Under the microscope
Author and lecturer James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300 words under the lens of his forensic criticism
Move Over, Bridget Jones! (there’s another eejit in town)
“Oh, dear God”, groaned Liz to herself,1 “here I go again,2 I’m a walking disaster.3 What was it that Bridget Jones said about how when your life is going well in one area, it tends not to be so good in another? Oh yeah…..”4
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.”5
In Liz’s case,6 her career was flourishing, having recently been promoted to Assistant Creative Manager for ProEssence,7 the new range of fitness wear for the busy career woman.8
Although this Monday morning, her “flourishing career”9 didn’t feel so flourishing10 as she stood in the pouring rain at the bus stop since her “faithful”11 Mini, which she called, er, Minnie,12 decided not to be so faithful,13 and therefore had cheated on her14 in spite of all the tyre kicking she had received at the hand, or more precisely, the foot of Liz’s Jimmy Choos15 (bought to celebrate the promotion, but were now sporting a rather fetching15 dent in the toe area).16
Nope,17 her career was certainly not feeling so flourishing18 at that precise moment in time,19 since she was already late for the 8am beginning-of –the- week20 breakfast meeting, and looking like the proverbial drowned rat.21