of beets.
Ryan, a 20-year-old college junior wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and tie, jogged over to where Beth was pressed against the wall.
"I thought I told you to look casual," she said. "Do you know what that means?"
"I'm sorry, I thought it was a test," he said.
"A test of what? How to do things wrong?"
"I thought...Nevermind. Should I go home and change?"
"No, you idiot, there isn't time." She scanned the room. Crowds of families, people young and old, milled among the tables of the farmer's market. Chatter flowed in waves over the room, with an occasional laugh or cough permeating the general din.
"Did you bring the folder?" she asked.
"Yes, it's right here." He pulled a glossy red folder out of his shoulder bag.
"You couldn't have picked a brighter color?"
"Red's a power color. I thought it would make the report look more powerful."
Beth snatched it from his hand and flipped through the pages.
"The report is powerful enough," she said. "These secrets can take down our competition. At least you didn't miss any pages. Come on."
She moved away from the wall and merged into the flow of the crowd. Ryan moved quickly to keep up with her. They traveled through the throngs of people, past baskets of vegetables and fruits and tables of cheese and grass-fed beef. As they turned the corner and began to walk past handmade jewelry and trinkets, Beth grabbed Ryan's arm and pulled him back toward one of the tables.
"I think I saw someone," she said. "Wait here."
Ryan looked over his shoulder, back at the crowd.
"Who did you see?" he asked.
"Shhhhh. Don't look."
Beth turned to smile at the woman behind the table and then glanced at the items spread out before them.
"Oh, what a cute bracelet!" she said, her voice rising sharply. "Ryan, look at this bracelet."
Ryan appeared confused but he looked down at the bracelet, a bright piece of copper twisted into a loop and etched with a series of oddly-shaped teardrops.
"What's that on them?" he asked the woman.
"Sperm," she said. "It's a fertility bracelet. When worn during love-making, it generates a power in the woman that enhances her ovulation and helps her to conceive."
Ryan dropped the bracelet on the table with a clatter.
"Would you like to try it on?" the woman asked Beth.
"Oh, please." Beth rolled her eyes then turned her back on the woman. She looked toward the tables across the room. There it was. A tiny green recycling basket, like the one she had in her office. It seemed out-of-place here at the market, where everything else was wood, wicker, or hemp, but she hadn't been the one to choose the drop location.
"See that green basket?" she said to Ryan. "Go drop the folder in there then meet me in the parking lot.
"Um, you're not waiting here for me?"
"No, of course not. I can't be seen when it's happening."
"Will I get in trouble?" Ryan asked. He put his hand to his chin and anxiously rubbed his stubble.
"Only if you're caught. You're young. You'll be fine."
"I don't know..."
"Stop whining. When you graduate there's a job ready for you. Wait two minutes for me to walk away, then go do it. I'll be in the car."
She gave him a firm look then turned and walked away. She moved swiftly through the crowd, stopping only to grab some cheese samples along the way. Once outside, she went straight to the car and sat with the engine running. Two minutes later, Ryan yanked open the passenger side door and slammed it shut.
"I did it, I did it," he said. His words tumbled over each other. "It's fine. I think it's fine. Totally fine."
"Oh, for god's sakes, calm down."
A black SUV drove up behind them and slowed down. Ryan turned to stare at it.
"Oh, shit," he said. "Oh, man."
The car parked in a spot opposite theirs, then was quiet for a moment. As the driver-side door opened, the parking lot was filled with loud, thumping Latin music. Then the car turned off and a man, woman, and two young children climbed out and headed toward the market.
Ryan let go of the breath he had been holding and Beth put the car in reverse.
"That song reminds me. Make a note to change my Thursday class to Monday. I'll really need to sweat it out after today's stress."
Hands shaking, Ryan reached for his phone and started making the scheduling change. Beth backed out of the parking space and they drove off.
Ryan, a 20-year-old college junior wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and tie, jogged over to where Beth was pressed against the wall.
"I thought I told you to look casual," she said. "Do you know what that means?"
"I'm sorry, I thought it was a test," he said.
"A test of what? How to do things wrong?"
"I thought...Nevermind. Should I go home and change?"
"No, you idiot, there isn't time." She scanned the room. Crowds of families, people young and old, milled among the tables of the farmer's market. Chatter flowed in waves over the room, with an occasional laugh or cough permeating the general din.
"Did you bring the folder?" she asked.
"Yes, it's right here." He pulled a glossy red folder out of his shoulder bag.
"You couldn't have picked a brighter color?"
"Red's a power color. I thought it would make the report look more powerful."
Beth snatched it from his hand and flipped through the pages.
"The report is powerful enough," she said. "These secrets can take down our competition. At least you didn't miss any pages. Come on."
She moved away from the wall and merged into the flow of the crowd. Ryan moved quickly to keep up with her. They traveled through the throngs of people, past baskets of vegetables and fruits and tables of cheese and grass-fed beef. As they turned the corner and began to walk past handmade jewelry and trinkets, Beth grabbed Ryan's arm and pulled him back toward one of the tables.
"I think I saw someone," she said. "Wait here."
Ryan looked over his shoulder, back at the crowd.
"Who did you see?" he asked.
"Shhhhh. Don't look."
Beth turned to smile at the woman behind the table and then glanced at the items spread out before them.
"Oh, what a cute bracelet!" she said, her voice rising sharply. "Ryan, look at this bracelet."
Ryan appeared confused but he looked down at the bracelet, a bright piece of copper twisted into a loop and etched with a series of oddly-shaped teardrops.
"What's that on them?" he asked the woman.
"Sperm," she said. "It's a fertility bracelet. When worn during love-making, it generates a power in the woman that enhances her ovulation and helps her to conceive."
Ryan dropped the bracelet on the table with a clatter.
"Would you like to try it on?" the woman asked Beth.
"Oh, please." Beth rolled her eyes then turned her back on the woman. She looked toward the tables across the room. There it was. A tiny green recycling basket, like the one she had in her office. It seemed out-of-place here at the market, where everything else was wood, wicker, or hemp, but she hadn't been the one to choose the drop location.
"See that green basket?" she said to Ryan. "Go drop the folder in there then meet me in the parking lot.
"Um, you're not waiting here for me?"
"No, of course not. I can't be seen when it's happening."
"Will I get in trouble?" Ryan asked. He put his hand to his chin and anxiously rubbed his stubble.
"Only if you're caught. You're young. You'll be fine."
"I don't know..."
"Stop whining. When you graduate there's a job ready for you. Wait two minutes for me to walk away, then go do it. I'll be in the car."
She gave him a firm look then turned and walked away. She moved swiftly through the crowd, stopping only to grab some cheese samples along the way. Once outside, she went straight to the car and sat with the engine running. Two minutes later, Ryan yanked open the passenger side door and slammed it shut.
"I did it, I did it," he said. His words tumbled over each other. "It's fine. I think it's fine. Totally fine."
"Oh, for god's sakes, calm down."
A black SUV drove up behind them and slowed down. Ryan turned to stare at it.
"Oh, shit," he said. "Oh, man."
The car parked in a spot opposite theirs, then was quiet for a moment. As the driver-side door opened, the parking lot was filled with loud, thumping Latin music. Then the car turned off and a man, woman, and two young children climbed out and headed toward the market.
Ryan let go of the breath he had been holding and Beth put the car in reverse.
"That song reminds me. Make a note to change my Thursday class to Monday. I'll really need to sweat it out after today's stress."
Hands shaking, Ryan reached for his phone and started making the scheduling change. Beth backed out of the parking space and they drove off.
No comments:
Post a Comment