Sam in Survival School (Saturday Writing Essential)

Sam (1) in Survival School

Sam was still wondering why he had signed up for this course because it was just too easy. The classes on cover, concealment, and camouflage were easy for him and he had, of course, aced the exams. The short paint-ball war was fun and he had easily beaten everyone else. Then what he had been anticipating -- live firing! Even though he had fired over a hundred different handguns, he listened closely to the safety instructions. When the instructor told the students to pick up the weapon and open it, Sam picked it up, pressed the cylinder release with his right thumb, and pushed the cylinder out with his right forefinger. Following the commands Sam loaded six rounds, closed the cylinder, aimed, and fired all six rounds in less than ten seconds. The target was only fifteen feet away and Sam could see six holes very close to the center of the target.

When the instructor come over to stand behind him and study his target, Sam turned and confidently said, “How can I get a job here as an instructor?”

Sam (2) in Survival School

Sam was still wondering why he had signed up for this course because it was very difficult and he had never really cared about survival skills. He had, somehow managed to do quite well so far. The classes on cover, concealment, and camouflage were interesting and he had done well on each test. What surprised him was how much fun he had in the paint-ball war. What bothered him today was that the instructor had told them they’d be firing live ammunition. He looked at the revolver sitting on the shelf in front of him and idly considered the fact that he’d watched many westerns in his time and had seen Dirty Harry at least six times. After the safety class the instructor told the students to pick up the weapon and open it. San picked it up gingerly and managed, with only a bit of fumbling, to open the cylinder and swing it out. When he received the order to load six rounds, he hesitated and then raised his hand.

When the instructor came over to him, he said, “I followed everything you said, but I still have one question. Which end of this thing do the bullets go in?”

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Challenge: Write two contrasting paragraphs of exposition followed by ONE sentence of dialogue as a follow-up for each of them showing what your character would say in that situation.