It looks like it’s Wednesday again! For anyone just joining us (hello, there!), this means two things: a ROW80 update, and WIPpet Wednesday. Both are blog events that are open to all. One’s a great help for procuctivity/accountability (both of which I’m in desperate need of at the moment), and one is just buckets of fun.
Let’s start with the fun, shall we?
WIPpet Wednesday
Let’s see… math. WIPpet Wednesday is when we share a snippet of a work in progress that relates somehow to the day’s date. I have to be careful about what I share right now (spoilers!), but I think I’ve got something that will work, if I can make it fit…
I’m taking the 16th and chopping it in half… because this is from book 2 of the Bound Trilogy, and because I said so. I’ve been teasing a little with short WIPpets lately, so here’s something a little longer. Eight paragraphs.
This character was abducted (well… more like conscripted) by a group of soldiers, and while she was trying to figure out how to escape, someone set off a dragon flare in the woods that attracted a big, flying fire-breather. It helped her escape, but she’s none too pleased with the methods these strangers used to rescue her…
“That was incredibly stupid,” I said to the three of them, who had just caught up with me. The woman led them, a stunning creature with clear skin the color of my morning’s tea with just a drop or two of cream in it. She didn’t speak, but kept her gray-green eyes trained on me without fear or concern for propriety. A huntress, and certainly not from the northern provinces.
I slowed my horse to a walk and patted his neck. He was beautiful, a fine traveling companion and better quality than any nag we’d had when I was growing up. The woman rode ahead of me, the men behind. “Did you not know what that stick was before you lit it?” I asked. “Or was it your mission to kill us all?”
My voice remained smooth and level, though inwardly I trembled with apprehension. The soldiers had been bad, but at least I knew what they wanted.
One of the men rode up beside me. He appeared healthy, in spite of his pale complexion, and was handsome enough in a pampered sort of way. Not someone who spent his life toiling outdoors, then. But he appeared strong, if lean, and rode with the same proper form as the soldiers. He could have been one of them, had he the right weapons and uniform. “We knew what it was,” he said. “We needed a distraction.”
“I’d say you got what you wanted, then.” I let out a little laugh, as though the whole situation amused me. Best to not show fear, or how frustrated I was becoming with the whole damned day.
He glared at me. “It worked. I don’t see any ropes binding your wrists or soldiers chasing you.”
He seemed to expect some show of gratitude. I wasn’t going to show anything until I found out what he and his friends wanted with me. People don’t try to help unless they want something. “I would have been fine without you. I’m quite capable of handling myself.”
The muscles in his firm jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth. May a windwyvern piss on my head if you ever find me a joy to converse with, I thought. His very presence irritated me for reasons that seemed just beyond my mind’s reach.
Ho-ho.
*cracks knuckles*
Check out what the rest of the WIPpeteers are up to here, and if you have a blog and a work in progress, join in! Super special thanks to KL Schwengel for hosting.
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ROW80 Update
A Round of Words in 80 Days is a writing challenge that lets you set your own goals. I set mine here. Time to check in.
I stalled for a few days, but I think I’ve figured out what the problem was. Sometimes a scene is intimidating because it has to do so much, and it has to make it all look effortless. I’m working on one of those scenes right now. Planning is what I needed, and it’s what I’m doing.
It’s gonna be goooood. There were a few hiccups in the last draft, a few things that fell flat or might have disappointed people, but I’m SO ON IT NOW.
So the goals have not changed. Third draft revisions on Torn continue. Time is the biggest challenge right now. I need to average two scenes a day if I’m going to have this thing ready to go to beta readers in September, and right now that’s just not happening. Most scenes need partial or full rewrites, and between the kids being home and… well, the kids being home, I’m not getting the time I need.
Still working on the whole “getting up early” thing. I slept right through my alarm this morning because the fan drowned it out. Note to self: turn up the ringer volume on the my phone tonight.
Going to try for a few hours this afternoon if I can find something to keep the boys occupied, and I AM going to get up and work tomorrow.
Just need to get that momentum going again.
