As you know, today we're not only sharing how things went this summer, we're also showing off our Manuscripts & Manicures. Can't wait to see all your nail pics!
How my summer of revisions went...
Well...it wasn't completely awful. Ha! I changed horses midstream a couple times over the past few months. I started out drafting one project, piddled around with revisions on another (briefly), then finally settled on revisions of my WiP ONLY ANNIE (a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's PERSUASION). I really wanted to finish a major round of revisions on ONLY ANNIE this summer, and I came pretty close, I think. The ending is still corny as all hell, but it's totally fixable. A major change I made was to the tense (it's now past) and to the POV (now third), and I think this story is better for it. If nothing else, I'm most happy with that.
Manuscripts & Manicures
You know, I really couldn't think of a single great manicure idea that reflected my WiP. Plus, as you can probably tell by the way I flaked out toward the end of RSW, I haven't had a whole lot of time to get creative these days. (Thanks in large part to the new job.) Since this summer was all about the words--the writing of words and revising of words--I opted to go with a manicure that is sort of word-y or, I guess you could say, font-y. Thankfully, Jamberry took care of the creativity for me. ;-)
So, here's a snippet from ONLY ANNIE. It's still desperately in need of more revisions, much better prose and whatnot, so bear that in mind. Sharing my writing is not something I'm super comfortable doing (I stress far too much about it), but I figure it's something I need to get more used to doing. So here goes nothing:
The rich scent of coffee finally reeled Annie into the
café. With her head ducked against the rain, she stepped toward the entrance.
Right into someone who was just leaving.
And not just anyone. Went.
The coffee he gripped in his hand sloshed up onto his shirt
on impact, nearly reaching the stunned expression on his face. “Annie?” he said
at the same time that she gasped, “Ohmigod, I’m so sorry.”
Annie froze for what felt like ages, then snapped out
of it and reached inside her purse, snatched a handful of tissue, and began
frantically sopping up the mess she’d made. It took her only a moment to
realize she was actually rubbing and patting Went’s chest--his chest, for God's sake--while he just stood there
awkwardly letting her. More likely, she mused, he was unsure what to do about
this all-hands girl who was suddenly groping the heck out of him. A girl he was
supposed to hate. And with good reason, she knew only too well.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to—”
“—totally my fault.” Annie’s arms dropped to her
sides, crumpled tissues clutched in her trembling fist. “Your shirt… It’s
ruined.” In all the scenarios she’d played out in her mind, this was not how she’d imagined things
going. For starters, she hadn’t planned on literally
bumping into Went.
Raindrops rolled down her face and off the tip of her
nose, but Annie didn’t move from where she stood, rooted to the sidewalk, mere inches from Went’s
coffee-stained chest. And Went, wonder of wonders, didn’t step back either.
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All of us--Alison, Katy, Erin, Elodie, and I--would like to thank all of you for taking part in Ready. Set. WRITE! this summer. I know, speaking for myself, that I've appreciated the accountability and encouragement you've provided. It means a lot!
Wishing you all the best with your WiPs and your writing journeys!
