Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 19:20<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benjamin Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject: <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hi Benjamin<\/p>\n Sorry about contacting you at home. I tried Kira but her email said she was \u2018out of office\u2019. It said something about being in Norway at an international Guinea Pig convention.<\/p>\n So then I messaged PJ but then I remembered that he said he locked away his phone on weekday evenings to concentrate on his Harp practice.<\/p>\n So are you free to have a quick look at my assessment piece? I forgot that my short story has to be submitted by midnight and the creative juices aren\u2019t flowing!\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Thank you in advance,<\/p>\n Best regards \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n From:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Ben Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 19:24<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron. Walshl@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hey Saffy<\/p>\n I take exception with being your last resort<\/strong>! J I am not one to decry my colleagues but I am Head of Creative Writing for good reason!<\/p>\n Perhaps you felt more comfortable approaching those of a lesser calibre, but as I won\u2019t be marking your assessment, you may email your story across.<\/p>\n Professor Benjamin Ziemann<\/p>\n Marden University<\/p>\n Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing<\/p>\n\n From:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron.Walsh@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 19:28<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benjamin Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject: <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hi Benjamin<\/p>\n You\u2019re a life-saver!<\/p>\n My genre\u2019s a gothic fantasy if that helps. The idea of the crow flying over a forest comes from my vampire poem that I wrote in year one – Deirdre said it was my strongest piece.<\/p>\n Thanks<\/p>\n Saffy<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know you had written any books. I thought you all just lectured! Impressed!<\/p>\n Anyway, here\u2019s what I have so far:<\/p>\n\n The Kneeling Corpse<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n With a guttural croak the crow flapped angrily out of the arched window as though catapulted from the weed-choked tower. Frantically beating wings, it cleared the fallen battlements besieged by a blackened moat and then gained height; a ragged gash against twilight stars.<\/em><\/p>\n Forest creatures scuttled for cover beneath canopies of strangled branches as the bird flapped through storm winds towards the cobbled city. Fortressed against Carpathian marauders, Brasov\u2019s fire-blackened walls of solid granite were no match for the creature as it swooped over the red-tiled rooftops towards its quarry. <\/em><\/p>\n Swooping over spires and chimneys, the crow landed on the dripping branch of a half-dead Elm growing directly opposite the windows of Str Nicolae Titulescu, nr 28. Once an orphanage, the implacable building now accommodated the most notorious police station in Transylvania. <\/em><\/p>\n\n Hope I\u2019m on the right track? Sorry if I\u2019m disturbing your evening. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n Thanks again,<\/p>\n Saff<\/em><\/p>\n\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 19:35<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron. Walsh@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Re: Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n Saffy,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Is that all you\u2019ve written?? The assessment is c2000 words!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Re your genre:<\/p>\n Although Deirdre (our resident cat-lady!) does little else than promote her pamphlet of poetry The Sorrow of Lemon Peel<\/em> at local libraries, she is, on this occasion, correct. Your language is rich in ornate Gothic description and is a good starting off point.<\/p>\n HOWEVER in lecture we discussed that you must cover elements of the internet, social media, hypertext etc.<\/p>\n Benjamin<\/p>\n PS No, you are not disturbing me! Partner is watching Eastenders. Subsequently I am re-reading my monograph on Baudelaire which never ceases to amuse.<\/p>\n\n From:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron.Walsh@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 21:17<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benjamin Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject: <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Re: Re: Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hi Benjamin,<\/p>\n Thanks for the advice and glad I\u2019m not disturbing you.<\/p>\n Following your advice, I made the next part of the story contemporary, inspired by Scandinavian crime fiction like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo<\/em> – which was amazing.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the 2nd<\/sup> segment:<\/p>\n\n The Kneeling Corpse – continued<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n At this late hour, most of the police station was silent, apart from a brightly lit office on the second floor. Inside Inspector Anje Popescu, a not-unattractive woman in a sweat-stained shirt and creased blue skirt, unlatched the window. She breathed in the scent of a winter that had been reluctant to depart. Holding a can of cola in one hand she reached for her packet of Marlboro and deftly shook out a cigarette. Lighting it she inhaled with a deep groan. She shivered but left the window open; the chilly draft reduced the rank odour of prisoners brought up for interrogation from the cells below. <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu stared out at the city\u2019s dark buildings, their occupants asleep, secure in the knowledge that the <\/em>Poli\u021bia Rom\u00e2n\u0103 was watching over them. <\/em>She ran both hands through her dark blonde hair, rubbing her scalp vigorously before returning to her desk. Manoeuvring around the chair she stumbled and snagged her tights. <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Futu-i.