Happy Wednesday! The picture above has nothing to do with today’s WIPpet. I made it the other day as a joke because of all the pumpkin spice stuff I see everywhere right now. Also, I needed a bit of humor.
I’m really struggling to write these days. There doesn’t seem to be a solid reason for it. I wouldn’t call it “writer’s block.” More like lack of motivation, though I couldn’t say what’s caused it. I’ll have an occasional day where I write 1-2k words, and then nothing for days or even weeks. It’s frustrating, and I wish I knew how to get my voice back.
I don’t know…I’ve felt this way a lot in the last year. I finally managed to finish Jamie’s story (which released in September), but that was the only one for this year, aside from my novella. Even last year, I had two novels, a collection of short stories (most of which were new), and one stand-alone short. I have two projects that need to be finished, but it’s like I just can’t connect with the characters anymore. I don’t even find myself daydreaming about them, which is really unusual for me.
Anyway, here is a snippet I wrote a while ago from Minuet. Amelia’s day job is as a personal trainer. Here, she’s doing a bit of a favor for a friend.
WIPmath: 10 paragraphs for the 10th.
Amelia waved Cian over as soon as she spotted him. He grinned at her cheerfully, but the teenage girl with him looked like she would rather be anywhere else. Amelia had her work cut out for her. Fortunately, she had plenty of experience with sullen clients.
“Hey,” she greeted them when they stopped in front of her.
“This is Cadence,” Cian said. “My sister.”
“Right, yes. You mentioned. And she had an injury, right?”
Cian motioned to his hearing aids. “Can we talk somewhere quieter?”
“Sure.”
Amelia led them into one of the small rooms lined with mats. Some days, it was used for tiny tots classes, but it was empty at the moment. She turned to face Cian and Cadence.
“Okay, Cadence, why don’t we spare your brother from having to be the middle man here. Tell me what you’re looking for.”
Cadence eyed Cian, who nodded at her with a distinct air of you’d-better-tell-her. With a sigh that sounded half exasperated and half grateful, she looked away from him. “I hurt my knee a few months ago and had to have surgery. I did all the physical therapy and stuff, but I want to get back to dancing.”
“I think we can work with that.”
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I really hope you can figure out how to get back to it. I love your characters. And I’m glad to see Cian again. Nice snippet.
Thanks! I think one of my issues with Minuet is that it’s wrapping up some things. Which means re-visiting characters from previous books, and…well, I’d almost rather be writing about them. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually.
Cian is definitely fun to bring back. 🙂
Aw, I loved Cadence in Drumbeat. It’s lovely to catch up with her again, and she’s definitely got the perfect trainer in Amelia. *wonders if Amelia would like to be my personal trainer*
Hugs.
Ha! I may need Amelia too. I think Cadence is almost a year older here than in Drumbeat. I don’t think her scowly teenager act is going to fool Amelia. They’re well-suited to each other.
Ha, love the pumpkin spice torso! I always enjoy your characters. Sending you all the good writing vibes.
Interesting characters…I get null, numb moments myself when the urge to write dulls. Sometimes it’s brought on by a hunger to read or a desire to do something else. Other times I’m just tired. Wishing you sparkage from unexpected sources and opportunities to capture it in words…
I absolutely love the name Cadence and from what I see it fits her.