Tag: WIPpet Wednesday

A WIPpet for Wednesday

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 25 Comments

OK, so not the most fantastic of titles but it’s the best I could do. I hope this WIPpet finds you well and getting into the swing of 2014.

For this week’s WIPpet Wednesday I thought I’d share with you 15 words from chapter 1 of my current WIP Reunion. Like many of my fellow WIPpeteers, I’m finding it hard to… well find parts to share that don’t give away half the plot.

So this week I’m keeping it short but sweet. This line is further on in the same chapter from last week’s excerpt. Anna is thinking about the people she might see at the school reunion.

It would be good to see Lizzie and Rachel again, but they wouldn’t necessarily go.

I will try and be less stingy with the excerpt next week! Looking forward to reading yours.

Wanna join in the WIPpet Wednesday fun? No problem – just share an excerpt from your current WIP on your blog. Make sure it relates to the date somehow. Then go here to add your details to the list. And you’re off!

Thank you K. L. Schwengel for hosting! 🙂

The Ta-Da Award

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 12 Comments

ta-da

The lovely, talented ReGi McClain has kindly nominated me for a new blog award called The Ta-Da award. I have to answer ten questions, which you’ll see below, and nominate some people to give the award to.

Since I’m really lazy, and most of my contacts are very busy people, I’m not going to nominate anyone. But here as promised are the questions and my answers:

1. What was the best experience you had on purpose last year?
Going down to my cousin’s wedding in Cornwall (it’s the most south western area of the UK) and spending time with my extended family. It gave me the chance to dress up which I don’t often do. We went to a pub for the reception and a random man at the bar told me I dressed well!! Surprising, but sweet!

2. What was the best experience you stumbled into last year?
Meeting another author and blogger (apart from Kate Frost) Jade Reyner face to face who I hadn’t met before. OK so it was kind of planned, but I didn’t expect to be able to meet her when I first got in touch with her via our blogs and Twitter. It was so lovely to meet another blogger who lives in my area of the UK – she’s wonderful which wasn’t necessarily a given! – and it means there are 3 of us now who can meet up together.

3. What was your greatest intentional accomplishment last year?
Self-publishing my debut novel The Inheritance. It took a long while to get to the point of self-publishing it but it has been worth every single second of effort to get to that point. I’ve learnt so much and really enjoyed the experience.

4. What was your greatest unplanned accomplishment last year?
I reached my 100th post on WordPress on the 18th December! So I was really happy about that and it was totally unplanned. Seems unbelievable that I’ve done that many posts as I only started in March last year.

5. Did you spend some time with someone you adore last year?
Yes, I spent plenty of time with my wonderful husband Ian who I totally, completely and utterly adore!

6. Were you nice to someone you don’t like last year?
I’m not sure actually. Possibly but thankfully I don’t generally come into that much contact with people I really don’t like. Usually though if I’m with someone I don’t like I try to at least be polite.

7. What was the most amazing thing you learned last year?
Finding out that I’d had nearly 9500 free downloads of The Inheritance when I did my free promotion for it. (Not sure if this answer counts but it’s what you’re getting!)

8. Who did you teach last year and what (G-rated thing) did you teach them?
I taught my dog not to nip at me when I’m drying him off after walks/when he comes in from the garden.

9. What events did you attend last year?
I went to a couple of book launches with my good friend and fellow WIPpeteer Kate Frost. They were good times, although the second one was held at the beginning of August, we were in a cramped bookshop and it was VERY hot and sticky. Yuk!

10. Did you travel anywhere? Even just downtown?
Hubby, dog and I travelled to south west Wales in April for a week long holiday in a cottage on a farm. It was great!

So there you have it. I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend. Catch you later. 🙂

My 1st WIPpet Wednesday of the new year!

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 24 Comments

Hi all! Hope you had a fantastic Christmas and New Year and that you haven’t eaten or drunk too much!! 😉 I have to admit, I put on a bit of weight which I’m not happy about. 😦 I’m trying to tackle it by healthier eating. So we shall see if I can lose a bit again.

Anyway, on to the WIPpet Wednesday excerpt. It’s the 8th January today, so just to be annoying I’m going to take you back to chapter 1 and give you 8 lines from my current WIP Reunion. At this point in the story, Anna is at home working. She’s a full time writer (ah, bliss) and she’s just picking up the day’s post (or mail to you American folks!!) which has arrived.

A couple of envelopes were identical, she noticed with a frown, rectangular and plain brown. One was addressed to her, the other to Melissa. The post mark was Holmsborough.

