26.6.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme started by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk where writers post about what's up by answering four questions. If you want to participate go here.


WHAT I'M READING
 
I finished Shadow & Bone a few days ago (if you want to know what I thought about it, you can read my review here), and that was perfect timing because The 5th Wave arrived in the mail. I won a copy from Jaime and since a lot of people were saying how good it was, I immediately started reading it and so far this book IS as good as everyone says it is. It's really hard to put down, and if I didn't force myself to, I don't think I would've gotten any writing done.


WHAT I'M WRITING

If you  read my last WUW post, then you know that I wasn't feeling too good about my writing. I was upset about not being able to get anywhere with any of my projects, and for a few days I just felt horrible about it. Then I read the comments in my WUW post and it made me feel better. I can't thank you guys enough for all the encouragement. Your support truly means a lot to me.

I am happy to report that I have written a little over 7K since last Wednesday. I'm writing Unfair without any kind of outline, and with only a general sense of the plot. I love my main character Camellia and I'm learning so much about this world through her eyes. I'm also learning a lot about her in the process. I might have to scrap everything in the next draft, and start from scratch but I'll cross that road when I get to it. Right now I'm just enjoying being able to write and more importantly - write freely.

I was debating over whether I should share a snippet but then I remembered that I said I would post one once I reached 4K. I apologize in advance for the sucky first draft writing but here's the opening:

I knew the soldier would come for me.
I just didn’t know when.
Sondra was staring out the window when she saw him. She had been standing there for what seemed like hours, face pressed against the glass, eyes stuck between here and somewhere else. The glare of the morning sun lit up her face, illuminating the curiosity that gleamed in her eyes and the disappointment that hid beneath it.
Had she been expecting someone else?
It would make sense if she was. Sondra didn’t long for the sea of wood and dirt that made up our village. No – the longing that colored her face the moment she first stood in front of that window was caused by something else. Someone else. My sister wanted to get out of this village more than anything. She wanted to see the world beyond the trees and the charred remains of a castle that meant nothing now that its king was dead. The person she was waiting for was supposed to come and whisk her away from all of this.
Only her knight in shining armor didn’t come, and the heavy sigh that shook her tiny frame was proof that she had given up on ever being rescued.

I'm having so much fun writing this, and I really hope I can get a big chunk of this written this summer. My goals for this week is to finish Chapter Two. If I finish it early, then I'll start working on Chapter Three. I'm really excited about writing the next scene because I get to introduce the Huntsman! I had fun figuring out his background/making him different from the one introduced in the original story, so we'll see how this goes.


WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

  • Research: I'm doing a lot of research on Snow White to see how I can use some of the little elements in the story in my retelling. So far burning shoes (the original version deals with this), poisoned apples, and glass coffins are really important to the plot. I also have read a few interesting articles about what messages Snow White (the original fairytale and all of the adaptations) sends about beauty.
  • Ready. Set. Write!: I know I keep saying this but it's so true. Everyone participating in this is so supportive and helpful and reading tweets about progress inspires me to write even when I don't feel like it.
  • Henry Cavill:
This is his 'Shouldn't you be writing?' face
            I have really considered putting a character in my wip that looks exactly like him so if (by some miracle) my book gets published and made into a movie, he can be in it and...yeah. A girl can dream, can't she?


WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

My friends and I are trying to figure out where we want to go for Spring Break next year. We can't seem to agree on anything at the moment. Everyone wants to go to California and I want to go to Florida. Hopefully we agree on something/have everything planned out before next year.

And thanks for the birthday wishes!



As you can see, pink is the best color in the world my favorite color

I got an Amazon gift card which is about the only thing I ask for every year. My mom still is surprised that I don't ask for something else but I'm a really simple kid. Give me money for books and you'll make me the happiest person alive. I'm going to buy Siege & Storm once I reach 10K (bribery works people) because I need to find out what happens next.

