Day 6: 30 Day Writing Challenge

In 250 words or less, write an opening paragraph in media res…
(also known as “in the middle of things”)

So, it’s the tail end of semester. I definitely should have waited until the uni break before starting this. I’m starting to hit my “I don’t WANT to sit at my laptop and stare at a blank screen” phase. Which means that I am woefully behind in my writing challenge. To fix this, I’m going to try and do two or three a day to catch up. I apologise in advance for the spam you’re going to get, if you’re a follower.

Let the catch up begin!

…

The punch took a split second to land, glancing off Steve’s goddamned perfect cheekbone. The impact jarred the bones in Jones’ hand, but he kept swinging. He aimed for the nose, next. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Jones’ boxing instructor was telling him how stupid he was. Always, always aim soft, Jonesie, he would say, won’t hurt as much, see? You can go a few more rounds. But he didn’t care. He wanted to see that damned rugged face with its fucking stubble minced until it was unrecognisable. And he wanted to be the one to do it.
Steve’s nose crunched, beautifully, under his other fist. Blood spurted from each nostril as Steve’s head rocked back and he stumbled, disappearing into one of the pools of night the streetlights couldn’t reach. Jones advanced, feeling the tingle of anticipation in his elbow, thinking how satisfying it would be to slam it into Steve’s temple. He planted his feet and swung his arm from his hip. But Steve stopped him. He grabbed Jones’ cocked arm and ripped him forward, throwing Jones completely off balance. He fumbled forward a few steps before straightening up, but Steve rammed his fist into Jones’ abdomen, sinking him to the bitumen.
“Come on, Jones, this is ridiculous.” Steve said, as Jones fought to fill his lungs with oxygen. He stood before Jones, hands on his hips, looking down at him. “You gotta let it go.”
“I can’t,” he wheezed, slowly getting to his feet. He swayed a little, before raising his hands to his face, defensive stance, and advancing again.

Final word count: 265

…

Now, I have never been in a fight before. I’ve sparred during my karate training, but I’ve never actually thrown a punch and meant it. So, there is a very real chance that this is an unrealistic scene. Before I write a proper fight scene, I will have to do some research. probably by interviewing people, because if I tried to fight someone, I would probably end up dead.

 

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