(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)

He had been planning this moment for two months now.

Nervously, he gazed at the love of his life.

I love you more than anything, he whispered.

This was it: the moment of truth.

He got down on one knee.

Then he produced the ring.

Will you marry me?

He waited, terrified…

She smiled.

Yes.

This piece is based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

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