Writing Exercises for Reunion: Coda

Monday, April 1, 2024

What does your hero say the first time he sees the heroine naked?

“As a historian, I’ve always believed it’s the unseen details that hold the true essence of beauty. Now, standing before you, I realize some histories are felt rather than told.”

And this is how Maddie might reply:

“In the symphony of my life, you’ve become, as of late, the crescendo, Jim. And now, you’ve left me utterly breathless.”

Tuesday, April 2, 2024,

Describe what your hero is wearing when your heroine first sees him.

Jim is a professor of history at Columbia University and an up-and-coming author of non-fiction books about military history (especially focusing on World War II). At the novel’s beginning, he’s at a new nightclub in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) called the Moonglow. It’s Friday night, and even though I don’t delve into it much in the book, we can safely assume that Jim went to his apartment in midtown Manhattan after work, showered, shaved, and chose a nice suit to fit in with the club’s 1940s theme.

Based on this assumption, Jim is wearing a gray tweed herringbone suit (pants, vest, and jacket), a white shirt, a red tie with a gold tiepin, brown shoes, and a matching belt. He also wears a replica of Indiana Jones’ brown felt snap-brim fedora.

Jim is much younger-looking than this model in this promo shot from Studio Suits, but this fits his sense of fashion.

How do you describe your heroine when your hero first sees her?

Maddie might be wearing a dress along these lines. The shoes? Meh. Image Credit: Amazon

I glance at the bottle of Heineken in my hand, feeling the chill of the condensation on my fingers. It’s a new nightclub, and I’m curious to see what it’s like. I’m not here to hook up, but I wouldn’t mind some company. Maybe someone who shares my passion for history. Someone who appreciates the stories behind the facts. Someone who can make me laugh and think at the same time.

That’s when I hear her voice. “Excuse me,” she says, “is this seat taken?”

Her accent is refined and elegant, like a cross between FDR and a British aristocrat. I swivel around and there she is, clutching a bag stuffed with books from Book Culture – that quaint little bookstore on Broadway. Her hair is the color of caramel, and her eyes are a deep hazel. She’s wearing a sky-blue dress that hugs her curves in all the right places. She’s breathtaking. – from Reunion: Coda