"Lather and Nothing Else" by Hernando Tellez
As writers, we sometimes find ourselves worrying about boring the reader, and as a result, rushing forward from one plot point or bit of action to the next. (This varies a lot depending on when and where you came of age as a writer! But I have see it a lot in my classes.) In this short piece, the entire story takes place in one long . . . slow . . . scene.
And yet somehow there was no chance that I was going to get bored and stop reading this.
(It also reminds me of Lee Child's secret of suspense: Pose a question and make the reader wait for the answer. That's it--the whole secret.)
Write
Think of the next scene you want to work on. Set the timer for fifteen minutes and start, but slow . . . way . . . down . . .
What did this do to your scene? Did it add anything interesting, did it seem to make it too slow . . . ?
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