Wednesday, January 12, 2011

WIP Wednesday Digs Itself Out

I'm "enjoying" my third consecutive snow day. I know, silly to complain--who wouldn't like a little time off, right?

Right.

One day is great. Two days can be fun. On the third day, especially when the temps are well below freezing and it hasn't snowed since Monday, I begin to ask: "When does my life return to normal?" I teach in a rural district, and snow tends to drift. Sure, county maintenance plows roads where possible, but then the wind comes through overnight, and...you get the idea.

To my gift horse: I'm trying not to look you in the mouth, 'kay?

I'm just about ready to send my second submission for Write 1/Sub 1. Just about. I'm working on my fourth story (allowing a little time for editing lag). I call this one, "Through the Tunnel":

“Can you tell me what happened before the spell?”

Dr. Ellingham always called trips into the Tunnel spells. Spell sounded like something from a children’s movie. Something a cartoon witch might do, or Harry Potter, or Merlin in Camelot. Joel frowned at the word. “I was just walking. I was walking and then I was in the tunnel.”

“Mmm-humm.” Dr. Ellingham scribbled on his yellow legal pad
.
“I’d just dumped my tray. I was walking. Then…then I was on the ground.” Joel’s eyes shifted down, away from the yellow legal pad. Dr. Ellingham was always scribbling, scribbling. Pages filled with doodles, probably. Doodles of crazy me, Joel, with witches casting spells as they fly around mounted on cartoon broomsticks and conjuring black things from their cauldrons. Black things from the tunnel.

“Joel? What are you thinking about?”

“What?”

“You shuddered just now. Shivered, like you were cold.”

How's the writing going in your world?

8 comments:

Anthony Rapino said...

I'll take the days off whenever I can get them. :-) So what is this write 1/Sub 1 thing all about? I seem to have missed this along the way.

Aaron Polson said...

Anthony - For me, it's about about following in Ray Bradbury's footsteps. Check out:

http://write1sub1.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Why should it be just the kids who relish snow days. Soak 'em up, man. Spring will rear its head in no time.

Writing? Meh. Too many projects going on at once. Must pause a couple on hone in on one.

Barry Napier said...

Sounds like my city on a snow day. And yeah, I go stir crazy after one day...

Anthony Rapino said...

Cool, I'll check it out.

Aaron Polson said...

Gef - I like winter, but not bitter, bitter cold. It was -3 Fahrenheit when I woke this morning. -3!

Barry - I like my mobility too much. I like the structure of school, too.

Katey said...

Now THAT is cold. Ugh, we used to have stretches of days off like that when I was a kid. Couldn't go outside, nothing on TV--

Oh god, is this why I write?!

Talk about your spells...

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