Writing Assignment #2, Draft 3

Book Dreams

The girl is curled up like a cat in an armchair. Her brow is furrowed slightly, and she bites her lower lip gently in concentration. She is clutching an open book in her hands. Her eyes race across the page, and she smiles unconsciously in amusement and lets out a chuckle that no one else hears. Finally, she closes the book with a faint snap and levers herself out of the armchair.
That night in bed she does a spectacular cannonball into her imagination and peruses her favorite scenarios and characters from novels. First she is aboard a ship, a brisk wind washing her in salt spray. Her eyes travel up the roughhewn mast and alight on a rippling sable flag which is gaudily plastered with a grinning skull. She beams in recognition, and the girl's dream changes. She is galloping on a horse now, something she has never experienced before. Her docile childhood pony rides don't hold a candle up to this exhilarating chase. The landscape they are cantering through is rugged and romantic, and the girl can hear hoof beats pounding behind her. As she turns around, the place falls away like a heavy curtain. She is now in an opulent ballroom, which is glowing with the light of a thousand dripping ivory candles. She feels the heavy swish of yards of silk around her legs as she dances. A clock peals somewhere in the distance, and as if cued by some silent director, she bolts out of the sumptuous palace and down the endless marble steps. The girl almost smiles as she feels one spiky glass stiletto slip off her foot and chortles at the satisfying cinematic hilarity of it all as a forlorn, faraway male voice yells "No!" in desperation. She is still smiling when she wakes up and the reality of morning melts away her fairy tale. The girl exhales in cheerful resignation and reaches for her book...

Writing Assignment #2, Draft 2

Book Dreams

The girl is curled up like a cat in an armchair. Her brow is furrowed slightly, and she bites her lower lip gently in concentration. She is clutching an open book in her hands. Her eyes race across the page, and she smiles unconsciously in amusement and lets out a chuckle that no one else hears. Finally, she closes the book with a faint snap and levers herself out of the armchair.
That night in bed she does a spectacular cannonball into her imagination and peruses her favorite scenarios and characters from novels. First she is aboard a ship, a brisk wind washing her in salt spray. Her eyes travel up the roughhewn mast and alight on a rippling sable flag which is gaudily plastered with a grinning skull. She beams in recognition, and the girl's dream changes. She is galloping on a horse now, something she has never experienced before. Her docile childhood pony rides don't hold a candle up to this exhilarating chase. The landscape they are cantering through is rugged and romantic, and the girl can hear hoof beats pounding behind her. As she turns around, the landscape falls away like a heavy curtain. She is now in an opulent ballroom, which is glowing with the light of a thousand dripping ivory candles. She feels the heavy swish of yards of silk around her legs as she dances. A clock chimes somewhere in the distance, and as if cued by some silent director, she flees out of the sumptuous palace and down the endless marble steps. The girl almost smiles as she feels one spiky glass stiletto slip off her foot and laughs at the satisfying cinematic hilarity of it all as a faraway male voice yells "No!" in desperation. She is still smiling when she wakes up and the reality of morning melts away her fairy tale. The girl exhales in cheerful resignation and reaches for her book...

Writing Assignment #2, Draft 1

Book Dreams

The girl is curled up like a cat in an armchair. Her brow is furrowed slightly, and she bites her lower lip gently in concentration. She is clutching an open book in her hands. Her eyes race across the page, and she smiles unconsciously in amusement and lets out a chuckle that no one else hears. Finally, with a satisfied sigh, she closes the book with a faint snap and levers herself out of the armchair.
That night in bed she does a spectacular cannonball into her imagination and peruses her favorite scenarios and characters from novels. First she is aboard a ship, a brisk wind washing her in salt spray. Her eyes travel up the roughhewn mast and alight on a rippling sable flag which is gaudily plastered with a grinning skull. She beams in recognition, and the girl’s dream changes. She is galloping on a horse now, although she has never ridden one in her life. Her docile childhood pony rides don’t hold a candle up to this exhilarating chase. The landscape they are cantering through is rugged and romantic, and the girl can hear hoof beats pounding behind her. As she turns around, the landscape falls away like a heavy curtain. She is now in an opulent ballroom, which is glowing with the light of a thousand dripping ivory candles. She feels the heavy swish of yards of silk around her legs as she dances. A clock chimes somewhere in the distance, and as if cued by some silent director, she flees out of the sumptuous palace and down the endless marble steps. The girl almost smiles as she feels one spiky glass stiletto slip off her foot and laughs at the satisfying cinematic hilarity of it all as a faraway male voice yells “No!” in desperation. She is still smiling when she wakes up and the reality of morning melts away her fairy tale. The girl exhales in cheerful resignation and reaches for her book...

