Hi peeps :-) I want to get back to posting for Weekend Writing Warriors regularly again. Haven’t heard of us? We’re the neat little writers blog hop where authors post no more than eight sentences from a work of theirs, published or not, live on their blog by 9 am US Eastern time Sundays. Then we all hop around to each other’s blogs to cheer on protagonists, boo at antags, worry that lovers may drift apart, hope that potential lovers find each other, and so much more. We have some dedicated writers here!
I’m skipping ahead just a bit from last time. Collected excerpts for this story are here. Devorah and Kazimir have left the wooded area and the burning synagogue. Devorah is upset over possibly losing some of her good friends in the fire and is angry that she doesn’t know what happened to them. She and Kaz discuss what it means to be a Crosser. Kaz is speaking here.
“Crossers have it tough. There are always things we can’t do for fear of blowing our cover with the demons. You can’t be a normal servant of the Dark or the Light. If you have a strong conscience, that will cause problems because demons don’t hesitate to do anything that will get them ahead. If they suspect you might be a Crosser, they usually just splatter you all over without any warning. But the Light knows you have to do certain repugnant things as a Crosser, so you have permission to do what needs to be done.” The gaze he settled on me silenced my imminent questions. “There is a caveat.”
I’m making good progress on my outline. I think my biggest problem as a writer is not thinking “big” enough. Sometimes I shut down possibilities for cool plot ideas because I’m afraid it will mess up something further down the line, or I get convinced certain characters have to be the active ones in a scene. It’s a challenge to let go of preconceived notions, and just let ideas flow. The curse of a mind that’s wired to be logical!
Thanks so much for visiting today :-) I love all of your comments. Hopefully the story will soon move into the second draft so keep your eyes peeled for news on that. If I have everything ready to start writing chapters by Nov. 1, I might do NaNo as a rebel. It would be pretty cool to hook up with those of you who also do NaNo. Hey, we need a WeWriWa group over there, wouldn’t that be the best thing ever??
Intriguing snippet. If I were a crosser, I'd be listening to this strong advice.
ReplyDeletehttp://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2014/09/wewriwa-on-last-weekend-of-september.html
A "crosser". Intriguing concept, and I like that he's explaining it to her. Right now, I feel like this would be similar to entering the witness protection program. Goodbye to everyone and everything in your life.
ReplyDeleteGood 8, Marcia ;-)
Glad that you're speeding along with the editing and almost to the second draft. :-)
This is a strong snippet with a clear visual of the conversation, i especially like: 'The gaze he settled on me silenced my imminent questions.'
ReplyDeleteWell now I know what a Crosser is, but I sure wouldn't want to be one in this story. Great snippet!
ReplyDeleteBreathless to hear the caveat. Anything to make life a bit easier for one who has to begin a again. Beautiful snippet.
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough position to be in. Similar to any double agent - what are you prepared to do to maintain your cover? And at what cost?
ReplyDeletePoor girl, of course there is a catch! You are weaving a great tale here. I say tell the left side of your brain to shut the hell up and go where your characters take you. Who knows what trouble they will get into left to their own devices!
ReplyDeleteHistory Sleuth - Milk Carton Murders
Oh man, the Light knows sometimes you gotta be bad to do good. I think that's going to be hard for her. I wish I had the time for Nano this year, but I know there's no way...Too much on my plate already!
ReplyDeletewhat's that caveat?
ReplyDeleteThanks, everybody, you guys always make my day! :-) I rewrote that excerpt because the original was way over 8 sentences, and kind of clunky, and it's fun to work at fitting a coherent bit of dialog into only 8 sentences that are gripping :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't always accomplish the "gripping" part but it sure is fun to try!