WIPpet Wednesday
Let’s start with the WIPpet this week. All I’ve been working on the past few days is a short story that I’m preparing to put up here. You’ll be able to see that soon, if all goes well. For today, here’s twenty-six words from a frightened young mother (12+18-1-3=26)
There was genuine sorrow in the nurse’s eyes. Whatever I came to believe after, I still hold onto that. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You should enjoy what time you have left with her, but you need to start letting go.”
Sinister stuff is a-coming.
I’d call this a prequel to upcoming novels, but a) I don’t know whether you can have a prequel for something that hasn’t been released yet, and b) the tone of this is quite different, more adult (which make sense, as the POV character is about my age). We’ll call it a chronologically-related pre-novel side-project.
Because THAT’S not a mouthful.
Click here for the linkie to see what the other WIPpeteers are up to today. Mystery, romance, adventure, fantasy… you never know what you’re going to find! Thanks to KL Schwengel for hosting, and for continuing a fantastic series of WIPpeteer interviews. If you haven’t seen them, head on over to check that out.
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ROW80 Update
Whew, we’re getting close to the end of this round! I think it ends on the 26th, right? Anyone?
Not much to add to Sunday’s update. As I said, I’ve been editing this story, getting that ready for you all to enjoy and be traumatized by (depending on your sensitivities, sorry) before Christmas. I’ve also just remembered that I’m supposed to be thinking of a business name for this whole book-making thing. This is worse than trying to name a book, which is in turn worse than naming a child.
I don’t like it.
Also, everything I think of is taken.
Hopefully that will inspire a name for the newsletter, too. As of right now, the first edition is going out without a title. NEWSLETTER OF MYSTERY.
If you want in on NEWSLETTER OF MYSTERY, there’s still time to sign up. The first thirty subscribers (almost there!) are going on a special list. I don’t know yet what I’m going to do with that, but it’ll be something special for my supporters. 😉
I’m not expecting much more from this ROW80 round, what with Christmas coming and all. We don’t have big plans. I don’t have a single party to go to, and we have approximately nobody coming to visit, but we will be seeing family (my in-laws, who are amazing) over the holidays. I guess I really can’t complain about being busy; aside from decorating tacky sweaters for the kids to wear to school this week and wrapping presents, most of what I’m doing is voluntary.
How about you? What are your plans for the holidays?
EDIT: The full story is up! Top of the page, under “Fictions and Semi-Fictions- The Binding” 🙂
disregard the prologue 
December 18th, 2013 at 10:04 am
Okay, there’s a trend today. Really. Short. WIPpets. *glares angrily* So totally unfair. And mean. I’m . . . I’m so proud! *wipes at tears* 😀 Very nice (short) excerpt (even though it was short). Very emotional. (And short.)
Newlsetter of Mystery, heh? How can I pass up on that.
December 18th, 2013 at 11:30 am
A short story!!! Wow! Is this from the short story that will be in the Newsletter of Mystery? Wow. I’m hooked already.
As for the holidays, I’ll probably be at my parents’ house after a looooooooong car trip.
December 18th, 2013 at 6:32 pm
It is! I guess I should get that out soon.
Lots of people with long car trips ahead of them this Christmas. I hope the weather cooperates. I get nervous about so many people I care about being on the roads. Silly, right?
December 18th, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Lots of emotion in such few words. I’m intrigued to know what sinister things are afoot…
Enjoy the holidays. I’m having a quiet Christmas too, staying at home with my hubby and dog for some much needed relaxation. 🙂
December 18th, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Sounds like a perfect Christmas to me! Enjoy the peace and quiet…
December 18th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
This excerpt is very emotional Kate and compelling. It’s intrigued me and I want to know what happens to the people in it, especially the woman who’s dying.
As for what I’m doing over Christmas – well Christmas Day will be spent with my husband and my in-laws in another part of our city. Then on the 26th December – what we in the UK call Boxing Day, and it’s another holiday – we’ll go down to Hampshire for the day to see my parents and siblings. Hampshire’s about 100 miles away from us here in Bristol. It’ll be lovely to see our families. 🙂
December 18th, 2013 at 6:29 pm
Hmm… guess I’d better go ahead and get that story up, then! 🙂
We do Boxing Day here, too. It’s lovely that you’re able to split your time between two families. I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess we’ll have to make a decision on that next year. I hope you have good weather for traveling!
