Writers Assignments

The magazine’s managing editor, Wilson, summons two writers to his office. Soon, Beverly and Donald steps into his office. Wilson, talking to someone on the telephone, points at the couch. The two writers sit. Done with the conversation, Wilson says, “I want for future publication in our fiction section a story with maybe twenty-five thousand to three thousand words about a detective mystery in the days before DNA. You know something nostalgia or should I say noir.”

           “How far should the story go back?” Donald asks.

           “Let’s say in the period of those earlier noir detective, gangster, femme fatale movies,” Wilson says.

           “I believe that we can do that,” Donald says.

           “Oh no, you both will write a story. I want to read each tomorrow. I shall say a draft. Yes, a draft will do,” Wilson says.

           “And you want it tomorrow?” Beverly asks.

           “Yes,” Wilson says.

           “Okay, but I have an article that I’m working on,” Donald says.

           “So, do I,” Beverly says.

           “Well, you can finish those articles then work on your fiction,” Wilson says.

           “Are you talking about working at home?” Beverly asks.

           “Yes, haven’t you done work at home before?” Wilson asks.

           “Yes sir,” Beverly says.

           “Yes sir,” Donald says.

           “Well, now, is there anything else to discuss about this?” Wilson asks.

           “No sir,” Donald says.

           “No sir,” Beverly says.

           Donald and Beverly walk out of the office and out of earshot from Wilson.

           “Does he want us to work together on this?” Donald asks.

           “No. He did mention that,” Beverly says.

           “Well, then, I have a sense that this is a best story gets published,” Donald says.

           “You think so?” Beverly asks.

           “Yes, I do,” Donald says.

           “I was hoping that it wouldn’t be that,” Beverly says.

At her apartment, after cooking and eating dinner, Beverly sits on an armchair watching programs on television without interest. Her thoughts are on a plot for the story then a main character to interact within the plot. Soon she forms a plot and the identity of the main character and her where abouts in the story. With a pencil and college ruled loose leaf papers, she goes to the kitchen table and begin writing the story that fills her thought and soon she has a draft of a story.  

           Donald after dinner with his family goes to his basement. Some time ago, he had it sound proofed from the family activities above him. He sits at a desk. On it sits an old-style typewriter; he gets a stack of unlined papers from a desk drawer. One sheet, he loads into the typewriter feeder. He stares at the ceiling for a moment then types a sentence or two. He stops because he is not satisfied with the plot thought. He rips the paper from the typewriter crumbles it into a ball then tosses it into the waste basket. This goes on until he is satisfied with a story line that soon becomes a draft of a story.  

The next morning each slides their draft under Wilson’s locked office door. That afternoon Beverly is summoned to Wilson’s office. “I like your draft story that is set in the nineteen-thirties about a female private detective specializing in catching someone’s unfaithful spouse in the act but one day photographs a gangland killing that gets her into trouble with the gang boss then she has to protect herself from being a victim herself,” he says.

           “Thank you, sir,” she says.

           “It’s Friday so email me a finish polish copy by Monday,” he says.

           “Yes sir,” she says.  

           Wilson summons Donald.

           “I like your story set in the nineteen-fifties about a crooked police detective who decides to go straight because of the love of a woman that he met but his fellow crooked cops fearing that he will snitch on them put him on their hit list to kill him and he saves himself and the woman,” Wilson says.

           “Thank you, sir,” Donald says.

           “It’s Friday so email me a finish polish copy by Monday.”

           “Yes sir.”  

In his basement, Donald sits at his computer table typing, seeing his story being transform from a draft. He reads and rewrites. Then he cares for his children while his wife reads and edits the story.

           Beverly sits at the kitchen table inputs the story from the draft into the computer. Then she reads, edits, rewrites in that circle until she is happy with the story.

           Sunday night after a last read Donald believes that his story is well polished, so he emails it to Wilson’s office. At about the same time Beverly satisfied with her story emails it to Wilson’s office. On Monday, just before noon, Wilson calls both writers to his office.

“I wonder who won the contest,” Donald says.

“I still don’t believe that it’s a contest,” Beverly says.

They step into Wilson’s office.

“Which story gets to be published?” Donald asks.

Taken-aback. “What?” Wilson asks.

“Who won the contest?” Donald asks.

“This was no contest,” Wilson says.

“I thought it wasn’t,” Beverly says.

“I wish to publish both stories because that’s my plan but not right away because we have other fictions with priority. Both of your stories will be published afterwards and if our readers show interest then such stories will continue to appear. If you thought that this was a contest between you two then you were surely wrong Donald,” Wilson says.

Several months past, the magazine publishes Beverly story.

“Why was Beverly’s story published first?” Donald asks.

“I just decided to do the old tradition of woman first,” Wilson says.

“Oh,” Donald says.

Soon readers reviews arrive at the magazine. ‘Is the main character a lesbian because they did exist in those days.’ Beverly replies that the character is straight. ‘Will it become a monthly series?’ Beverly replies that decision is above my pay grade.

“You’re getting plenty reviews,” Donald says.

“Yes, it has been good,” Beverly says.

One day, Wilson calls Beverly into his office. “Do you think that you can write a series on your character for maybe the next six months to start?” He asks.

“Yes sir, I am sure that I can do it,” she says.

“Good. I will reassign your article to another writer, and you can get started on the series.”

“Can I work on them from home?”

“Yes of course.”

The next day, Wilson calls Donald to his office.

“Yes sir,” Donald says.

“You and Murphy will split writing Beverly’s articles. She will be working from her home on her series,” Wilson says.

“Will my story get published?” Donald asks.

“Yes of course but right now I do not want it to interfere with Beverly’s series. It will fade from readers interest and when that happens your story will be published,” Wilson says.

“How long will that be?” Donald asks.

“When it happens, right now her fictions have priority,” Wilson says.