Tag Time and a Snippet from "The Disappeared"

I have actually been tagged twice with the 7-7-7 Challenge (thanks Lauren and Jess!), and now that I have more of my book actually typed into the computer, I can finally see what falls on what page.  Therefore, I humbly accept the challenge and offer this snippet from page 77 of my work in progress (tentatively entitled "The Disappeared"):

       “There aren’t many of us left in this valley.  Last winter claimed half of us, and The Unrest claimed a fair bit more.

“The first uprising took Saul's father. They found him strung up in the middle of town. Birds were picking over his remains. The wild animals had already claimed their share from the bottom half. What was left of him swung in the bitter winter wind.

“A few days later, his mother went to town to see if she could get a Widow’s Pension. It’s not much, but it gives you a ration card.  You can get some food at least.  Well, you could if the approved items were in stock.  But they rarely are, what with all the fighting going on...”

Now I admit, I went slightly over the seven sentence limit--but I could not stand leaving in the middle of a bit of dialogue. 

I have been informed that The Rules are as follows:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines as they're written-- no cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers
5. Let them know!

So, the lucky seven four (sorry, I am really bad at following the rules!) who now get to share from their work in progress are...

1. Jayne
2. Cat
3. Nick
4. Laura

Now, if they follow directions better than I do, at some point they will post their snippets, too!

Writer at Rest. Writer at Unrest.

As I go through the process of typing everything into the computer, I find that the second book in the series is shouting at me.  I will be happily tapping on the keys and my inner-writer screams:

Oh my gosh, Gideon is XXXXXXXXXXX!!* 

And then I will stop, my eyes glassy and my mouth agape in horror.  Of course he is! I think, I must make a note of that!  So I stop and make a note, then (being on a roll and all) I add that to my timeline.  Then a snippet of conversation seeps into my brain, and I have to jot that down as well.  Then, I glance up and realize that I have spent half an hour on the second book, when I really need to be finishing up this first book!

Oh...right.

But, in my defense, it can be very difficult to focus when your characters scream in your head.  In fact, they have been keeping me up at night.  Between late night typing and revelations as midnight, I think I am getting a bit twitchy!  I call this phenomenon "Writer at Unrest."

It is all I can do to buckle down and type, type, type so that I can get this finished.  (I even had one moment when I contemplated having my daughter type it in for me (which would be fine, but she is only nine so I am not sure that is one of my better ideas).

I have decided that I definitely do need to invest in an inexpensive laptop for writing purposes.  Something I can keep with me at all times in case inspiration strikes without feeling like I am depriving someone else of the computer.  I think I will try the next book on the computer (complete with time lines and character pages!).  Please feel free to remind me of this when I ultimately fail to do any of these things.  Someone should keep me accountable.

In the meantime, I will continue with scrawling things on paper and typing them up.  It has served me well so far.  Besides, I have such wonderful company on my journey....

I call this photo "Writer at Rest"

My daughter is busy working on her book, and I could not be more proud!  No matter what happens, at least I am teaching her to follow her dreams.  That has to count for something!

When she is not writing, she is busy nagging me to let her get a Pinterest account.  (I don't have a photo of said nagging, sorry!)  I do have to admit that I am developing a bit of a fascination with Pinterest.  It gives me a lovely spot to house the writing quotes that I come across, and it also lets me keep track of photos that are inspiring my writing.  (If you are so inclined, you can click that nice little "Follow me on Pinterest" button that I added today and check out my boards to see what has been rattling around in my mind lately.)

And, one final reminder:

The countdown continues for the World Book Night (April 23rd).  The book that I will be handing out is (drum roll please) The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien.  I have not read it yet, and (as you may recall) I will be giving the book away here.  [More on that will be announced soon!] 


*  All spoilers have been redacted to preserve the creative integrity of the final work (plus, I just like messin' with you!).