Week Seven Writing

Brief: Choose two characters from dramatically different socio-economic backgrounds. Think of something that might bring the two of them into contact (e.g. the puppy). Enjoy their different angles on things and don't hold back. Make sure that if one character describes something, the other character offers another view on it so that we can enjoy the conflict implicit in the descriptions. In the light of your analysis of the story, interweave the characters so that each character's point of view appears twice (i.e. cut between them twice).

[Note: I’m playing heavily on stereotypes here and don’t mean any offense to anyone. My main point is the difference between Sam and Bonnie’s way of speaking and therefore I want to exacerbate the differences between them as much as possible.]

“Hello, you must be the new student. I’m Sam.”

The girl turned around with a big smile on her face. Her black hobnail boots were falling apart and covered with a thick layer of mud. The heavy cable jumper she wore was fuzzy from washing and appeared to be a handknit, tucked into jeans that had definitely seen better days. Her pretty face was bare of makeup, her cheeks red from wind exposure, and her brown curls were wildly drawn back into a low ponytail.

“Alright.” She said, her accent thick as she stuck out her hand and enthusiastically shook Sam’s hand. “Ah’m Bonnie.”

Extricating his hand and trying not to grimace, Sam brushed his pristine school uniform down. “Yes, well I’m your student guide for the day. I’ll show you around the school, and then after classes, I will escort you to your boarding house where your boarding mistress can take over.”

“Sounds good to me.” Bonnie’s smile remained bright, although she could tell that this boy had already taken a distaste to her. It didn’t matter that much to her; she’d learned to have much thicker skin than to take on when someone didn’t like her. And any road, he was a Southerner, which obviously meant his opinion counted for nothing.

The classes of the day flew by, and Sam refrained from talking to Bonnie more than was necessary. Not that he could have squeezed a word in edgeways in any case; the girl could talk as a competitive sport! He supposed it was natural given her Northern roots – everyone knew they had nothing whatever in their heads and so it was only natural that they gabble like geese.

At the end of the day, Sam had the full intention of depositing Bonnie at the boarding house and washing his hands of her. As the other students flocked out of the school gates with their permission slips in the direction of the city centre, Sam attempted to steer Bonnie in the opposite direction. To no avail.

“Now then, where they all off to?” She asked, pointing in the direction a group of girls pulling their coat hoods up against the wind.

“The city, I suppose. They’re probably going to dinner or something along those lines.”

“Ah’d quite lahke to see this city. Ma and Pa didn’t have much chance to show me anythin’ before they left. ‘ad to get back to the farm.” Bonnie turned to face Sam. “Would you take me? Ah promise ah won’t be any bother; ah just wonna see it.”

Sam sighed languorously. “Alright, but you can get both of our permission slips from the office.”

“You’re a right gem.” Bonnie leaned up and kissed his cheek before springing off into the school. Sam stood there in shock for a moment; what on earth was that about?

“This city is so huge.” Bonnie said as they walked up the high street. “You could get lost twenty times over an’ all.”

“This place? It’s tiny. Nothing on London.” Sam commented flippantly.

She smacked his arm and he jumped with a slight welp of pain. “Not everyone’s from London you know.”

“I thought that Northerners were supposed to be friendlier than Southerners.” He commented, rubbing his arm.

She smiled with a glint in her eye. “We are, but we’re also an ‘ella of a lot more feisty than you lot of whimps.”

“So what’s it like where you come from anyway?”

“Well, mi village is pretty small. The kind of place where you know everyone really. Ah’ve lived there all mi life - there ain’t nowhere in that valley that ah don’t know.”

“I can’t imagine living like that. My family have lived in the London area all my life, but never in the same place for more than a couple of years. And I’ve definitely never had that sort of familiarity with my neighbours; everyone keeps themselves to themselves.”

“No, see, ah couldn’t live lahke that. You’d never feel safe, what wi’ everyone around you being strangers. Never know who’s got it in for you, and in this day and age, you can’t trust nobody.”

“But that’s the whole point; no one bothers you if you don’t bother them first.”

Bonnie frowned. “If ah live till I’m an ‘undred, ah’ll never understand you southern folk.”

Laughing at her remark, Sam asked. “So, is there really such a stigma of the South where you come from?”

Bonnie nodded vigorously. “They all thought ah’d gone stark raving mad for wanting to come down ‘ere wi’ you lot.”

“So why did you pick here?”

“Ah don’t know…” Bonnie took a deep breath. “Ah guess ah just wanted to see some more of the world, you know? Ah felt there ‘ad to be more than what we’ve got in Appletreewick, and ah didn’t want to grow up ‘avin’ never seen nowt of it.”

“I see.” Sam paused, wondering what he could say to that. “The place you live is seriously called Appletreewick?” He asked with a smile.

Bonnie laughed, that brilliant smile of hers lighting up her face. “It’s not the weirdest name round our parts, ah tell you. We’ve all got imagination when it comes to naming places – you lot are way too boring for your own good.”

At her cheeky smile, Sam couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe Bonnie wasn’t quite as an uncouth as she appeared.

They returned to the boarding houses sometime later, and it was clear that Bonnie was exhausted. It had been a long day, what with traveling all the previous day and now all this excitement. She was right ready to jump into bed with a book and a good brew.

Turning on the step of the boarding house to look back at Sam, Bonnie smiled. “Well, for what it’s worth, ah’ve rather enjoyed maself today. You’re none so bad you, though ah’ll admit ah thought you ‘ad a right twig up your arse this morning.”

“And I thought you must have come from an area where they hadn’t heard of hot water and electricity.” Sam instinctively jumped back as he made his remark.

Bonnie laughed. “Ah’ll let you ‘ave that one, but don’t be thinking ah won’t get you back for it.”

“I would expect nothing less.” Sam winked and walked away.

Automatic writing from the seminar (7 minutes): A tells a secret to B about C. A’s version of the story and C’s version of the story.

I didn’t mean to tell him.

Well I did. I was so angry and I just wanted to spite her.

But that was wrong. After all she was my friend. And she’d told me it in confidence.

Now he was so angry. He was definitely going to tell her.

And then she would know that I’d told him. She’d never trust me again.

I deserved it. Whatever repercussions that came, I deserved them.

I was a no-good snitch.

He’s looking at me in disgust. “You kissed my brother?”

I feel shell-shocked. How on earth did he find out? Max wouldn’t have told him.

Lucy.

I feel my blood boil with outrage.

“You kissed my brother?” he asks again, indignation ringing in his voice.

“So what if I did?” I find myself saying. “After all, what business is it of yours?”

“You damn well know it’s my business.”

“We dated a year ago David. My love life is no longer your concern.”

“But my brother? Jesus Heidi did it have to be him?”

I shrugged my shoulders, feeling slightly helpless. The tortured look in his eyes was

unbearable. “I… I’m sorry. It just happened. We were drunk. It didn’t really mean anything… I stopped it before we did anything serious.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes, because of you. I couldn’t do that to you.”

“But you still lied to me.

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you. It was a mistake. A foolish mistake.”