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IWW
Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: Cowards Among Us
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: Charles Hightower
Posted on: 29 January 2012
Reposted on: 22 September 2013
Reposted on: 3 March 2015
Reposted on: 7 May 2017
Reposted on: 13 May 2018
Reposted on: 18 October 2020
Reposted on: 8 May 2022
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In 400 words or less, show us an individual who succumbs to an act of
cowardice. The act might be a one-time event, or it could reflect on
the person's overall character.
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One definition of cowardice might be, "lack of courage in facing
danger or difficulty." Examples of that would be when a person tries
to avoid death or injury, such as the soldier who disobeys an order to
attack, a policeman who pretends to be far away from an active
shootout, or the captain of a sinking cruise ship who abandons his
passengers to their fate. Sometimes people shrink from failure: an
athlete might fake an injury to avoid playing in the big game, or an
author might not submit a finished work out of fear of rejection. And
some people simply turn away from confrontation: witnessing a crime or
observing a classmate cheating, but doing nothing.
Make sure you demonstrate, without telling, how the character feels
about the act of cowardice. If appropriate, give clues as to whether
those around the individual are aware of / suspect the cowardice.
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In your critique, tell the author whether the central character's
behavior and/or emotions seem genuine. Do we understand why this
character made this choice? Could we forgive him or her? From what
the author has told you, do you think that the character would act the
same way again?
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.
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