I probably shouldn't gloat too much for fear of jinxing myself.
Anywho, in addition to finally being able to write chapter eight, I'm learning a few things about Liam and his family that I did not expect. For example, Liam is dyslexic (though, as this is a fantasy novel, they don't really have a word for it or understand it like we do) so Letty handled the books for the family store. His mother's name is Noya (in previous versions she didn't have a name) but his father doesn't have a name yet. And that's about it so far. It's not as dramatic as when a character revealed that she was bisexual, but it's still fun none the less.
Have you ever had a character do that to you when you're writing? Where they just suddenly reveal something about themselves that you did not plan in any way shape or form?
Even though work has been chaos lately (some system somewhere messed up pretty badly) I've still been able to write here and there. As I mentioned above, chapter eight of TUO is almost done. I've also written a bit on one of the fanfics, and I'm making some changes to another story based on some suggestions a friend made. Of course, said story was supposed to be shorter than my other projects, but I can see that's not going to happen now. Oi.
Now on to the WIPpet snippet!
Since today is August 21st, 2013, I'll be sharing 9 sentences from the revised chapter eight.
An unusual shadow fell across the desk and the wall in front of him, distracting him from his thoughts. It looked like the shadow of the man, but there was something wrong with it, as if it's spine was bent and broken.
He twisted around in his chair to stare at the window. For a second he thought he saw a man with a ghoulish face watching them from outside, but when he blinked, the man was gone.
“What is it?” Noya asked, looking from Liam’s worried face with it’s furrowed brow to the empty window.
“I thought I saw...” He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
WIPpet Wednesday is hosted by K.L. Schwengel. To join in, all you have to do is share a piece of what you are working on that somehow relates to the date like what I did here. It can either be eight sentences from chapter 21, or 21 sentences from chapter eight, or 29 sentences (8+21=29) or some other combination of the numbers in the date (trust me, the math involved can get pretty interesting sometimes.) Then you can share it at the blog hope located here.
To see more ROW 80 (the writing challenge that knows you have a life) check out the link here.
Spooky shadow! That would freak me out.
ReplyDeleteMy characters have done that to me, often in revealing their motivations. I usually want to smack them and ask why they didn't tell me this sooner.
I may or may not have glanced over my shoulder myself when I wrote that part. I may or may not have a fear of looking out a window and seeing something there that shouldn't be there.
DeleteEvil, peering, vanishing shadows... Ooh, certainly sets a mood here.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that you managed to make some headway on the chapter. I know how frustrating it can be for things to feel wrong without know exactly how to fix them. Hooray for progress in the face of uncertainties and job stress!
A mood that may get creepier before it ends :)
DeleteYes, hooray for progress! I was so afraid that this was going to turn into another chapter five.
Oh yeah, I've had characters drop bomb shells. Then I sit there and stare at the monitor and say, "Um, excuse me, but WTF?!!? What am I supposed to do with that?" They normally just shrug and keep on keeping on. Dang them.
ReplyDeleteNice eerie WIPpet. Creepy shadows . . .
Oh God, I hate it when they do that. Absolutely hate it. Sometimes they're right and the story is better for it, but sometimes I wonder what they're thinking and I may or may not scold them about it. But like you said, they just keep on doing what they want to do.
DeleteOoh, I loved the line "as if its spine was bent and broken." YES! Characters do this to me a lot. Often times they end up re-writing the scene I had planned on, and I sort of have to do a tug-of-war to go where they took me, yet still getting the information across or plot point that I needed.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI have that problem sometimes too. It especially sucks when it's not something that's vital to the story. It's like, why are you bringing that up at this exact moment?All it's doing it slowing things down! Argh!
Thankfully Liam's revelations were not like that, though the dyslexia may not come into play until much later on.
Awww! Where's the rest of the scene?
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, my characters have done silly things or revealed new things about themselves when i least expected it. =0)
Are you on twitter, by the way?
LOL. It's waiting for me to finish it. I'm still kinda going through and tweaking things here and there even though I'm almost done with the chapter.
DeleteI am on twitter under @ceeleeolson. Though I don't tweet as much as I used to :P
Congrats on the progress! And yeah, I've had characters act up on me too sometimes. :)
DeleteNice suspense in the snippet!
Thank you Ruth :)
DeleteIn last year's NaNoWriMo I had a character who I was quite sure was going to go off to study to be a lawyer, and about half way through the month, he blurts out, "I think I want to be a chef." And I was like, "... where did that come from?"
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt is super-creepy! I hate dark windows and scary shadows!
Hooray for things coming together, and for a new snippet. =)
ReplyDeleteMay the writing continue to flow!