THOUGHTS ON WORD COUNT. It can be painful to slaughter darlings and the writer may think, “Impossible. My story won’t have the same impact without those 50 extra words.” Surprise! 99.9% of the time it’s not only possible, but preferable. That’s what this exercise is about. Learning to say more with less. Take a second look before posting. Start with adverbs and passive voice. Instead of “I was running as quickly as I could…” try “I rushed…” THINK ABOUT IT.
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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Liz Young
Genre: Historical Friction
Word Count: 100
WHAT’S MY BYLINE?
Every Sunday night I watched the popular game show with my family.
Typically, the announcer would first introduce, “…the popular columnist whose Voice of Broadway appears in newspapers coast to coast…”
Miss Kilgallen floated to her seat and introduced the next panelist. “And to my left…”
Whether blindfolded or not, she had a knack for sussing out a person’s identity or occupation. Why not? Her connections to prominent government officials and movie stars were legendary.
Sadly, she died of an accidental overdose in November 1965.
The show went on.
Fifty years later the question looms unanswered. Who murdered Dorothy Kilgallen?
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Was it an accident or was it murder?