Also, this is my LAST year as a teenager. I know it's too early to start freaking out but...just thinking about it makes me wonder where the time has gone.

Well, enough about me. What's up with you guys? Anyone meet their goals for the week or have something exciting going on?

29 comments

Ahh I MUST hurry up and read Shadow and Bone. I've had it on my TBR list for AGES and haven't got around to it, but I think your review swayed me! Love the snippet, it looks like it's coming along nicely :D As for Henry Cavill - YUM!

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Oooooh, I luuuurved THE 5TH WAVE, and I love your snippet! Sorry you were feeling discouraged, but it sounds like you are totally successful in your Ready.Set. WRITE! goals, so high-fives to you! Best of luck this week.

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Enjoyed your excerpt. Can't we see more? ;)
Keep up the good writing!

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That cake is GORGEOUS!!! And looks very yummy. :)

Also, I think one of my favorite parts of RSW is getting to read these incredible snippets everyone's posting. LOVE the one you shared today! I am surrounded by so many incredible writers! =D

And I'm so glad you got of your writing funk! 7K is awesome! I hope you have another wonderful writing week!

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7K-- that is amazing. What a great writing week. Way to go!
YAY for birthdays! I have The 5th Wave but I'm saving it for right now. I read the first few pages and forced myself to stop-- it was so good I need to carve out a few days with nothing else to do.
Happy writing week!

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Thanks for sharing the snippet! And wow, way to knock out 7K!!
Yes, Amazon gift cards are the best. We book lovers are so easy to please... :D

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that was a great excerpt! I really enjoyed reading it. And 7k!!! That's amazing,keep going! I have yet to read the Fifth Wave, I think i need to go to Amazon Kindle now and purchase it.

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Oh Happy Belated birthday!!! I think me, turning 19 (I'm 20 now) was just the push I needed to complete a lot of person goals because I wanted to make sure my last year as a teen was a great one, I hope it'll do the same for you!

My friends and I are planning Spring Break too, we have a shared google doc so hopefully we can actually decide on one place LOL

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Congratulations on all your writing progress! WOO HOO, HIGH FIVE FELLOW PANTSER YEAAAAAAAAAAAH! :D

The 5th Wave is AWESOME! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Good luck with your Spring Break plans!

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Congrats on 7K!!! Go you!!!

And Henry Cavill...hahaha! You should google what he looks like as a young thing in I Capture the Castle because THAT definitely should be in your book :)

And Happy Birthday!!!(belated) :)

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Oh, I'm so happy the book finally got to you and that you're enjoying it. Yay! The words you shared from your WIP are really good. I really enjoyed reading them. And as for Henry Cavill, he's just beautiful. :) I've had a thing for that guy ever since I first saw him in The Count of Monte Cristo.

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Bribing yourself with books is the best thing possible! I bribed myself like that when I was studying for my licensure exam. Every 10 hours I studied, I could buy myself a book, guilt free. I ended up with 7 books plus an extra for actually making it through the exam. It's a fabulous way to self motivate!!!

I have struggled with some discouragement with my WIP and myself in general the past few weeks. But, like you, I have definitely been uplifted by the ready, set, write group! Such a fantastic group of supportive writers, I feel lucky to be a part of it, even if it is a small part.

I love the snippet you included! I am so intrigued by who she is waiting for and I felt it, the longing of it in myself. And the disappointment. Great job!!

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Henry Cavill is pretty gorgeous. I wasn't crazy fond of Man of Steel, but boy was he pretty to look at (my chief complaint is they didn't let him ACT very much, he seemed to be posing or punching in most scenes).

As for being frustrated as a writer, I had one of those weeks too. I think each story has its own journey; sometimes outlines work, other times writing might bring out the story. I've learned those things over time and I'm still learning. I think I know my outlining will always be pretty sparse though. I get too antsy to just start writing.