She opened hers and quickly read what it said. It was an invitation to a school reunion – her secondary school. It was going to be held at the school itself and would happen in a couple of months’ time.

Immediately her mind transported her back to her painfully unhappy school days. She saw again the school corridor and herself rushing down it, trying to get away from the catcalls and taunts she’d had to endure on a daily basis.

So there you go. I look forward to reading your comments and I will certainly check out other WIPpeteers’ offerings.

If you would like to take part in WIPpet Wednesday, it’s easy. Simply post an excerpt of what you’re currently working on writing-wise which relates in some way to the date. Then add your name to this linky. And you’re done.

Thank you K. L. Schwengel for hosting!

 

A brief WIPpet Wednesday

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 23 Comments

Hi all.

This is going to have to be quick as I haven’t got a huge amount of time today. But I hope you’re all well and not too stressed out by the pre-Christmas rush.

My WIPpet this week is a tease (again!). I’m sharing 21 words from chapter 12 of my work in progress.  My maths works like this: 18 for the 18th + 2 + 1 (from 2013) = 21 I’ll let you figure out the rest!!

The scene I’m sharing is from Reunion and it follows directly on from last week’s.  Anna is trying not to think about her experience with Will a week ago.

Anyway she should try and forget about Will and think about Peter instead.  He was coming down to see her tomorrow.

I’m guessing we’re not doing WIPpet Wednesday next week seeing as it’ll be Christmas Day.  Yay!  (for Christmas Day, not because I don’t want to connect with you guys via WIPpet Wednesday!!)  I hope you all have a wonderful time.

To be a part of WIPpet Wednesday just post on your blog an excerpt of whatever you’re working on writing-wise. Just make sure it relates in some way to the date. Then add your name to this linky.  Thanks goes to K. L. Schwengel for hosting.

All that’s left to say is Merry Christmas to you all!! And I just realised that this is my 100th post on my blog!! So yay for that too. 😀

Another brief WIPpet (cos I’m cruel!)

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 26 Comments

Shock

OK so it’s not the best image ever, but it’s the best I could find! And yes, as the title of this blog post suggests, I am going to be mean again and share just a few sentences.

I’m sharing 33 words from chapter 13 of my current WIP Reunion. How I’ve worked it out goes as follows: chapter 13 for 2013, 30 words for the 30th October, then 1 + 2 = 3 (from the 10th month and 2 from 2013) so 33 words.

So there you have it. As with last week, I’m not going to give too much away about the plot because this is quite recent writing that I’m sharing with you here and I don’t want to share everything because that would spoil it!

All I will say is that at this point in the story, my main character Anna has done a bit of a double take as she mistakes her boyfriend for someone else…

For a split second she thought she was seeing Elliot. Then Anna recovered herself. It was the bathrobe. She’d never thought that Peter and Elliot looked alike. But their hair colour was similar.

Yes, I am mean.  It’s partly laziness so that I don’t have to search around for ages for 30 lines/paragraphs etc.  It’s also like I said last week, that I really don’t want to give away too much of the plot.  I don’t want to spoil it for you guys before you come to read the finished product!

I hope all you NaNoWriMo writers have fun with it.  If I had more energy (and wrote MUCH faster) then I would join in too.  But as it is I write/work better at my own pace.  I am looking forward to seeing the results of your energetic writing in December!  There – another challenge for you – to have something to show me!!  Just kidding – I’m sure you’ll all be brilliant!

If you would like to take part in WIPpet Wednesday, just post an excerpt of whatever you’ve been writing lately on your blog.  Rule: it must relate in some way to the date.  Then add your name to this linky.  Thanks goes to the lovely K. L. Schwengel for hosting. 🙂

A new beginning – WIPpet Wednesday

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 24 Comments

New beginning

I’m annoyed. Why you might ask? Well it’s because I’m sure that in a previous WIPpet Wednesday post I shared an excerpt from Reunion where my MC Anna is telling her friends about her messy break up. But I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve searched on my blog about 3 times and it’s nowhere. Grrr.

Anyway the reason I wanted it was to have it to refer to today because I’ve amended the beginning of Reunion to make it more gripping from the very first line – I hope. Someone told me they’d read my novel The Inheritance, which I published a few weeks ago, and enjoyed it but said it took a while to get going and they thought it needed to grip the reader from the beginning.

It’s funny cos I’d read the same advice in a general post on a writer’s blog (can’t remember which one), that you need to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning.  Then I had a flash of inspiration as to how I could make the beginning of Reunion much more gripping.

