I won’t lie — I absolutely love watching memes spread through the interwebz like wildfire. The Lucky 7 meme has been particularly fun to watch, because there’s nothing like seeing snippets from other writers’ WIPs.
Thanks to the ever-wonderful Rachel Funk Heller andΒ J.R. Pearse Nelson, Lucky 7 madness has made it to Flights of Fancy. These are the rules:
1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences, or paragraphs, and post them as theyβre written.
4. Tag 7 authors, and let them know.
I’m posting 7 sentences from page 77 of PATH TO THE PEACOCK THRONE, my fantasy WIP that I worked on during NaNoWriMo 2011 (synopsis here). I have resisted my inner perfectionist’s urge to tweak/edit/overhaul the heck out of it (’cause seeing excerpts in raw form is part of the fun), so be gentle. π
I hadnβt realized how thirsty I was until the waterskin touched my lips, and then I was guzzling down the clear liquid greedily, splashing the rest over my face. Flynne watched, a bemused expression on her face at my enthusiasm. βYouβre going to have to freshen up before we reach shore. Youβve clearly spent far too much time among us.β
I returned her grin, her words filling me with a strange mix of pride and regret. I wasnβt ready to leave the Diomedea, but then again, when had anything happened to me when I was ready? My father had been taken long before his time; my home, brother, and very identity had been stripped in a single swoop, no warning involved. This voyage over the sea had seemed like the whole and sum of my world, and yet it was just a short break in a much longer, and much more scary, journey, an interim of sorts.
To continue the chain, I’m tagging the following authors. Go to it, friends!
April 4, 2012 at 6:46 am
Oh wow. I was already interested in what was going on in this scene, but that last sentence took my breath away. Really lovely.
Miho Li recently posted..Incognito Blog Tour
April 4, 2012 at 7:42 am
Thanks so much, Miho! I think I got lucky in the excerpt that I was able to choose — it actually makes sense. π
April 4, 2012 at 7:18 am
This is great Lena! So exciting getting a glimpse of what everyone is creating π
Coleen Patrick recently posted..YA Reality: Interview with a Teen Reader
April 4, 2012 at 7:43 am
Thanks! And I agree, I’m loving this meme. So many great snippets from everyone’s work.
April 4, 2012 at 8:09 am
Very nice, Lena. Very nice. :}
Nadja Notariani recently posted..Welcome Christopher McQueeney – Wander
April 4, 2012 at 8:52 am
Squee, thank you!
April 4, 2012 at 8:21 am
Oooh, really good!! Loved reading your snippet. Your characters pop off the page, begging you to read more.
Thanks for the tag! I’ve actually recently participated. If I did this correctly, I’ve highlighted my Lucky 7 meme post to attach to this comment. π
Ginger Calem recently posted..Iβve been Triple-Tagged β so here goes!
April 11, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Ginger, that’s probably one of the best things I could have read about this snippet. It’s so wonderful to know that the characters have a bit of life. π
I’ll be sure to check out your post! Thanks for linking it up. π
April 4, 2012 at 9:23 am
Love this snippet π It’s been so much fun to see what everyone is working on.
Marcy Kennedy recently posted..How to Keep Strong Female Characters Likeable
April 11, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Thanks, Marcy. This whole meme has been such a blast. π
April 4, 2012 at 10:22 am
the last sentence is a great hook. can’t wait to read more.
April 11, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Oh Louise, I love that you said that! Before I posted it, I was dithering about the last sentence and whether or not I wanted to covertly tweak it before putting it out for the “world” to see. Now I’m glad I didn’t change a word. π
April 4, 2012 at 12:34 pm
I identified with “that strange mix of pride and regret.” Why does it take the prospect of a new adventure to make us appreciate what we learned from the last one? Like you, I’ve enjoyed watching this meme make the rounds.
Pat O’Dea Rosen recently posted..Defend the Process
April 11, 2012 at 6:55 pm
So true, Pat! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. π
April 4, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Great snippet!
April 11, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Thanks, Alica!
April 4, 2012 at 2:22 pm
“This voyage over the sea had seemed like the whole and sum of my world, and yet it was just a short break in a much longer, and much more scary, journey, an interim of sorts.” Loved this line. It also reads like the back cover of a novel.