(And guys? This one’s going to be so good…)
disregard the prologue 
July 16th, 2014 at 10:03 am
“Or was it your mission to kill us all?” ha. Let’s hope not.
It took me a while to get accustomed to waking up early. Now, I tend to wake up before my alarm even goes off. Good luck with your revisions. I know what you mean about the kids being home. My daughter goes back to school 8/26 & the boy will likely be going to a preschool program in town. I’m counting down the days until I have my mornings free.
July 16th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Free mornings are the best! My kids are both in school full time (but home for lunch) in September. I love them, but I’m pretty excited about having time to work.
July 16th, 2014 at 10:22 am
I’m always working on going to bed early. I think it’s a writer thing. Or an artist thing. (Or that’s just what I say to justify bad sleeping habits :D)
So joining the link-up this week!
July 16th, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Yaaaaay!
July 16th, 2014 at 1:06 pm
That last paragraph…LOL. I like her.
I completely get it about having to occupy the kids. Mine are at summer camp, or I’d be trying to keep them busy. I’m really enjoying working “normal” hours.
July 16th, 2014 at 4:25 pm
ooooh, summer camp…
July 16th, 2014 at 1:07 pm
I really liked this. There is something that reads a little off in the first two paragraphs with the way the descriptions are arranged in the sentences, so I would maybe look at how you could clarify that a bit, but this scene was very nicely done and I really liked the characters here.
July 16th, 2014 at 2:09 pm
Good luck on carving out more time to write!
Great scene, and your narrator has attitude up to her eyeballs, doesn’t she? 😀
July 16th, 2014 at 2:13 pm
She really does. I adore her.
July 16th, 2014 at 3:26 pm
I like her a lot! She’s got spunk!
July 16th, 2014 at 4:32 pm
“May a windwyvern piss on my head if you ever find me a joy to converse with” *grabs stomach and rolls on floor laughing* I hope you don’t mind if I use that line some time? Although, the people I would use it on would have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, but that really doesn’t matter. Great piece.
September, huh? I’m thinking EoD will be lucky to see Betas by 2015. *sigh*
July 16th, 2014 at 4:40 pm
Feel free to use it. I’m not sure it will work as well out of context, though.
Yep, September if i can find readers. It’s not really fair to compare, though. This is my third draft.
July 16th, 2014 at 4:49 pm
You always know where to find me. Well, when I’m not standing in the corner banging my head against the wall.
July 16th, 2014 at 5:57 pm
All I can think is that she’s sassy. And that I hope her sass doesn’t get her into trouble. But mostly that she’s sassy.
July 16th, 2014 at 6:35 pm
It makes for an interesting combination with those other characters, that’s for sure. 🙂
July 17th, 2014 at 3:31 am
*waves wildly offering to beta in September*
And I love the curse you came up with at the end. I have no idea what a whatchamathinger is, but I wouldn’t want one peeing on my head
July 17th, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Hmm… I wonder about these strangers. Why would they use a potentially lethal-to-the-person-they’re-trying-to-rescue distraction? I also wonder if it’s the protagonist that’s being a little hasty in their judgement, which often happens.
July 18th, 2014 at 12:19 pm
You do realize we’re going to hold you on that “It’s going to be so good” now? 😉
Nice piece… good ending… though, it did take a few paragraphs before I felt “in it” with your MC. No wyndwyvren piss, please… I took a shower this morning.
July 20th, 2014 at 11:43 am
Loved your WIPpet (the math as well as the excerpt), especially that consistent inner/outer reality that builds my awareness of who the narrator is as she faces down her fears and reveals her snarky self. Re getting up early in the morning, this is the best time of the day for writing for me. I’m up at 5-5:30 am (but collapse between 10 and 11), well before distractions and commitments, but I don’t have Jekyll and Hyde running around. Hope you make that September deadline.
July 22nd, 2014 at 1:16 am
Loved your snippet and definitely wanted more. Wishing you luck with getting up early and finding time to write. I always have a hard time balancing writing with my kids being home for the summer. Heck, I’m just now getting around to Wednesday updates.