IWW
Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: Money
is the motive
These exercises were written
by IWW members
and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its
members.
You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that
you found
them at the Internet Writers Workshop
(http://www.internetwritingworkshop.org/).
Prepared by: Carter Jefferson
Posted on: Sunday, January 6, 2008
Posted on: Sunday, April 8, 2012
Posted on: Sunday, August 2, 2015
Posted on: Sunday, December 30, 2018
Posted on: Sunday, January 9, 2022
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Exercise: In 400 words or less, write a scene in which a character takes
a risk out of greed or need for money, showing the reader what leads to
that choice or what results from the action taken.
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"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows."-- 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV). Despite that
admonition, most of us, Christian or otherwise, don't mind picking
up a few bucks now and then, and some have become downright
greedy.
Mysteries, thrillers, memoirs, literary novels--all those genres
include stories in which characters pursue wealth, or somehow
act out of desperation, seeking to gain money only to end up in
difficult straits. For this exercise, you are to write a scene that
shows a character facing or succumbing to the temptation to pull
off a monetary coup, or suffering the consequences of doing so.
You have lots of latitude, but make sure the reader understands
the character's motivation, and wants to know more about what
happens. The character can be someone like a mugger or a bank
robber, a mother desperate to feed her children, a businessman
seeking power, or anyone else who decides to take a chance in
order to make a monetary gain. If you choose to show the
consequences, they need not be dire or even very serious, but
they must make clear that the character involved pays a price.
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In your critiques, note whether the character comes alive, and
whether you can see the motives behind the character's actions.
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.
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