Round Two= Marilyn Kemp

Marilyn Kemp is a very intriguing writer. She uses vivid detail and literary devices to create a more real experience. As I was reading the excerpt from her book Death of a Dancing Master I was picturing in my mind the scene as Jacob Joyliffe barged into Perkney’s house. It was easy to do this because of how clearly she described what was happeneing like when she says "There was a round table to the right, with paper, a quill, an inkpot and a silver tray for calling cards upon it.  A narrow chair set next to the table.  To his left the wall held hooks for coats and cloaks.  Beneath the hooks a small rug covered the floor, with a bootjack for removing muddy footwear." She describes every little detail about the scenery like what was on the table, the walls, the floor etc. Marilyn does this throughout the excerpt and it makes the story more realistic and interesting as if you are really there. She also uses metaphors and similes to describe the characters emotions and actions. She describes how Joyliffe feels after finding Perkney dead ".  Joyliffe gazed in horror, unable to turn his head from the sight, unable to move, unable to cry out.  His brain was filled with wool, his jaw as frozen as ice, his throat as parched as sand." The matephor "filled with wool" and simile  "parched as sand" show how shocked and in disbelief Joyliffe was. It makes the story more entertaining than simply saying "he was in shock". I thought she did a nice job of giving personality to her characters. Right in the first paragraph you get a sense of how Joyliffe is a gentleman "No matter – the young man felt it his duty to tender an apology for his intemperate words, and apologize he would." Also when she says "He’d hurried back on purpose, in painful shortness of breath, so that he would not interrupt the man’s lessons, even if he could not approve of the man’s lesson in lascivious and wanton dance." Even though Perkney isn't in the excerpt as much she also describes his personality "Perkney was quite particular about his guests removing their muddy clogs or boots." Overall I thought the excerpt was appealing and something I would consider reading.

Questions: How do you create a plot for a mystery to make sure all the pieces fit together in the end?
 How can you make sure you create characters that are realistic?

1/6 Speaker= *** stars