Happy Wednesday! We finally got to see WICKED on Sunday. What a show! No wonder it’s my daughter’s favorite. Not one but two of my acquaintances had friends in the cast. So before the show, we got to message with one of the actors, and afterward, we met the other (as well as getting autographs from the two main characters). My 11yo had chosen to see this one, so I didn’t think I’d get to go to any others this season. But another friend asked if I wanted to go see Cabaret, so in a little less than a month, I’ll be back in the theater for that one. In almost exactly a month, my 13yo and the rest of the cast of Barnum will be back on stage in that same theater for a local event. Next season, we’ll be seeing Rent, and the year after…Hamilton! (In case it’s not clear, I love musical theater in any form.)
Okay, on to the WIPpet. I have several WIPs going:
- Short stories related to Cat/Micah
- A longish short story about a former missionary
- Drumbeat, the sequel to Anthem and Nightsong
- An as-yet-untitled YA
- A sequel to An Act of Devotion
Yes, I know that’s a lot. But my brain doesn’t work well trying to focus on one thing until I have enough written that I hyperfocus. I share some traits of ADHD with my son, and that’s one of them. So I’ve learned to go with it.
Today, I’m setting aside the short about LR and posting a bit from my (needs a title) short about the missionary. It’s priority right now, as it’s the next thing I need to finish.
WIPmath: 4/12 = 4 + 12 = 16 sentences
Jo stared at the card in her hand. It was addressed under her pre-married name, Hodges. She hadn’t yet changed it back, even after two divorces, the most recent one less than a year old. The person had sent it to her eighty-three-year-old mother, who had laughed and forwarded it on. Even she recognized the sheer foolishness of anyone thinking Jo wanted to be reminded of her missionary summer.
Forty years. That was the reason for the postcard invitation. When they were still untouched by the events at the end of their trip, she and five other girls had agreed they would meet every ten years on the anniversary to catch up on each other’s lives. Whether it was because she’d moved—and changed names—twice or because her mother had thrown out the previous invitations, Jo had never received one until now. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn her mother had burned them, though she couldn’t fathom why she would pass this one along.
If everyone showed, all five of the others would be meeting back in the same part of Chicago where they’d spent a summer fixing houses and making Bible-themed artwork with school-aged children. Jo was the only one, as far as she knew, who still lived there. She’d stayed to make it right after what had happened that summer, but she’d only succeeded in making more messes. Three of them, in fact. She supposed she was fortunate her mother had come around eventually. If only some of that would rub off on Jo’s grown daughter.
Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Witt for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!
A sequel to “An Act of Devotion???” YAY! I adored that book! ???
😀 😀 😀 Yay! I’m so glad. I felt that one of the characters needed his HEA (and so did a few other readers). So I’m going to give him one.
Ooh! Newness! And also, yay to all those WIPs!
So you’ve hooked me on this one already. Forty years…that’s a loooong time. What on earth happened at the end of that trip? Must’ve been something huge. Hm. Patience, Deb. 😉
Yes, I’ve wanted to post from this one, but I didn’t have enough written. I think I’m about halfway done or so. It’s not going to be long, but longer than I originally intended.
It’s not a romance. Uh…not that I really write romance anyway. More about complicated mother-daughter relationships, and maybe a second chance with someone from the past.
The snippet reads more like a – I don’t know what to call it – an interpersonal mystery/intrigue?
Hm, I suppose that’s true, in a sense. Maybe more like “what secrets are they hiding from each other” is closer.
Many WIPs… I can totally relate. 😉 This is an intriguing WIPpet. It certainly creates some tension and questions right off the bat.
Yup! I can’t focus on just one thing, so I decided to cave and work on whatever strikes my fancy that day. It’s more productive.
Glad the snippet piqued curiosity! 🙂
Very intrigued by the snippet! Can’t wait to read more. And also adding my squee to the An Act of Devotion sequel!!
I seem to go through cycles of either working on several projects at once or focusing most of my attention on one thing.
😀 The sequel is going to be quite different, but I hope good.
I work on multiple things until I have a large chunk done on one. Then I focus on that until it’s finished.
A very interesting snippet… I want to know what needed to be fixed and (it seems) never was forty years ago. And is this the first invitation or just the first Jo is receiving? I’d be curious to know that, because it also says a lot about the atmosphere of her fellow members if she does go…
I love your theatre list for the coming months. Almost envious… but as we have some amazing productions in town I should make better use of before I whine too much, I’ll leave it as AWESOME! (Insert the voice of my eleven year-old son here as he commented over my shoulder while I was reading this post… and we listen to the soundtracks of so many musicals here he knew songs from each one listed)
She’s convinced it hasn’t been fixed, but she may not be entirely right.
Yep, my kids know quite a lot of the music. Wicked is 11yo’s favorite, and she’s been listening to the soundtrack for almost 2 years. If your 11yo knows any of the songs from Barnum, I’m super impressed! Although I absolutely LOVE the music from that one. I have no idea how the kids’ school will top it for next year. Barnum was hands-down my favorite show they’ve ever done, and we’ve been going to see their school’s productions since long before the kids attended there. It was pure magic.
Ooh, I love this! It raises so many questions! What happened that summer, and what has happened since? Will the reunion happen?