You've got your plot, your characters, your outline: now it's time
to start writing.
Here's a little exercise to begin with. Do it before you go any further!
She was coming! Walking towards him! Somehow standing here waiting
for her to pass didn’t seem such a good idea now. He ought to
be doing something, not just standing. She’d be suspicious, maybe
think he’s some kind of pervert!
Hell! What could he do? He felt the red flush rising up his face
and, not for the first time, cursed his shyness. Why couldn’t
he be like other lads and just talk to a girl he fancied? Even thinking
about talking to her made him feel full of confusion! She was so gorgeous!
Why would she ever look at someone like him? She could have any lad
she wanted - there’s no way she’d want a big clumsy lump
like him, that’s for sure!
No! This time it’ll be different. This time he’ll speak
to her, start a conversation.
“Morning, Jack,” she smiled as she walked past.
She spoke to him! She noticed he was there and spoke to him! And
he hadn’t even replied! Hadn’t even said “Good morning”
back! What a fool he was! What a stupid, stupid fool!
“Poor Jack,” Jill murmured to herself as she walked on.
He was so shy, so self-conscious. She liked him the better for it.
So many of the lads she knew were so self-confident, so sure that
they were irresistible to women, that it was a real relief to meet
someone who didn’t think he was God’s gift.
Jill knew she was good-looking: her parents had made such a fuss
of her looks since she was a little girl and she had to admit that
she was pleased with what she saw when she looked in a mirror. But
it did have its drawbacks and being chatted up by every lad who thought
he was a mixture of RobbieWilliams and Keannu Reeves was definitely
one of them!
If only they realised that she found someone like Jack Wilson much
more attractive!
Jack watched her walk away with the awful feeling that he’d
let yet another opportunity slip. What a fool! What an absolutely
first-class, total bloody idiot!
His eyes followed her as she turned into Henshaw Lane and began to
climb the stepp road up to Randall’s Mini-Supermarket. Part of
his mind laughed, as did everyone in the village, at Bob Randall’s
pretensions. Mini-Supermarket, for God’s sake! It was the same
old general store it had been since old Mr Randall, Bob’s father,
opened it just after the war! But even as he laughed, he came to a
decision. He would follow her, meet her in the shop, offer to carry
her bag for her. No hesitations! He would do it!
And no sooner did he make the decision than he was off, falling over
his own feet in his eagerness.
Jill was packing the last of her shopping into her back when the
door burst open and Jack almost fell through.
“Oh ho, Jack!” laughed Bob Randall. “Nice of you to
drop in! Enjoy your trip?”
“Sorry Mr Randall,” Jack gasped, covered with confusion.
“Tripped up. Shoelace’s come undone.”
“Aye well, lad,” Randall went on “Don’t let it
tie you up in knots!” And he roared with laughter, delighted
with his own wit.
His face as red as a traffic light on ‘stop’, Jack dived
for the nearest hiding place, the one and only ‘aisle’ of
the Mini-Supermarket. Jill, not wanting to embarrass him any further,
hastily thrust the last of her purchases into her back and left with
the quickest of farewells to Randall.
“Right, young Jack,” said Randall, grinning. “What
can we do you for, then?”
Still confused and upset, Jack grabbed something from the nearest
shelf.
“Good thinking, lad,” Randall roared. “Take more water
in it, that’s the ticket."
Puzzled, Jack looked at what he’d picked: a bottle of mineral
water. Shoving some money on the counter, he raced out of the shop.
“Hey, hang on, lad!” Randall yelled after him. “You’ve
forgotten your change...”
Where’d she gone? Frantically Jack looked around, then spotted
Jill almost halfway down the hill. Not stopping to think - he knew
he’d never work up the courage again - he dashed off after her.
Unfortunately in his headlong rush he’d forgotten about the
undone shoelace. He was just a few yards away from her when he tripped
and started to fall forward. Circling his arms wildly to try to keep
his balance, he teetered uncertainly for a few moments - which seemed
like an eternity to him! - and then fell sideways, banging his head
against the kerb as he did so. Jill, hearing the crash, looked back
and saw him hit the road. Dismayed, she rushed to help, failing to
notice the one litre bottle of mineral water he had dropped as he
fell. By the worst of mischances, she put her foot right down on it
and herself fell forward, her shopping flying all over the road from
her dropped bag.
Unlike Jack, Jill Henderson was lucky by nature. Her friends always
said that if she fell in a heap of manure, she’d come up smelling
of roses! Once again her luck held: anyone else crashing to the ground
like she had would have sustained some injury, but not Jill. She fell
on something soft - Jack!
Quickly she got to her feet, then bent down to help Jack. He lay
still, blood running from the side of his head where he'd hit it against
the kerb.
