Of puppies and plotlines

It's hard to believe that I have finished my first full week of YWAM's School of Writing.  Time really does fly by when you're having fun.  I'm at an interesting point in life anyways, taking a brief break from my regular work with YWAM's School of the Bible and missing everyone there, yet at the same time loving the people I'm with here at the School of Writing, and loving what I'm learning.

Our first week focused on narrative writing, which is something I've never really done before.  Though I don't think it is my strongest point as a writer, it isn't as hard as I thought it would be, and it's a good starting place for learning.  We've been learning how to write scenes, how to make things real to readers, and how to write so people will actually want to read our work.  (A rather important point.)

So I thought I would post a story that I wrote as part of an in-class assignment.  Please remember that this is unedited, and was written in all of ten minutes, so it isn't the most amazing thing you will ever read, but ya  gotta start somewhere, right?  The story isn't really finished yet.  I should add that we did some research before writing about puppies.  They brought in four absolutely adorable puppies for us to love on.  This is my kind of research!  ;)

So for lack of a better title, here is my story, "Puppies in an alley."

"It was a hot summer day in Lindale. Joey was walking by Rockwell's sweating and wishing he had thought to wear a sleeveless shirt. As he walked along, he heard a loud yipping coming from a side street. 

He debated whether or not to just keep walking, but curiosity won out, and he made a quick right turn to find the source of the noise. Next to a dumpster, Joey saw a small cardboard box, with the edges of a navy blue towel hanging over the edges. He walked faster, and was not surprised when a small dog charged out, growling at him. 

“Take it easy. I just want to have a peek.” 

It may have been something in his tone, but she slowly backed away and gave him just enough space to inch by. Kneeling down, he saw some black puppies, with short fur. They were yipping to each other, play fighting and trying to climb the edges of the box. The sight of something so small trying to growl fiercely made him laugh. 

One of the puppies, perhaps braver than the rest, stuck its head up over the box directly in front of him and licked his hand, which had been resting just on the edge.

“Hey little fella. You look like you need some help.” 

With his free hand, Joey scooped up the small pup, who fitted perfectly in the crook of his arm. The dog leaned against him as if seeking comfort now that it had been lifted from the only world it had known. The mother dog, who had been standing aside, rather stiff and on guard, suddenly launched herself at him, growling much more fiercely than the puppies."

As I said, it's just a beginning, but I'm having fun, and learning a lot.  Does anyone want to add to the story?  Feel free to comment.  :)