Damn, I love drabbles.

I had my writing class last night, which is split up -- timewise -- into an hour for the whole class (~18 women) and an hour or so for our small groups (4-5 women). In the small groups, people tend to read something they want focused feedback on, because you have 10-15 minutes that "belongs" to you.

However, there's no rule that one must read during "her" small group time.

So what I did last night during my allotted 10 minutes was ask the other women in my group to write for 5 minutes on the "two people sitting opposite each other at a table" prompt, and then to share what they wrote. (I did it, too, of course.)

They really liked it, which was a relief. And resulted in some good writing.

It's a little different than a 100-word drabble, because it was constrained by time, rather than word count, but the idea is the same.

Steph, that idea is completely brilliant - never thought of it as an active, do-it-now idea for a group.

Deb - the new book idea sounds excellent! Write it!
(no pressure, says the woman whose book has languished half-finished on her computer hard-drive for three years).

Steph, that idea is completely brilliant - never thought of it as an active, do-it-now idea for a group.

We do fast-writes in class all the time -- just as part of the larger group, not in our small groups. But, like I said, There's nothing that says we can't, and it was in the forefront of my mind because of the new drabble community.

Kristin, I'm currently writing the proposal for it in email, and about to send off to my agent.

Teppy, you need to get away from your crazy job and teach or run courses on this stuff.

Teppy, you need to get away from your crazy job and teach or run courses on this stuff.

I'd like to start a version of my school in some other location. That involves a long (expensive) accreditation process *if* I want to stay affiliated with my current school, which I very much would want to.

As I have neither the time nor the money to get accredited, nor the desire to become a renegade writing school despot, I'm content to create LJ communities and order my small group around.

Damn. I'd sorta like to see you as a renegade writing school despot; I'd come stand by the door and hold a whip, and smile menacingly at the students.

I'd take that class, I think. At least you wouldn't torture me with dialogue that was all in complete sentences.Yeah, I sat in that group thinking "Maybe I do have a knack for that, after all," which was good for my vanity, but not especially instructive. It'll be nice when I write Pembleton again...tap into that "yeah, I'm a genius. So?" thing.

For Nilly:

She stares across the table into that smirk she’s coming to detest. A bottle of Patron and two sticky shot glasses stand guard over the sad, wrung out bodies of limes. A mosaic of salt is laid in the flesh of her underarm, where it has rested on the table.

He is taunting me, she thinks resentfully, and swivels her wrist. It aches, from where he has manhandled her. But it’s her fault. She asked for it.

She lights another cigarette, takes a quick draw, fortifies herself for what she has to say.

“OK. Again.”

And they thumbwrestle for ascendancy.

__________

And Deb, I agree with you: I like the form and restriction of the word limit. I think it's fun, like a puzzle.

But then, I've always liked haiku, too.

To shift gears, just a little, what makes a character sympathetic? I've been thinking about this on lj, but I would understand if y'all didn't poke through my comments. Cause I've just watched one of my favorite TV characters ball his gf's new roommate, whom he's just met, while she's working late. I should really hate him now. Why don't I?