fandomhigh | Writing Workshop - 6/13 - Journalism Classroom

Chloe was on her laptop again when everyone came in, but she wasn't doing anything other than staring at the screen as though she wanted to type something, but couldn't remember what.

When everyone had come in, she snapped out of her little reverie. "Hey guys, and ladies. Okay, so for the past few weeks, we've been talking about different types of non-fictional writing, and I figured we'd segue into fiction with a little something that mixes them both." She motions to the piles of The National Enquirer and Star ~~whose websites are down, woe!~~ that are sitting on the table. "Gossip is one of the worst ways an editor can make their newspaper or magazine copies sell, in that it's a sad, pathetic last resort. Unfortunately, it's also one of the best ways to make copies sell, because it usually works."

"What I want you to do today is either take the news story you wrote last week, or a different event, if you'd like, and sensationalize it. Write something that'll make people want to grab the story and read it right where they're standing. You can exaggerate and lie about the details - that's the whole point of gossip - it just has to be based on something that might possibly be verifiably true."

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I don't need to look for brownie recipes in the library. I have a perfectly good one of my own! :-)

You do? How come you've never made brownies, then?

I don't know; just never done it. Maybe I will later!

I think you ought to. But that's because it involves chocolate. I forgot to replenish the supply in my backpack this morning.

What's in it for me? ;-) And that was silly!

Whatever you want. And yes, I'm very much regretting it now.

Oh really? :-D I might have a Milky Way in my bag.

Janet glanced sidelong at Liz.

Really. You have chocolate. Share.

She paused, frowned, and added, Please?

Elizabeth grinned and leant down into her bag. She pulled out a Milky Way bar and handed it to Janet.

"You can pay me back later," she said in a quiet voice.

"Any time," murmured Janet, tearing open the wrapper.

Elizabeth sighed, turning back to her paper. "I hate gossip."

"It doesn't have to be real gossip," said Janet. "Just make something up. In this place, anything is possible, right?"

"True," Elizabeth said, considering. "Aliens invading?"

She frowned; why did that sound familar?

"You shouldn't jinx us," replied Janet automatically, biting back a comment about what had happened the last time she'd encountered hostile aliens.

"Probably not," Elizabeth agreed, glancing at Janet, slightly concerned.

"What?" asked Janet, forcing herself to smile.

"Me not thinking before I spoke," Elizabeth said, still watching Janet carefully.

"It's okay," said Janet reassuringly. Nope, no bad thoughts there. Mostly because she was deliberately not thinking them. She had practice at that. "You were just making a joke."

"Yeah, but it's not a subject I probably should be joking about," Elizabeth replied.

Janet shook her head. "I don't see why not," she said, her glance flickering away from Liz and then quickly back again.

Elizabeth bit her lip. "I think it hits a bit too close to home for some people," she said quietly.

Janet smiled wryly. "I suppose it might," she agreed.

Maybe if she stayed up really late tonight, she'd be so exhausted she wouldn't remember her dreams.