Writing Assignment #1, Draft 3

Prince Parsley & the Choice
Once upon a time there was a fellow named Prince Parsley. He was very happy in all respects but one: he was obsessed with beauty. Every morning when he woke up, he would command his servants to pick hundreds of bouquets of primroses and petunias and peonies and put them on pedestals in his palace. During breakfast, he would command (with his mouth full of porridge and plums) that his knights ride out to all the corners of his kingdom to find the most beautiful animals and birds and paintings and clothes so he could surround himself totally with exquisite things. If Prince Parsley saw anything ugly or drab, he would command his servants to take it away so he wouldn’t have to look at it. If one of his servants grew ugly or plain, he would fire them. And if his flowers were wilting, he would command that they be replaced. The Prince wasn’t pernicious, he was just picky.
One day Price Parsley’s parents decided it was time for him to get married. The Prince didn’t mind in the least, as long as his bride was beautiful. So every princess from every province was invited. And then the choosing started. Prince Parsley decided that he would spend one hour with each princess in his garden, and then decide if he liked her or not. He was pleased because all of them were pretty , but was perturbed because all of them had something wrong with them. Princess Pipi liked to pull the wings off butterflies. Princess Poppy had a laugh like a braying donkey, and was rude. Princess Pepper was so boring, that when she was talking to him he fell asleep. Princess Paprika had the habit of burping whenever he tried to say something important, and so on.
Finally, after hours of disappointment, Prince Parsley was close to tears. He had been pushed, pestered, pinched and on one occasion, punched. The Prince was tired and perplexed. How could such beautiful princesses be so ugly inside? He was just about to go in, when one last girl came out. She was not beautiful, in fact, she was plain. She told him her name was Princess Penny, and asked him why he was crying. The Prince was to upset to notice she was ordinary, perhaps his vision was blurred with tears. She spoke to him so kindly, and was so sweet and caring, that the Prince pulled himself together. Princess Penny gave the Prince her purple pinafore so he could blow his nose on it, asked him about his pet pandas, and made the him laugh with her jokes. Prince Parsley found that he didn’t mind her appearance one bit, it was her spirit and her personality that he liked. He found that he had fallen deeply in love with her. When the Prince asked Penny to marry him, she was surprised, and said that she had heard he only wanted a beautiful wife. Then Prince Parsley got down on his knees amid the pansies and palm trees and Penny's soiled pinafore and said that he had realized that true beauty is what is on the inside, and that she was beautiful to him. Princess Penny realized she loved him too, and accepted his proposal. They were married the very next day, and lived happily and prosperously ever after.