So here’s my attempt. This is the new beginning of Reunion. Anna and her boyfriend Elliot are having a blazing row. She suspects him of cheating on her. If you recognise any of the dialogue, that’s because I’ve recycled it from a flashback Anna has later in the story and it was what I shared in the WIPpet Wednesday post I just can’t find.

As always, comments are welcome – though I guess getting feedback is the whole reason we do WIPpet Wednesday, isn’t it? Anyway here’s 13 paragraphs from chapter one as it’s 2013. Enjoy!

Anna glared at Elliot standing across the table from her, willing him to be struck down by a celestial power or something, anything to punish him for what he’d done.

‘I’ve had enough of your excuses,’ she yelled at him. ‘I know the truth and I don’t want to hear any more lies.’

‘Which idiot have you been listening to, Anna?’ he replied equally loudly as they fought it out in the kitchen, perilously close to the knives which Anna was tempted to throw at him.

‘Oh I don’t know, about a dozen? Maybe two dozen? Did you really think I’d never find out? Who is she anyway, this model? No wait; don’t tell me, she’s some bimbo who’s conveniently only in it for the sex!’

‘Look I told you, Anna, I’m not having an affair! You’ve got to trust me.’

‘Not having an affair. Hmmm. That’s what you said three months ago when I first told you what people had been saying. And I stupidly chose to believe you. But since then more and more people, friends and acquaintances, have been telling me what you’ve been getting up to on those “research” trips to London.’

‘They’re wrong, Anna, they’re wrong. Why would I ever want sex with Petra… ’ Elliot trailed off realising his mistake.

‘Oh so that’s her name is it? I’ll take that as a confession, shall I? It’s obviously all I’m going to get after three years. Three years of my life wasted!’ The tears that had been threatening to pour began to run down Anna’s face. She sobbed a harsh strangulated sound and through the haze of tears saw Elliot coming towards her. ‘No!’ she yelled at him. ‘Don’t touch me! Just get out! I don’t need to hear any more excuses.’

He backed off and turned to leave the kitchen.

‘I want you out by tonight,’ Anna heard herself say in a shaky voice. ‘And all your stuff.’

‘Where am I supposed to go?’ he asked turning round. ‘You could at least give me a day to get my stuff out.’

‘I don’t care where you go. And as for giving you a day to sort your stuff out, why should I after the way you’ve treated me? Now get out!’

He scowled at her as he left the room, and for the first time Anna felt as though she were seeing the true Elliot. The person she thought she’d known had been almost like a figment of her imagination.

If you would like to take part in WIPpet Wednesday, simply share an excerpt from whatever you’re up to writing-wise and post on your blog. The only rule is it has to correlate to the date.  Then add your name to this linky.  Thanks to the lovely K. L. Schwengel for hosting.

Out for another meal – WIPpet Wednesday

~ Elaine Jeremiah ~ 22 Comments

Restaurant

It’s that time of the week again when we WIPpeteers come together to share some of the lovely stuff we’ve been working on writing-wise.  And yes I know I’m posting this early yet again (it’s 8pm on Tuesday UK time!) but I find it easier this way.

For my contribution this week I’m sharing another excerpt from my WIP Reunion. I’ve been finding it quite hard to choose extracts that are interesting but which don’t give too much of the plot away!  Anyway I thought I’d share with you 9 lines from chapter 10 as it’s the 9th October today.   🙂

At this point in the story my MC Anna is out for another meal with her new literary agent Peter. This time she’s come to London on her own to see him. Enjoy!

By now they’d finished their starters and were on to the main course. Her meal – salmon covered liberally with a creamy Hollandaise sauce – was delicious. As she ate Anna listened to Peter, engrossed by his tale of how he became a literary agent.

He told her that whilst at university he’d decided he wanted to be a literary agent, but he hadn’t realised that to do that he’d have to gain experience in the publishing industry first. She laughed at his tale of having to live off baked beans on toast and nothing else for a month whilst living in a poky bedsit in London as he applied everywhere for a job.

‘I was getting desperate,’ he admitted. ‘The guy who lived across the hall from me told me I’d be better off getting a job in Tesco.’ Anna snorted with laughter at this. ‘Yes, I can laugh about it too now,’ Peter said. 

If you would like to take part in WIPpet Wednesday, simply post an excerpt of whatever you’ve been working on writing-wise recently on your blog. The only rule is that it has to relate in some way to the date.

Then add your name to this linky. Thanks goes to K. L. Schwengel for hosting. Until next time!