\u2019 She swore in the earthy Romani dialect that her mother used. <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu yawned and peered at the report on her computer. It was marked \u2018Urgent \u2013 Inspr. Popescu: Suspicious Death\/Case 247\u2019. <\/em><\/p>\n Two hours earlier, the Prosecutor, had stalked down the corridor to discuss the case, heels tapping on the beige tiles. <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Mad yank tourist,\u2019 she boomed, \u2018found dead in Devil\u2019s Tower. Forensics haven\u2019t a clue.\u2019 She paused, her sharp nose twitched suspiciously. \u2018Popescu?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Sorry boss, trying to quit.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n They discussed the case. Casper Goldman, an American fantasy novelist had camped out overnight at the ruined Devil\u2019s Tower. When he\u2019d failed to return to his hotel, a search party had been despatched. Mr Goldman had been found in the tower, not only dead but frozen in a kneeling position.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I need answers by tomorrow.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Press got wind?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018That nosy ghoul from Brasov Espres keeps calling,\u2019 the Prosecutor said, buttoning her coat with angry jerks.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s always an explanation.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m stumped. I wish it had been a heart attack, Anje.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ll get right on it.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu had promised as the Prosecutor left. But instead she\u2019d stared at the cobwebs swaying from the overhead light. If she was honest, her eagerness to work all night gave her the chance to avoid another night on the lumpy sofa in her small apartment; her bedroom now accommodated her increasingly frail mother who\u2019d come to live with her that summer. <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu examined the crime scene photos. Casper had his eyes tightly shut, hands clenched in an attitude of prayer. She scrolled through the report: age 38, robust health, no sign of violence. No robbery; h<\/em>is laptop and phone, along with a sleeping bag and two extinguished candles had been found by the body. <\/em><\/p>\n Determined to find out more about Casper, she found his website outlining his literary successes, complete with his blog: <\/em><\/p>\n\n Popescu lifted her head and stared out at the dark. Torrential rain had been pounding Brasov\u2019s streets all week.<\/em><\/p>\n Popescu\u2019s mother, half way through breakfast, had pointed a trembling finger at the window.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018See the yellow clouds. We called it \u2018madness rain\u2019. Every hundred years he returns. She drew her covers up and shuddered. \u2018Rain, rain, rain until he gathers a soul.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu had tried to coax her mother with some porridge but the woman had slapped the spoon away.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re not safe,\u2019 she moaned, groping for her rosary. <\/em><\/p>\n Once it rested around her bony neck she fished out her spare silver crucifix for her daughter, refusing to eat until Popescu had put it on. <\/em><\/p>\n All day Popescu had unconsciously tapped the cross beneath her shirt. She looked at her watch. Nearly midnight. She read the last entry:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n Presumably Casper was killed before completing the sentence. <\/em><\/p>\n Popescu lit another cigarette and stared into the dark. The Prosecutor was right, there was no explanation.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Half way-ish through but no clue how to finish this off! L<\/p>\n SAFF<\/p>\n Thanks again, I owe you a pint!<\/p>\n From:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ben Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December 2018 at 21:41<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron. Walsh@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Saffy,<\/p>\n Just one beer? I\u2019ll need a crate!<\/p>\n Good so far.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Keep going!<\/p>\n B<\/p>\n PS Your mention of Scandi-crime reminds me. The new Girl with the Dragon Tattoo film \u2013 Girl in the Spider\u2019s Web<\/em> is showing at Cineworld. Have you seen it? I plan to see it next Wednesday after workshop \u2013 avoid the crowds!<\/p>\n\n From:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Saffron Walsh <Saffron.Walsh@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Sent:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 22:44<\/p>\n To:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benjamin Ziemann <Benjamin.Ziemann@mdx.ac.uk><\/p>\n Subject: <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Help with my short story<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Thanks Ben<\/p>\n I definitely want to see the new Lizbeth Salandar film. She\u2019s my hero.<\/p>\n I know I\u2019ve not made it to many lectures . . . but then who is awake at 9 o\u2019clock in the morning?!<\/p>\n So sorry I didn\u2019t hear your talk on post modernism or metafiction. Think I had a hangover that day. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n Have looked at your lecture on Moodle and checked out metafiction on Wiki!<\/p>\n So here\u2019s the last part . . . I\u2019ve written myself into the story!!