Promptly Kick-Off Finale: The Damaging Dispute

Hey writers,

Welcome to the last day of the Great Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. My brain tends to not fully warm up until 10:15 a.m. or so, so rather than sleep-type, I'll back out gracefully by saying thanks for all of your awesome responses so far. We'll pick our favorite story from the first three prompts on Monday (you have until Sunday night to get a response in for the challenge) and shell out some WD swag.

Happy Friday!

Zachary

PROMPT:The Damaging Dispute
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

Write an argument—the worst dispute
your character has ever been in, at least in his or her opinion—without using a single exclamation point or all-caps word. It’s an exercise in discipline: Keep the fire
contained, brimming at the surface but never boiling over. Oh, and make
sure you mention a pair of pliers and a spectator.

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ADDENDUM! Remember how I said that my brain doesn't come fully online until 10:15? It's about 10:35, and I just realized I forgot to mention something super-cool: Next Thursday, WD friends Jane Friedman and Alice Pope will be giving a webinar on how to write a book query letter that gets a response.

I can vouch for Jane and Alice's knowledge and awesomeness, so here's the info in case you're interested in cracking book queries, or getting some feedback on one you've stalled out on:

"Extreme Makeover: The Query Letter."
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Length: 60 minutes
Price: $99.00
Presenters: Jane Friedman & Alice Pope
All attendees will be invited to submit a one-page book query letter for potential critique in this hands-on session.

You’ll witness the unbelievable transformation of ordinary, everyday query letters into strong and persuasive letters that catch the attention of agents and editors.

A seasoned and experienced editor will revise letters for stronger leads, concise and efficient expression, and compelling sales hooks - so that you better understand what a professional immediately sees and responds to in your work.

Aside from the revision action, you'll also get a checklist of the five essential elements of every query.