December 18th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
Me too. Yes you better had get that story done. We’re on tenterhooks!
December 18th, 2013 at 6:49 pm
It’s done. I’m just weird about posting. Got Alana Terry (yay!) to proof-read it for me, though, so I’ll do it after one more go-over. 😀
December 18th, 2013 at 6:51 pm
(and yay you for using “tenterhooks” properly! I don’t know how many times I’ve seen “tenderhooks.”)
December 18th, 2013 at 8:43 pm
Very emotional tiny excerpt. But I have a special fondness for this part of your post: chronologically-related pre-novel side-project. *g* Might be a mouthful, but I think it deserves canonization! 😀
December 18th, 2013 at 8:51 pm
Woohoo! 🙂
December 18th, 2013 at 11:53 pm
o no! Why does the nurse say that? Is something wrong with the baby? Is everything going to turn out ok in the end? WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!?!? [insert snarky emoticon here]
O, and what about calling it a meta-prequel?
December 18th, 2013 at 11:54 pm
You’re a saucy person. I like that about you.
December 19th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Letting go… and with a belief that the nurse cared (then) but now….
A Newsletter of Mystery…. Actually that sounds perfect. As for a business name… Can’t help you much. Maybe something like Three Cats? Or Dog’s Ears?
Enjoy your quiet holidays. 😀
December 20th, 2013 at 9:38 pm
Well written. 🙂 Being the very anti-all-things-sad-and-upsetting person that I am, though, I shall close my eyes, cover me ears, and la-la-la. Unless it’s suspenseful. I can do suspenseful.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
It’s suspenseful. It’s filled with risks and second-guessing and deals with the metaphorical devil. It does have sadness as a catalyst to this tension, though, so I leave that entirely up to you. It’s up there under “Fictions and Semi-Fictions” if you’re ever up for it. 🙂
December 20th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
We’ll see. 🙂 Is it what you’d consider a tear-jerker?
December 20th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
(and the end isn’t sad. It’s not a tragedy…)
December 20th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
Oh… That’s what I get for reading one notification at a time. I guess I might survive if it ends all happy. 🙂
December 20th, 2013 at 11:05 pm
“Chilling” has been the most common comment on it, rather than “happy.” but the end of this isn’t the end of the story, either. 🙂
December 21st, 2013 at 6:26 am
Kate,
Ouch.
I want to read it, but not until after all the holidays.
I’ve seen that look in the eyes of a nurse, as she hustled us into the service elevator and to the NICU barely in time to be with our baby boy as he died.
After the holidays, then, when I can do chilling, because I have a definite feeling that a baby’s in trouble, here.
And we’ve already lost an elderly guinea pig here, this week.
I love the name Newsletter of Mystery. And how about Books of Mystery for a business, or Tomes of Mystery?
We don’t have Boxing Day in America, but I wish we did. On the other hand, the way we live probably seems a bit switched around to a lot of people, so maybe we have it in this house on an ongoing basis…
Since I am still worried about the baby, I would say your work here was excellent!
Enjoy your holidays!
December 21st, 2013 at 10:12 am
Yeah, I’d say hold off on that one. This baby is in trouble. It’s not the main plot of the story, but it’s a dark moment that’s a catalyst for the mother to do something to save another child. I don’t want to bring you down. No hard feelings if you want to skip it.
I’m sorry to hear about your guinea pig. What a horrible time of year for that to happen!
December 23rd, 2013 at 1:45 am
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December 24th, 2013 at 5:04 pm
So much emotion for such a tiny snippet!
We’re visiting a lot of family for the holidays – on Saturday we saw the extended part of the Husband’s family, today we see my family, tomorrow we see the Husband’s immediate family, and then we see my Dad. So. Much. Driving.
December 24th, 2013 at 5:40 pm
Wow, that is a lot. Safe journeys, and Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
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