Re: description and scene setting

On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:46:48 +0100, Jonathan L Cunningham
<spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<news:1hzp7kw.xedxsm1944qujN%spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> in
rec.arts.sf.composition:

Brian M. Scott <b.scott@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:17:20 +0100, Jonathan L Cunningham
<spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<news:1hznrdg.1iwirt21l0nvr4N%spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> in
rec.arts.sf.composition:

Tina Hall <Tina_Hall@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Jonathan L Cunningham <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

If you live in a small village (and know everyone by sight). And a
teenage boy goes missing (last seen running off into the forest). And
then, when you organise a search party, they eventually find a pair
of boys legs...

And *no one* mentions his boots.

That would make me think "Why don't they even think of
comparing it with what they know of the boy's clothes?"

[...]

And, if only one person has gone missing from a village,
and then you find a pair of legs that seem to belong to
him, why should anyone think to check?

Why would you *not* check whatever you can check? Or is the
boy such a jerk that everyone, including his mother, is
delighted to think that he's met a bad end?

The boy goes missing.

Neighbours who know him, come back and say they've found him. There
isn't anyone else it could be.

[...]

But I just don't see that it's inevitable that, on
learning of her son's death, a mother will start asking
questions about his boots.

It isn't. But the boots aren't really the point; they're
just an example. And the mother isn't the only one who's
going to be taking an interest: the local gossips and
busybodies will want to know *everything*.

Brian
.

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