Writing a romance.

EN1022: Lesson 8:

Once bitten: Writing a romance.

8B

Her delicate skin was like expensive porcelain. Pale with painted ruby lips...

She had long curling lashes and clear grey eyes that shone and glittered like moonstones. A straight nose and high cheekbones that had the faintest blush of colour. Waves of dark hair rippled over her shoulders and almost reached her waist.

She wore a blue/grey top that matched her eyes. Long tapering fingers were adorned with plain silver and gold bands.

She had a rich honeyed voice that always drew everyone's attention.

8C

I saw her avoiding my eye as she placed her book down.

I couldn’t read her mind and this alone alarmed me. I instinctively pulled away and felt as if I had to vacate my seat, all of my senses screaming at me to run away.

I could smell a warm spicy human scent which bewildered me.

With every passing second I grew more distracted, blotting out the rest of the room... Her pure sweet fragrance had invaded my mind and stopped every normal thought.

Her long hair dipped across, hiding her heart shaped face behind a secret curtain...

She had a long sleeved blue shirt with buttons undone, I could see her porcelain skin moving in time with each breath...

Like a startled animal ready to flee.

There was a pulse beating at her temple and her upper lip shone with tiny beads of moisture.

The long fingers of her left hand were drumming on the table...

Write a western

His silvery grey eyes flicked from the smooth mirrored wall to the half full whiskey glasses on the small tables in the darkness. The fear in the smokey air was thick. One could count each salty droplet of sweat as it slid down the crevices next to his nose. The only sign that he was watchful was visible in his gloved finger, which curled more tightly around the steel trigger.

The shot rang out. His body coiled instinctively and he launched himself over the beer-soaked countertop

The shattering glass tinkled and sprayed diamond-like shards across the room. The piano player had not stopped, and the manic rag jigged it's circular pattern. The small man was playing as if in a trance. Somebody kicked a table over, and cards fluttered and winked in the air. Poker chips scattered and slid across the wooden floor.

He sat waiting in the darkness, his gun had not fired and he still had all six bullets weighing his pistol down. Slowly his gun slid into position from behind the bar. His spurred boots crunched on the broken glass.

I had seen enough. I whirled my red skirts into a bundle as I climbed the remaining steps. I fled over the knotted rag-rug and shut the panelled door on the noise and clamour. Now I could just make out the mechanical sounding piano player.

Camping in the Coromandel

We tramped over the hill from the Waihi Beach car park, carrying packs. I had chocolate and marshmallows in my pack along with a three liter bottle of Putaruru water. I also had a Paipo under my arm. Daniel had a headlamp switched on, because it was already dark. I kept tripping over roots in the path. We could hear the sound of the sea at the bottom of the cliff. The lights of Waihi beach disappeared as we walked around the headland. The walk took about forty minutes.

There was a flattened area under the trees, we waded through long grass like a herd of elephants in the jungle. I kept tripping up and putting my feet in holes. Some of the others had made a tarp tent in the bush. there was enough room for all of us to sleep, because we had tested the size of the tent back in the Park at home. It was completely dark. Theadora met us on the path and led us to the tent.

They had made a door out of fern leaves, and driftwood so that the tent could not be seen unless you knew where it was. The bedrolls were out, and packs were stashed in the corner. We did not eat anything because we had eaten at home before leaving. We had pizza on the way too.

In the morning I was really hungry. I woke up feeling queerly hollow. I had not slept well, because my sleeping bag zip kept coming undone, and when I tried to fix it Luke would start moaning on the other side of the tent, I found out later that he was actually running a fever. Tristan was talking in his sleep.

In the morning we discovered that the eggs were missing. Daniel had left them at home because he thought that someone was playing a prank on him making him carry a tray of eggs over the hill. Noone had told him to repack the eggs to carry them. So the first mission for Hailey and Victoria was to tramp back over the hill to get some eggs. We made breakfast of eggs on toast on the beach on the meth burner.

 Afterwards Theadora had to wash the dishes in the stream with some sand. Suddenly we heard screams coming from the dishwash area, there was an eel thinking that her finger was bait.

Napoleon Bonaparte AH2001

exercise 7:
Four years before the revolution, David was calling for the people to willingly die for their country, to be guided byu patriotismrather than personal relationships. He was calling for self sacrifice.
In  the Oath of the Horatii three athletic young men dressed for war stand stridently taking their oath while languid limp women weep in the right hand side of the painting. The central figure, dressed in red, is holding three swords in front of a black background. The swords are at the emotional centre of the painting. The background is a classical Roman villa interiorwhich has a rigid grid like effectIt is very severe and stark and has a linear style. The mood David was creating with this painting is a fervour for the revolution. He wanted people to set aside family commitments and follow the example of the Horati family. He was calling for action.





exercise 10:

Napoleon as First Consul by Ingres

Painted in 1804

Napoleon is posing for a portrait to celebrate his ‘election’ as the First Consul. A referendum which made Napoleon Bonaparte First Consul for life, was held on 10 May 1802. He had a deep understanding of how to promote his rule through images, objects, and the written word. Napoleon knew how to create a cult of personality that maximised his popularity and sought to win the loyalty of those who might oppose him. Here Napoleon is trying to create the myth of himself as the peacemaker, diplomat and saviour. The portrait is part of his propaganda campaign.

His clothing is luxurious red velvet with gold braiding which is the uniform of the First Consul. He is wearing white silk stockings and black dress shoes.

He is presented in a full frontal civilian pose taking up most of the picture space, so that one can get a good look at the idealised figure. He has been painted from memory because he was a very busy man. His left hand is tucked into his jacket. This mirrors the David painting of Napoleon in his study where he has tucked his right hand into his jacket.

The  objects around him include a scroll of paperwork and a quill at his right hand, indicating his signing "Faubourg d’Amercœur rebâti" (Amercœur suburb rebuilt). The chair behind him looks somewhat like a gilded throne, indicating the idea that he viewed his position as First Consul for Life as an important one, similar to Royalty. Worth mentioning is the heavy gold braid on the thick blue silk tablecloth showing Ingres’fine technique.

The setting is a room with an open window opening out to a view of the cathedral Saint Lambertin in Liege.

Napoleon crossing the Alps by David

It was painted in 1800-1

The painting shows Napoleon on the back fiery stallion. He is leading his troops across the Alps to Austria. Napoleon ordered David to paint him with a calm demeanor astride a rearing horse. Again this is a propaganda piece, creating the myth a Napoleon as a heroic leader.He is pointing with his left hand at the top of the ridge. The cloak also billows as if pointing to the same place. David painted this picture five times, so there are different images.

His clothing includes red topped riding boots, brown jodhpurs, one  white glove on his left hand, a gold trimmed tricorne which denotes his military status and a grand golden cloak, which in some other paintings is red.

He is presented taking up most of the pictorial space with lots of diagonal lines pointing every which way, while Napoleon's torso is the only stable vertical line in the whole portrait. He seems youthful, probably because David's son was used as a model.

The objects around him are a cannon, pulled by troops, and a tricolore, and a sword strapped to his side. The rocks in the foreground are inscribed with the words 'Bonaparte', 'Hannibal' and 'Carolus Magnus' showing that Napoleon has joined other historic generals by crossing the Alps.

The setting, in this case, is a rocky mountain pass, with a wild stormy sky.