The Eight Sentences:

Walkers(with the green awning)=Mayberry Soda Shoppe. Notice the open space awaits our guys from LOOM.
White had listened to the conversation and at the same time, looked up Mt. Airy on his Smartphone, “Tripadvisor has a bunch of good ratings for the Mayberry Soda Fountain. It’s on Main Street so it should be easy enough to locate–it’s also known as Walkers.”
Barger smiled at Dryden and said, “Maybe we’ll run into Barney Fife and he can tell us all about the Hummer that did a flip into the New River near Austinville.”
Dryden winked and said, “Yeah, and maybe you can use some of that two hundred bucks you won to buy us lunch.”
Scully executed a perfect parallel park and the four men walked into the restaurant. As they walked in, Barger asked, “How did you get lucky enough to find a space right in front of the restaurant?”
Scully smiled, patted his obese friend on the back as he waddled through the door and answered, “They saved it for me.”
The Set Up:
In this clip, readers learn the result of Hawk’s bet with Mr. White along with my choice of how to handle the scene. I chose this route rather than a detailed description of the shot, the bullet crashing through the windshield, and the explosion of the driver’s head. I think my readers can figure out what happened without a review of the blood, the guts, and the gore. Writing a scene like this is, for me, analogous to writing a sex scene. Everyone knows what happens between the sheets. It’s more fun if it happens in the readers’ imagination anyway. Feedback, please.
You got eight sentences?
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19 responses to “A Visit to Mayberry–Weekend Writing Warriors”
Linda Hamonou
January 24th, 2015 at 01:15
It must be nice to have people save you a parking spot.
Iris B
January 19th, 2015 at 05:25
Nice snippet, and yes I agree, sometimes less is more.
burnsmillie
January 19th, 2015 at 00:16
I really enjoy the banter as well. lovely snippet today.
chellecordero
January 18th, 2015 at 22:28
The references to Mayberry added quite a bit of lighthearted humor. Maybe something in the rest of the story would tell the significance of the reference to the “obese” friend, but somehow the reference blew the image I had of Barger right out of head.
FCEtier
January 18th, 2015 at 22:33
A previous snippet had described Barger as weighing almost 400 pounds. That scene featured a photo of a big Harley Davidson bike.
In the book, Barger explains how he got to be this size. He had previously been much more weight appropriate for his height.
ceciliacoronaauthor
January 18th, 2015 at 22:10
Love the banter! Great snippet.
Claire
January 18th, 2015 at 21:21
Love the “obese friend” as he “waddles through the door”. This has a humorous edge to it I love.
jtsuruoka
January 18th, 2015 at 20:56
That was really good. Love the banter. Plus– bonus points for the Barney Fife reference.
Elaine Cantrell
January 18th, 2015 at 20:35
Well done. We really don’t need the gore.
Gem
January 18th, 2015 at 18:58
Nice smooth plotting as we walk though the scene with your characters. Very nice. (I don’t need the gore and guts either).
veronicascott
January 18th, 2015 at 16:52
I think you convey the camaraderie and understanding between this group of men so well, just with the dialog and the action. I also appreciated being spared the gore…excellent excerpt!
Kate Warren
January 18th, 2015 at 15:35
Nicely done, Frank! You’re right, we know what happened without the details.
Author Charmaine Gordon
January 18th, 2015 at 10:54
You brought this reader right into the scene. Love the references to Mayberry and Barney Fife.
Christina Ochs
January 18th, 2015 at 10:41
Love the snappy dialogue and the way you’ve set the scene. I also appreciate sparing us the blood and guts. When it comes to gore, less is more. 🙂
Sarah W
January 18th, 2015 at 08:38
The minute I read this I thought, “Of course he won!” 😀
I love these guys, Chip. I really do.
Karen Michelle Nutt
January 18th, 2015 at 01:09
The banter between your characters are always entertaining. Great snippet!
Jennifer Reynolds
January 18th, 2015 at 00:52
You set up the small town beautifully without overly describing it, and the back and forth between the characters is natural and fluid. Great scene.
P.T. Wyant
January 18th, 2015 at 00:40
Great snippet. Love the conversation and banter.
siobhanmuir
January 17th, 2015 at 18:36
That is lucky indeed. Good snippet, Frank. 🙂