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15-minute ficlet: Slideshow
Mar. 6th, 2011 11:52 amOriginally posted here, a 15-minute-ficlet to the prompt "platitudinous"
She smiled at the gathered crowd and took a long, deep breath. They would listen to her; they'd paid to come in here, after all. But would they hear?
She waited while they squirmed a bit. No-one expected her to be all that interesting, did they? They expected her to preach, to pontificate, to pour platitudes on their plebeian pates. They came to say they'd heard her speak, not because they expected it to be an entertaining speech.
"Punch 'em in the gut," he'd recommended. "Don't be platitudinous. Don't use words of more than two syllables unless no other word will do. They're here to look at you, after all, and for the cachet of hearing you speak. Let them look at you. Then, and only then, honey, hit them in the gut and don't let them catch their breath until you're done with them."
( Read more... )
She smiled at the gathered crowd and took a long, deep breath. They would listen to her; they'd paid to come in here, after all. But would they hear?
She waited while they squirmed a bit. No-one expected her to be all that interesting, did they? They expected her to preach, to pontificate, to pour platitudes on their plebeian pates. They came to say they'd heard her speak, not because they expected it to be an entertaining speech.
"Punch 'em in the gut," he'd recommended. "Don't be platitudinous. Don't use words of more than two syllables unless no other word will do. They're here to look at you, after all, and for the cachet of hearing you speak. Let them look at you. Then, and only then, honey, hit them in the gut and don't let them catch their breath until you're done with them."
( Read more... )