<\/p>\n\n The Kneeling Corpse – continued<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n As Anje Popescu puzzles over the kneeling corpse\u2019s last blog entry, her author, Saffy Walsh, sits in bed with her laptop, hating the Instagram photos from her friends who are knocking back pints at the Bierkeller. Saffy\u2019s frustrated on Anje Popescu\u2019s behalf. Popescu can\u2019t go home until she\u2019s solved the case and Saffy\u2019s suffering from writer\u2019s block. <\/em><\/p>\n Saffron yawns and reads through her last paragraph hoping for inspiration. Inspector Popescu is smoking at the window; an unhealthy addiction that Saffy created after following advice from her tutor about assigning habits or flaws to make characters more relatable.<\/em><\/p>\n Eventually Saffy pushes back her duvet. She decides to leave Inspector Popescu staring out the window while she makes a coffee.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Hey.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Hey, you. Author.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Inspector Popescu is shouting, her ice blue eyes glittering within a rigid face. <\/em><\/p>\n Saffy pauses at her bedroom door. <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Am I dreaming?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018No, I want a word with you, Author.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n The Inspector has her hands on hips, her expression too fierce to ignore. <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Why did you create this story, if you can\u2019t finish it?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Saffy coughs. \u2018I didn\u2019t make a plot arc.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018No kidding. So what did you plan, Author?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018A contemporary police drama with a strong female lead . . .\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Thank you.\u2019 Popescu looks pleased.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018\u2026and Gothic tropes.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Gothic?\u2019 Popescu unconsciously touches her crucifix.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Like the stories your mother whispered to you as she tucked you in. Vampires, demons, graveyards, body snatchers, walking dead, mad monks and that sort of thing. . .\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Is this why I work in Transylvania?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Saffy shrugs.<\/em><\/p>\n Popescu pulls out her spare chair. \u2018Get in my office. Now.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018How?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018You\u2019re the Creator. Write yourself into the story.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I can\u2019t.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Why not? Stephen King wrote himself into a novel.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018But this is just my first draft,\u2019 Saffy protests. \u2018I might erase the whole -.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t care. Let\u2019s finish this story.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Saffy examines her surroundings, the metal of Popescu\u2019s \u2018guest\u2019 chair digs into her thighs. Strangely, it had beens amazingly easy to travel to Popescu\u2019s office from her cosy duvet. She gives a cautious sniff and wrinkles her nose. Despite the open window, the air is thick with cigarette smoke.<\/em><\/p>\n Saffy wonders if jogging might help Popescu solve murder cases.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Tell me how Casper was killed, Author.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Popescu raises an eyebrow at the student\u2019s blue fluffy dressing gown.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I haven\u2019t got a clue, Anje.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Hey, you picked the ridiculous name of Inspector Popescu – have the decency to use it.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Sorry. . .Inspector.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n The room is silent.<\/em><\/p>\n Saffy closes her eyes to block out the glare from the overhead lights. \u2018I can tell you what I planned to write. . .before I emailed my tutor.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Tutor?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Saffy shrugs. \u2018He published a novel, like decades ago, and uses big words and gets very excited about boring stuff . . . so he\u2019s the expert.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Ah.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018So I\u2019d written that the tower door flies open, the candles extinguish and Casper\u2019s laptop freezes as he hears a dragging noise, sort of like. . .legs with no feet.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018How imaginative.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Thanks. So it\u2019s literally too dark for Casper to see the demon\u2019s maggot-infested eyes or ragged mouth gaping where rats have eaten the softened tongue . . .\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018How convenient.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018. . .but he feels long talons circle his throat.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018No evidence of violence, remember?\u2019 Popescu snaps.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018OK. How about. . . soft tentacles grab Casper\u2019s throat and something clammy, like a wet sheet, covers his mouth. Sucking the life force from him and all he can do is fall to his knees and -.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n The Inspector lights another cigarette, blowing the smoke over her shoulder.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Pray?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018Yes, Inspector.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Saffy folds her arms triumphantly.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com\/thumbs\/120\/apple\/198\/woman-running_1f3c3-200d-2640-fe0f.png?resize=120%2C120&ssl=1\")
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n
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