Happy birthday! I'm impressed how much you've done with writing at such a young age. I wish I'd started writing seriously earlier; I wanted to write a book for years but it was just a dream. I never realized I should do anything about it until I was far from my teens :) At least it's a starting point though :) Have a wonderful week!

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You MUST read Shadow & Bone! I loved it so much. And I'm glad my review convinced you to check it out. Once you do get around to reading it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. ^.^

And thank you! I hope it does continue to go well. I'm really excited about this story. And YUM is the perfect word to use when looking at Henry Cavill.

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I'm really starting to love The 5th Wave too. It's just the kind of book that I've been wanting to read (and the kind I hope to write someday). And thank you! It sucked feeling down about writing especially since I wasn't getting much done but I learned from it, and that's all I can really ask for. Good luck with your writing this week. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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I'm so glad you liked the excerpt! I was a little nervous about posting my first draft writing because I'm trying not to read over it as I write, and so I don't know how the writing is.

If I reach my goal for this week, I will definitely post another snippet next Wednesday. :)

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I felt bad about eating the cake because it was really pretty, but then I tasted it and didn't feel so bad anymore.

And wow. Thank you! You really made my day. This is also one of my favorite parts of RSW. Everyone who is participating is extremely talented and it makes me happy for the future of YA and books in general.

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Thank you!

And putting down The 5th Wave has been a challenge so far. I'm going to try not to read a lot this week because I'm afraid that I'll kicked sucked in and won't get anything done. But it is soooo good.

Happy writing week to you too! :)

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Thanks for reading it! :) And I'm still a little shocked that I wrote 7K. If I can knock out another 7K this week that will make me extremely happy.

And Amazon gift cards ARE the best. Books are the only thing I can never get enough of.

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Thank you so so much! And you must read The 5th Wave. If you like books with strong voices, and love sci-fi that's realistic then this is the book for you.

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Thank you! I do want to use this year to complete personal goals, too. I think I'm the only teen over 16 who doesn't know how to drive or have a permit/license. I want to work on changing that this year. *crosses fingers*

My friends and I only just started talking about Spring Break a few days ago. At the rate we're going...it'll be a miracle if we decide on a place. But I hope you and your friends have better luck in figuring out where y'all want to go. :)

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Thank you! And it feels good to pants again! Hehe. I tried outlining, and though it's nice to have structure, it's also REALLY nice when you can just let the characters take the wheel and see where they take you.

I'm glad that The 5th Wave is as good as everyone said it was. It exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to find out how it ends.

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Thank you!

And now I think I neeed to see I Capture the Castle. :D

Also, thanks for the birthday wishes!

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Happy belated birthday, Raven! You totally rocked your word count this week, and I LOVE the excerpt you shared. Well done! Glad to hear that you're enjoying THE 5TH WAVE. I think that book was fantastic. And I can totally see why Henry Cavill serves as inspiration. He's definitely a looker. :-)

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I feel like I should print out that picture and hang it over my desk, except I'd spend way more time staring at it than writing, which would completely defeat the purpose.

I love that opener! There are already so many details about the setting and characters, and you have me hooked. I'm glad you're having fun writing it, since writing should be fun :) I hope you share more!

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Well happy belated birthday! First, 7,000 words is beyond impressive. Nice work. Second, I love your excerpt. It sounds like a story I would really enjoy. Third, I like your WIP widget. Where did you get that? I want one. :) Good luck this week!

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Loved your excerpt! I'm glad your enjoying The 5th Wave. I just finished it and you're most definitely right, it is hard to put down. And oh goodness, Henry Cavill is so pretty! He most definitely would make a perfect inspiration for a book. I love doing research too. I think I do more researching than actually writing. Ha! Congrats on writing 7,000 words and good luck hitting 10,000!!!!

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So glad you got your writing mojo back, and that snippet was cool. More! More!

Good luck this week.

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Congrats on writing 7K last week, and I really loved your opening!

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