novel 88 - 2. suggestions - continued

by nick nelson

part 2 of ?

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to begin at the beginning, click here

6. adam was walking down the road when suddenly he met eve. what are you doing here? he asked her belligerently. i could ask you the same thing, she replied saucily. you are going in the wrong direction, he continued, studiously ignoring her tone, there is nothing behind me, that is why i am proceeding north, as you see. i will be the judge of that, eve answered in a more measured tone of voice. perhaps there are things i will see that you did not, or that i can make use of that you could not. suit yourself. step aside then, and let me pass. the road is wide as well as long, will it wear you out to walk around me? eve laughed. you always have to argue, do you not? goodbye. and adam stepped around eve, and continued heading north, toward the ice and wind and snow. ___ _____________________- 7. harriet was a polite and well-bred person, and was in the habit of striking up polite conversations with complete strangers, even somewhat shabby and scary ones. harriet worked as a maid in a barely respectable downtown hotel, working the 4 pm to midnight shift, and took the last cable car home to her furnished room on california street. one chilly night she was riding home and there was one other passenger on the car, a man in a heavy coat several sizes too large for him and with a broad brimmed hat pulled down over his face but not concealing his long pointed nose. he looks familiar, harriet thought, familiar like a cartoon character - a comic villain. a bit cool tonight, isn’t it? harriet addressed the man. the man did not reply, and harriet decided he was not the talkative type. she never persisted in conversations if the person she spoke yo did not respond. ___________________________________________________ 8. you thought you had it made, didn’t you, jake? but something has gone wrong, hasn’t it? just like it always does. just like it tripped up all the great men whose lives you love to read books and watch movies about - julius caesar, hannibal, genghis khan, napoleon, hitller - they were all tripped up by one thing. and bow it is your turn. _____________________________________________ 9. carl wilson came home one night and was not greatly surprised to find that his wife had left him, as he had been expecting it for some time. he decided that a modest celebration was in order. carl believed in moderation in all things - something the departed joseohine had always professed to hold against him - so he poured himself half a glass of wine. ___________________________________________________ 10. every time margaret brindage looked out of her window, she saw something new and horrifying, so she turned on her television set for reassurance, because on the television nothing ever changed. how different it had been when she was a child, when life was boring and one did the same things every day, and the television - and the movies - provided excitement and respite from the boredom. right now, below her window, a motley group of indescribable people were chanting - death to……! _________________________________________________ well joe, i hope these help you out. please let me know if you have any questions, or if you need any more suggestions. plenty more where those came from. sincerely, sebastian dream sincerely, sebastian dream to be continued

novel 88 - 1. suggestions

by nick nelson

part 1 of ?

to begin at the beginning, click here

dear joe, thank you for your kind letter. i am always happy to help out my loyal fans in any way i can. here are a few suggestions for your novel. 1. pope innocent xx wakes up in the middle of the night and decides he does want to be pope any more. he gets up and gets dressed and packs his smallest suitcase. he leaves his room. outside in the corridor, the swiss guard appears to be asleep, as usual. pope innocent scribbles a note on a piece of paper he always carries in his pocket and slips it into the shirt pocket of the sleeping guard. but the guard is not really asleep. she has been briefed by the vizier that the pope will try to escape and to let him get away. ————— 2. aliens have conquered earth. they set about reconstructing human society. humans divide into two camps. those who welcome the reconstruction and wish to cooperate with the aliens. and those who resist the aliens. the first group are called greens. and the second group and called blues. andrea is a green girl. boris is a blue boy. andrea is walking down the street on her way to a rally in support of the aliens. it begins to rain. andrea slips stepping off a sidewalk and falls in a puddle. boris, on his way to a cell meeting of the resistance, sees andrea struggling to get up out of the puddle. _____________________ 3. davy crockett has lost his license as a trained deadly assassin. panhandling is beneath him, so he decides to rob the payroll of the new time and space center in the mongolian desert where professor isaac newton is building a new model time machine. but first he needs to get a good crew together. but before that he needs a drink. _________________________ 4. charles lindbergh needs a job. he has not had any luck finding one, and he is desperate. he sees an ad online, in one of the more obscure generic websites the ad reads: employees wanted. p> no qualifications or experience necessary. resumes not required. employees required to sign a two year contract, and to remain with employer for the full two years. no further information provided to employee prior to employment. no pay - food and clothing provided. no healthcare, pension, or benefits. all applicants accepted. reply to job256389@chump.org. or stand at the corner of washington and main sts, cincinnati oh any night between 12 am and 2 am __ ____________________________ 5. sally jones, a retired ribbon clerk, has used up the last of her meager savings. her rent is due. mr smith, who collects the rent, even though sally has never been sure whether or not he owns the building her room is in, has always seemed to her a rather nice gentleman, not at all the stereotype of an evil landlord. she decides to appeal to his better nature. she decides to tell him she will do anything - anything at all - if he allows her to remain in her room and not be forced out onto the street. ______________________________________ next

novel 88 - 0. dear mister dream

by nick nelson

part 0 of ?

dear mr dream, i know you have millions of fans, but believe me, i am your number one fan in the world. and i am desperate. maybe you can help me out. i have no money, no fame, and no respect. i have creditors - lots of creditors. i am the most miserable person in the world. well, you might say, why do i not simply take to the open road, or take to the hills, or “light out for the territory”, and start a new life? with all due respect, i do not think this is an option in the modern world where everybody needs an i d and a phone which allows then to be tracked every minute of every day, and where everybody is on a million databases. if i am wrong about this, i would be happy to be told where and how i am wrong. pending that, my best idea for a solution to my problems is what it has been all my life - to write a number one bestselling novel which will sell tens of millions of copies and be made into a number one grossing movie or series of movies or at the very least a tv miniseries. i know in my heart that i can do this, but there is one problem. i can not come up with an idea. i know that i can write a bestseller if i could just come with an idea. that is why i am appealing to you. i know you must have a million ideas, as you are the greatest and most successful writer in the world. if you could let me have one idea - just one - i will be eternally grateful. if you do not have time for the sorry likes of me, i understand. hoping to hear from you, sincerely, your greatest fan. joe lonelyroom next