Great job, Lena!
Fabio Bueno recently posted..ROW80 Goals + Achievement Unlocked
April 11, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Fabio, that’s actually a great point about the “back cover” blurb. That line really does sum up Liandre’s experiences in this book — a series of adventures that lead her to discover all sorts of talents, skills, and strengths that she never realized she possessed. Glad you liked!
April 4, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Darn. I lost my comment. Let me try again. I, too, enjoy reading excerpts from everyone’s WIPs. Your excerpt gives me a good feel for the story, and I love the name Flynne for one of your characters. Thanks for sharing this gem with us!
Lynn Kelley recently posted..Altered Art Book Wedding Gift
April 11, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Lynn, thanks so much! Flynne is probably one of my favorite characters in the whole book (she’s a smart-mouthed captain of a ship, the first female captain that Liandre has ever met), and I love her name as well.
April 5, 2012 at 2:54 am
I agree, this is a great meme. We get to peek at all sorts of stories π
Sarah Pearson recently posted..D: Dejection
April 11, 2012 at 6:58 pm
I know! The variety really has been amazing. π
April 5, 2012 at 6:57 am
Great excerpt, Lena. It pulled me right into the story only for me to realize there was no more to read. Drats. Now I want more π
Angela Orlowski-Peart recently posted..Finding Inspiration In Weird Images
April 11, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Angela, it means so much to hear you say that. I will say, I reread the draft after I posted this, and I was surprised by how decent it is. π I may have to go back and finish it sometime soon.
April 5, 2012 at 7:14 am
Mind blowing and really beautiful…This excerpt is marvelously written. No words to say nothing for this.
Ariana Lemarr recently posted..Prix lunette de tir
April 11, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Thanks!
April 5, 2012 at 10:13 am
WOW seven lines and I felt a got a great bite of what your WIP is all about. Reads really well!
I have risen to the challenge: http://www.darcytodionysus.com/2012/04/lucky-7-meme.html
Meg McNulty recently posted..The Lucky 7 Meme
April 11, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Seriously, I think I really did get lucky with this snippet. It’s from one of my favorite parts of the book, too, which definitely helps.
Off to read yours!
April 6, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Sorry I haven’t been by your site in a while! You actually hit me right on my week off after finishing Lost Girls’ Society… I don’t have anything in progress at the moment, I just finished one and am taking a breather.
Still I definitely need to read a finished work from you some time, I love your writing, love fantasy and it sounds like you have quite the adventure (or chain of adventures) lined up for Liandre.
David A Ludwig recently posted..Completion and Looking Ahead
April 11, 2012 at 7:04 pm
No worries! I completely missed the end of Lost Girls’ Society, so I will be hightailing it over to your place to read the rest. Congrats on getting to the end!
Glad you liked the snippet. Liandre really does find herself locked in this ridiculous chain of events that drags her from one end of the world to the other. It’s been so much fun to write. π
April 7, 2012 at 9:39 am
I agree, this one has been a really fun meme. Is your fantasy YA or adult? Or in between? π Thanks for the tag! I think I might need to cheat a little on my 7 lines so they make a little more sense for next week.
Angela Wallace recently posted..A Lucky 7 Sneak Peek
April 11, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Haha, I’m actually not sure where this falls quite yet. I don’t *think* it’ll be YA fantasy, but it might end up slipping into that in-between “new adult” area I’ve been hearing about here and there.
April 9, 2012 at 1:49 am
What a great idea! Just stopping by to check in and tell you I gave you an award. Come pick it up π http://wordsinsync.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunshine-award-goes-to.html
Shah Wharton recently posted..The Sunshine Award goes to….
April 11, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Thanks so much, lovely lady! Swinging by to pick it up now. π
April 11, 2012 at 6:05 am
Love this! Like you, I adore the memes. This one, though? Drives me nuts because now I want the rest of the book! But that’s a very good thing, right? Can’t wait for the whole thing, Lena.
Tameri Etherton recently posted..Music That Brings a Book to Life
April 11, 2012 at 7:06 pm
That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling as I’ve read through the different entries! And thanks so much, Tameri. I can’t wait till I have a finished draft pulled together. π
April 12, 2012 at 9:45 pm
This is one interesting meme! I would love to do my own version of this.
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