Writing Assignment #1, draft 2

Prince Parsley & the Choice
Once upon a time there was a fellow named Prince Parsley. He was very happy in all respects but one: he was obsessed with beauty. Every morning when he woke up, he would command his servants to pick hundreds of bouquets of primroses and petunias and peonies and put them on pedestals in his palace. During breakfast, he would command (with his mouth full of porridge and plums) that his knights ride out to all the corners of his kingdom to find the most beautiful animals and birds and paintings and clothes so he could surround himself totally with exquisite things. If Prince Parsley saw anything ugly or drab, he would command his servants to take it away so he wouldn’t have to look at it. If one of his servants grew ugly or plain, he would fire them. And if his flowers were wilting, he would command that they be replaced. The Prince wasn’t cruel, he was just silly.
One day Price Parsley’s parents decided it was time for him to get married. The Prince didn’t mind in the least, as long as his bride was was beautiful. So every princess from every kingdom was invited. And then the choosing started. Prince Parsley decided that he would spend one hour with each princess in his garden, and then decide if he liked her or not. He was pleased because all of them were pretty , but was perturbed because all of them had something wrong with them. Princess Pipi liked to pull the wings off butterflies. Princess Poppy had a laugh like a braying donkey, and was rude. Princess Pepper was so boring, that when she was talking to him he fell asleep. Princess Paprika had the habit of burping whenever he tried to say something important, and so on.
Finally, after hours of disappointment, Prince Parsley was close to tears. He had been pushed, pestered, pinched and on one occasion, punched. The Prince was tired and perplexed. How could such beautiful princesses be so ugly inside? He was just about to go in, when one last girl came out. She was not beautiful, in fact, she was plain. She told him her name was Princess Penny, and asked him why he was crying. The Prince was to upset to notice she was ordinary, perhaps his vision was blurred with tears. She spoke to him so kindly, and was so sweet and caring, that the Prince pulled himself together. Princess Penny gave the Prince her purple pinafore so he could blow his nose on it, asked him about his pet pandas, and made the him laugh with her jokes. Prince Parsley found that he didn’t mind her appearance one bit, it was her spirit and her personality that he liked. He found that he had fallen deeply in love with her. When the Prince asked Penny to marry him, she was surprised, and said that she had heard he only wanted a beautiful wife. Then Prince Parsley got down on his knees amid the pansies and palm trees and the soiled pinafore and said that he had realized that true beauty is what is on the inside, and that she was beautiful to him. Princess Penny realized she loved him too, and accepted his proposal. They were married the very next day, and lived happily and prosperously ever after.

Writing Assignment #1, First Draft

Prince Parsley & the Choice
Once upon a time there was a fellow named Prince Parsley. He was very happy in all respects but one: he was obsessed with beauty. Every morning when he woke up, he would command his servants to pick hundreds of bouquets of primroses and petunias and peonies and put them on pedestals in his palace. During breakfast, he would command (with his mouth full of porridge and plums) that his knights ride out to all the corners of his kingdom to find the most beautiful animals and birds and paintings and clothes so he could surround himself totally with exquisite things. If Prince Parsley saw anything ugly or drab, he would command his servants to take it away so he wouldn’t have to look at it. If one of his servants grew ugly or plain, he would fire them. And if his flowers were wilting, he would command that they be replaced. The Prince wasn’t cruel, he was just silly.
One day Price Parsley’s parents decided it was time for him to get married. The Prince didn’t mind in the least, as long as his bride was was beautiful. So every princess from every kingdom was invited. And then the choosing started. Prince Parsley decided that he would spend one hour with each princess in his garden, and then decide if he liked them or not. He was delighted because all of them were beautiful , but was horrified because all of them had something wrong with them. Princess Pipi liked to pull the wings off butterflies. Princess Poppy had a laugh like a braying donkey, and was rude. Princess Pepper was so boring, that when she was talking to him he fell asleep. Princess Paprika had the habit of burping whenever he tried to say something important, and so on.
Finally, after hours of disappointment, Prince Parsley was close to tears. He had been scolded, disgusted, slapped and in one instance, spit on. The Prince was tired and confused. How could such beautiful princesses be so ugly inside? He was just about to go in, when one last girl came out. She was not beautiful, in fact, she was plain. She told him her name was Princess Penny, and asked him why he was crying. The Prince was to upset to notice she was ugly, perhaps his vision was blurred with tears. She spoke to him so kindly, and was so sweet and caring, that the Prince immediately fell in love. When he announced that he would marry her, she was surprised, and said that she had heard he only wanted a beautiful wife. Then Prince Parsley said that he had realized that true beauty is what is on the inside, and that she was beautiful to him. They were married the very next day, and lived happily and prosperously ever after.