Hooray! It’s Wednesday! Time for a new WIPpet and ROW80 check-in.
My goals:
- Write one hour/day in Passing on Faith √ The plot bunny still won’t leave me alone, but I used it to my advantage to work out a key plot point. So, win.
- Read 30 minutes/day √ Haven’t missed any since last check-in.
- Write one blog post/week other than WIPpet/ROW80 √ Yep, posted it on Monday.
I’m skipping my Sunday post because we are going to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame inductions. That’s going to derail my goals for the weekend as well. I’ll still get my reading in, but no writing and probably no extra blog post next week, since I’ll be catching up and the kids will be done with camp.
I admit I’m struggling with this novel. I’m over halfway through, and this is the point where my last one hit a bump, too. I began having it beta read in order to overcome the slump, but I’m not at that point with this one for a number of reasons. Consequently, today’s snippet is a little dull. I’m just posting what comes immediately after last week’s. Part of the problem is that I don’t want to reveal too much too soon, and some things I’m not sure about revealing at all. This damn story has too many potential spoilers!
Boring math, too: 7 + 2 + 3 = 12 paragraphs. Sigh.
Cat’s eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t ask for more information. Instead, he looked around. “This place is a dump.”
“Tell me about it,” Micah grumbled. “That’s part of the problem. It’s truly not livable. I have to go back to town and get a hotel room until I’ve cleaned out most of what’s in here.”
“You want some help?”
“With what, finding a room? I’m an adult. I think I can manage.”
Cat rolled his eyes. “No. I meant fixing this place. I’m actually pretty handy with a trash bin, and I know just about everyone in town. We’ll get your house in shape.”
Micah desperately wanted an excuse to say no. He wasn’t anxious to get acquainted with the locals, nor was he interested in being indebted to Cat for his help. On the other hand, he had no idea what he was doing. If Cat—or anyone else, for that matter—could assist him, he might be able to get the house ready by the end of summer.
He found himself saying, “All right.”
“Good.” Cat stood up. “Let me make a few calls, and I’ll tell you what I’ve got. We can at least figure out what needs to be fixed.” He cringed a little. “Um, can I have my glass back?”
Micah laughed. “Sure.” He drained the last of the lemonade and handed Cat the glass. “I’d wash it for you, but I’m not sure what would come out of the tap.”
“No problem. See you around?”
“Yeah.” Micah offered a real smile this time, and Cat returned it.
Maybe, just maybe, he could get through the summer after all.
I’ll try to find something a bit more interesting for next time. If you want to read some less dull entries than mine, go here. Feel free to add your own, associated with the date however you choose. Thanks to K. L. Schwengel for hosting, as always. Happy writing!
This is the first scene with Cat where I didn’t come out of it wanting to stuff him into a box and sit on it. 🙂 That doesn’t mean I’m warming up to him. It just means I’ll reluctantly agree he may not be *as* annoying as he has been. 😉
Hahaha! I promise, he’s very sweet. There is a reason for his…assertiveness. Micah wears his brokenness like a badge of honor. Cat buries his. You’ll have to trust me on this one. 😉
Trust an author. You’re funny.
“He wasn’t anxious to get acquainted with the locals, nor was he interested in being indebted to Cat for his help.”
This? This is my husband.
This is also why we can’t make friends when we move to new places. -_-
LOL! This is me. My husband recently asked me if I’d even bothered to say hello to the new neighbors. I replied, “Yes. I waved to them.”
I really wanted Cat to take him back … you know…some innocent flirting and all that. =P
I thought about doing that, but I decided that’s a bit forward even for guys. And Cat’s not gonna do that anyway because he’s kind of hiding something. No worries, there will be more flirting.
That wasn’t dull at all Amy. I really enjoyed it. I liked the reference to the glass at the end and Micah not wanting to clean it for fear of what would come out of the tap! I also like the way Micah gradually allows Cat to help him as the scene progresses. Good stuff! 🙂
I think it’s more just that I was feeling super frustrated last night when I was deciding what to post. I’m at the stage where I can’t move on until I figure out what needs to be rearranged or rewritten. The same thing happened with my last novel, so I’m not worried, but it’s stressful and frustrating. I gave in and spent today mostly fixing things instead of writing, and I’m a lot happier with it now.
I like that Micah is having to give up his reluctance to meet the locals. Nice snippet, not boring at all! 🙂
Thanks! He’s in for some surprises. 🙂
Ha! We both have a main character named Cat — except my Cat is short for Catriona. I enjoyed this exchange between Cat and Michah, mostly because it suggests conflict and plot twists lie ahead!
I haven’t revealed Cat’s real name. I’m keeping some things under wraps. But I like that they share a name! 🙂
I like Cat more and more. And he ha a secret, and a helpful nature….
Micah’s growing on me, too – and this didn’t seem boring at all!
I’m debating on whether to reveal much about Cat through WIPpets. I’m not sure how much will spoil the story and how much is okay to say. He is absolutely one of my favorite characters, even though he isn’t the POV character in this story.
I might still be in the minority, here, but I really like Cat, too. If you won’t share in WIPpts, maybe you’ll be looking for betas…? =)
Your writing is smooth and lovely. And I wish I could make dialogue sound that natural!
Thanks! I learned how to write good dialog by doing some beta-reading for a fellow author who writes fantastic dialog. I also sometimes have to read it out loud to make sure I get the flow right. Sometimes it comes out like this one; other times it sounds terrible and needs three or four rewrites.
I walk around talking like my characters in my head until the dialogue sounds decent. Not sure what kind of progress I make that way. But it’s fun XD
Hahaha! I’ve done that, too. Or gone to sleep thinking about a conversation they might have.
I agree with some of the other comments – you have a knack for dialogue! This is my first peek at your WIPpet, and I can’t wait to read more. Will have to check your archives… 🙂
Aw, thanks! I love to imagine the kinds of things the characters might say to each other. I try not to do too much information dumping through dialog, but sometimes, it’s easier to reveal motivations that way.
I thought it was interesting. Not every WIPpet has to be triumphant, surprising, or heartbreaking. 🙂 I really like Cat. He seems like a nice guy.
He truly is good-hearted. But his motivation isn’t entirely altruistic just yet.
As others have said, you have an ear for dialogue, which is one of my weak points, sigh. I’m intrigued by both these fellows, now, and want to know more. I do understand the tension about how much to reveal in WiPpets, though (but I can hope!) 🙂
This was a perfectly yummy exchange, Amy. Nothing to worry about here (except what might have come out of the tap).
Interesting that Cat asks for his glass back. It says a lot about both characters.