Friday, November 16, 2012

Write On Edge: Rain Challenge

Red Writing Hood gives us 400 words this week and the prompt is Rain.

I harken to the phrase: When it rains, it pours. I'm going to whine for a moment and tell you that it's pouring in my insignificant world. I've lost track of time and missed a valuable deadline, I'm packing to move, I'm suffering from lack of ideas, behind in my NaNoWriMo...whine, whine, whine...

But I'm a fighter. When life gives me lemons, I make fertilizer.

Ivy Tanner does the same. For those of you who have read Write On Edge's Precipice, you may be familiar with Ivy and Mitch.

I offer you the following in response: The Driving Rain




Senator Mason approached her as she watched soldiers march through the mud. “When it rains,” he started.

Ivy barely acknowledged him. “It pours.”

He sat beside her on the bench, closing the standard black umbrella that all denizens of D.C. seemed to own. “Look, Miss Tanner, you know what you’re asking. Favors like that go beyond friendship.”

Lightning flashed, ushering in another deluge of precipitation. The boys in uniform seemed impervious to the weather. Ivy cast a weary glance to the overhang shielding her from the drench. “You’re right of course, Senator. But I’m not asking for a favor.”

He shifted. “No?”

She turned, returning the cold glare from his bloodshot eyes. “The Hill is full of skeletons, Senator. I’m going to shake the trees until I stir something up. I’m giving you the option to be first to the trough, because you’ve always been so kind to me.”

He chuckled and stood, slow as if the rain had soaked his joints. “You won’t last three seconds in that forest, Sweetheart.”

“I’m not your sweetheart, Senator, but if you don’t find a way to send a team to extract Mitch from Equator, I will become your personal poltergeist. Everyone you know will watch you burn, and when I’m through, you’ll be lucky if you can find a position in Moosejaw Alaska.”

He opened his umbrella. “Extortion isn’t your style Miss Tanner. I believe we are done here. And if you so much as step foot near my offices again, I’ll bury you myself.”

She allowed him to retreat a few feet before she called out, “Senator Mason, you want to hear me out. You see, I got to thinking…how is it that Tobago has managed to elude all the operations against him on his own soil?”

Thunder interrupted her. He stopped, turning around, his face stone despite the wind driving rain in his face. “You’re a reporter. I’m sure you have a million fabricated stories to support any number of theories.”

Ivy snorted. “Of all the professions on the bottom of the trust scale in America, people still trust their reporters more than they do politicians. You know why? Because people like you are in bed with unsavory people like Tobago. Reporters? We just get shot at on foreign soil for taking a few pictures.”

His face darkened. “I hope you’re prepared for the storm.”

“You as well, Senator.”

28 comments:

  1. Love the dialogue, especially how it hovers on more then one level. Real. Fresh.

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    1. Thanks! I was hoping for drama so I'm glad the scene played out on screen the way it did in my head.

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  2. Oooooh! Very nicely done. It unfolds very smoothly through the dialogue, and you've kept the rain present in our consciousness. I want to know the back story! Thanks for the reminder to go grab Precipice...keep forgetting!

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    1. Thanks! Yes, go grab Precipice! My folks picked up a tree-copy and I can't tell you how exciting it is to see the Write On Edge community featured in actual print!

      Ivy started out in the story "Escape" which is featured in Precipice. I spent a few recent prompts on Mitch's background if you want to check it out. I should've put links...I'm a bit scattered of late, forgive me.

      I'm pleased you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  3. Good dialogue. I liked Miss Tanner's sassy attitude. And I liked that there seems to be another kind of storm brewing at the end.

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    1. Thanks! Tanner's tough, but she's loyal more than that. Mitch saved her life and she's determined to return the favor.

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  4. You do a great dialogue, I am sure she will get what she wants once the senator thinks about it.

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    1. Thanks! The senator is one of those old men that have been up on that Hill way too long and he's uncomfortable with the idea that his power is threatened. She might have to go after the whole Intelligence Committee before that senator gets it through his thick head.

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  5. I like this. I hope she sticks it to him.

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    1. Thanks! Not only will she stick it to him, she's gonna stick it to several of him. That's the plan anyway.

      I'm glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  6. Intense. Sounds like somebody is going to get his behind handed to him.

    Stopping by from Write on Edge.

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    1. Thanks! Yes, eventually, the senator is going to eat a humble pie.

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  7. Nicely done. Built some great tension. I bet the senator is going to be surprised by the tenacity of Ivy.

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    1. Thanks! Underestimating a determined reporter wouldn't be the senator's first mistake, but it might be his last. :)

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  8. I love how your dialogue carried the whole story. I wish I could do that! I want more!!

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    1. Thanks! Dialogue can be a tricky creature, but it's an easy way to introduce tension. There's nothing like a fight masked in civility. I'm pleased I was able to carry the scene well.

      Thanks for the love, for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts!

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  9. I'm echoing the praise of the dialogue. It's so polite and cool with the right undertone of threat. She doesn't seem threatened by him, and the part about Americans trusting reports more than politicians made me smile, especially right after an election. (And let's get Mitch out of there!)

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    1. Thanks! I enjoy writing scenes like this: the challenge of keeping explosive emotions subtle. And after the business in the jungle with Mitch, Ivy isn't going to let a stodgy old man get under her skin.

      And yes, Mitch WILL get home.

      I'm pleased I made you smile. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  10. Great dialog...gutsy character...excellent job! I want to read more!

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    1. Thanks! Ivy and Mitch will show up again. I promise!

      I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

      Delete
  11. Ohhh, I love the strength of Ivy. She's definitely someone you don't want to mess with.

    One question: Is it Equator or Ecuador?

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    1. Thanks! Yes, she's a tough cookie, I think one has to be tough if one is a foreign correspondent, especially in Anti-American countries.

      Actually, I was making up the place. Equator is the fictitious name of an imaginary island that rests exactly at the equator near . I needed someplace tropical and unforgiving where I could create civil unrest that makes extraction difficult. Think Isabela Island in the Galapagos. There's going to be more on that later. The confusion about the name is going to be a key conversation on the Hill.

      Thanks for the love, for stopping by, and for sharing your thoughts!

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  12. Ivy is my kind of girl. Definitely a force to be reckoned with. I loved the story and would love to read more.

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    1. Thanks! I will have more because I'm pretty fond of Ivy myself.

      Thanks for the love, for stopping by, and for sharing your thoughts!

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  13. Snappy, fresh dialog. “The Hill is full of skeletons, Senator. I’m going to shake the trees until I stir something up. I’m giving you the option to be first to the trough, because you’ve always been so kind to me.” And full of biting sarcasm. Loved it! Damn wish that line had come from my computer. LOL

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    1. Thanks! Ivy has crossed paths with Senator Mason before, but he's never been on the opposite end of a fight with her. I think he's going to be unpleasantly surprised.

      And there's no greater compliment than when someone says they wish they'd come up with a line or concept. I'm grinning ear to ear. Thank you.

      Thanks for the love, for stopping by, for taking time to "like" my facebook page, and for sharing your thoughts!

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  14. High political drama! Ivy and Mitch are a fantastic storyline, and I love the way the rain takes a backseat to the characters here.

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    1. Thanks! Political drama is a newbie for me, at least of the modern varietal of politic. I'm excited that the scenes are working well.

      Thanks for the love, for stopping by, and for sharing your thoughts!

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