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Saturday, April 15, 2017

Jane, Plain Jane: Part 5, Vomit. A short story as a writing exercise

My Name Is Jane.  Plain Jane.  Part 5, Vomit
A short story as a writing exercise
The writers group at Nara's Nook has started a learning and production project using the guide book "The 90-day novel," by Alan Watt.  To contribute to the project without spending the time on a novel, I am writing a short story or small play using some of the guidance from the book.  
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  • The writer's meeting at Nara's nook meets Mondays, 6 PM California time.
  • Scroll to the end for instructions on how to get to the meeting.
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  • (More after the break, scroll down!)
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Metaverse events, current and upcoming

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My Name Is Jane.  Plain Jane

Part 5 Vomit

Hermione catches me on break every so often.  And she usually gives me the cue.  I try to give my line a little different every time.   I don't know why I'm doing that.  I can't really do the part. I guess I am sort of pretending that I will do it.  But I really can't.  I have to tell Hermione.  I really don't have the nerve to tell her, but it is not fair to let her think I can do it.

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Okay, I told her I can't do it.  And when she asked why, I couldn't think of a good lie, so I had to tell the truth.   

"Because I would vomit", I said, wishing I could just sink into the ground.

"Not on stage, you wouldn't." Hermione said, in a matter-of-fact tone.  "Actors never vomit on stage.  We use the vomitorium next to the dressing room."

"You have a vomitorium backstage?" I asked.  "I didn't know actors vomited."  

"Of course not.  On stage we are the characters in the play.  We don't vomit unless the script calls for it.  And you don't get a lot of scripts that call for vomiting on stage.  It's not popular with the audience."    Hermione is so casual about these things.

"Besides," Hermione added, "we don't eat all day before the play.  We have a rehearsal this Saturday at Seven.  You know you can do the rehearsal, I know.  Practically nobody there except me and the actors.  You won't have anything to vomit about.  But don't eat supper."  

I had to promise I would be there.  Just as an audition.  
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Jason didn't pick on me at happy hour this Friday.  Her was too busy explaining to Hermione why he couldn't play Romeo.  

"If you would joint the troupe at the community theater," she told him, "we could do 'Romeo and Juliette." 

"I couldn't play Juliette," he came back.  "I'm too tall."

Hermione thought for a moment and then mused, "That would make an interesting scene.  Juliette in drag.  But too risky for community theater.   I was thinking of you as Romeo.  You have the the looks for it. Tall, lanky, good looking."

Jason shrugged. "Oh sure I have the looks for it.  But I don't have the brains.  I couldn't memorize all those lines."

"You have the looks Juliette could see as "to die for.'"  Hermione observed, with just a hint of admiration."

"Yeah, sure," Jason came back, ruefully.  "Until I opened my mouth.  I can't even read very well.  And I can't memorize all those lines ."

"If I only had a brain."  That was what ran thought my head right then.

"Everything is too hard until you know how to do it," said Hermione in her usual down-to-earth way.   "We can teach you how to do it.  But we can't teach you that you can do it.  Anyway, we don't have Romeo and Juliette on the schedule this year, so we don't need to rush. "

She dropped the subject.  But I know from experience that she will come back to it.  

"Can't memorize all those lines." That was an excuse I never thought of.  I don't memorize lines of code, but I do remember them. I guess I know what they mean and start from there.   Of course, my part only has one line, so I would have to be pretty dumb to forget it.  Unless I get so scared shitless that I can't even talk.  

That's interesting.  I really think I can learn lines.  I didn't know I could do anything but write code.   And vomit--I am good at that.  
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This (the multi-part series starting with this part) could be a short story or a one-act play for one or three actors. I relinquish all claims to the copyright and declare all work by my under the title "Jane, Plain Jane" to be in the public domain.    

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  • The writer's meeting at Nara's nook is on Mondays, 6 PM California time. 
  • HG address: 
  • world.narasnook.com:8900
  • In a virtual world connected to the Hypergrid:
  • put the HG addrress in the Find bar of the world map, click FindTP
  • If you are not connected to the Hypergrid: 
  • visit Nara's Nook and find out how to join Nara's virtual writer's colony.

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News and Notes

The Hypergrid WIP Show

  • The Hypergrid WIP is a one hour "show & tell" of works in progress or recently completed. 
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Next WIP show

  • Next WIP show: Sun. April 23 Noon SLT 
  • Cookie II location (fourth Sunday of the month)
  • Cookie II location (fourth Sunday of the month)
  • HG address below: paste into the World Map next to Find. Click Find, TP
  • grid.kitely.com:8002:Cookie II 
  • in Kitely: paste into Nav (top) bar of Firestorm, Enter.
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  • Pandora Location: (second Sunday of the month)
  • Pandora allows presenters to run high threat OSSL functions.
  • world.narasnook.com:8900
  • Put the line above in your World Map next to Find.  Click FindTP
  • At Narasnook, use World Map to search for Pandora

          Previous Articles from the WIP show 

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          HG links-- depending on your interests 

          Communities in the virtual worlds

          Radio in the virtual worlds

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