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A collection of snippets of the books I write and, occasionally, my life and the things that inspire my writing...

Saturday, January 25, 2020

wewriwa January 26, 2020: EU 13

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors! I am so glad you found your way here, especially given the website issues we're having.

It is my fault (for the most part). The payment form I used on the domain renewal site expired--and I failed to catch it and update it with my new card numbers. Thus, wewriwa went down. We are well within the grace period, though, so in a perfect world, once the big machine gets it's through its blankety-blank digital brain that the domain is once again paid-for, we should be up and running on old turf.

Thanks for bearing with us while we sort through this Google/Godaddy/domain issue.

Please sign up at--and check the linky list to find other writers and other great snippets: http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/

     This snippet is from Emmily, Unbound, an SFR story in first-person-present. 
     There could be wonky punctuation to keep within wewriwa guidelines. Emmily, the main character, has lost pretty much everything in the last twelve months: her marriage, her parents, her job, and her house. She and her dog, Murphy, are moving to an old hunting camp her parents willed to her. It's remote, in the mountains of Pennsylvania. They've just arrived, and she's checked the cabin inside. I'm skipping a couple of paras.
 
       
    
The snippet:
     
     The porchlight illuminates a few feet past where I’m parked. Murphy jumps from the car as soon as I open the door. He doesn’t get more than five feet before he raises his leg and marks a shrub. He’s making a statement: This is his home now.

     With night falling fast, I start unloading my things, getting as much as I can before it’s pitch-black. I go back and forth, back and forth carrying loads, then take a break to check my phone for the time. It’s been half an hour and it is dark now; it’s time to go inside. I don’t want to cross a creature that roams the night. Outside the door is their world, not mine. There’s tomorrow to get the rest of my stuff into the cabin.
     I'm looking for beta-readers. If anyone is interested, I'll send you a copy. Please email me at cypherbuss at yahoo dot com. 
     That's it for this week. Thanks for visiting! I am truly grateful for comments and suggestions, and for you taking the time to read it. 

29 comments:

  1. At least she was able to bring in that much stuff before nightfall, and without anything happening. I'm still on the edge of my seat though.

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    1. Haha! Thanks, Jessica! I'm so tickled to read that it has you on edge!

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  2. I loved how we went from carrying in groceries to BOOM - what creatures of the night do we have out and prowling about? Can't wait to see what's next!

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    1. Thanks, Sara! First fright coming in the next several weeks of snippets. :-)

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  3. Great characterization of the dog in the opening paragraph.

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    1. Thanks! I live with three dogs. Not sure which one of them I pictured while I was writing that para. ;-)

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  4. Awesome snippet! This cabin reminds me so much of one I visit way out in the woods every year. And once I go in for the night, I'm IN. There are definitely creatures of the night you do NOT want to deal with. Emily's smart to hole up in the cabin until it's light again! I didn't sign up this week but my snippet is posted at https://wp.me/p1gshm-2Ri

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    1. That sounds like me--right where I live. lol. Our lane is 3/4 of a mile long. It was only a few years ago that you couldn't see any other lights at night. Leo, (my deaf dog) goes out at night to do his business, and quite often takes off up into the woods, or up the lane. Then I have to get a jacket and the flashlight to go find him and make sure he's not becoming coyote food. Some nights I get pretty nervous out there alone. :-) Watched too many episodes of Chiller Theater when I was a kid. lol Thanks!

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  5. Love this snippet, my friend. I recall, as a kid, the same kind of situation. Back then, my father had to save me by driving way out in the country. He never forgot what I did.

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    1. Dad's can have such long, long memories. :-) Thanks for visiting, my friend. :-)

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  6. Still leaves me on the edge of my chair, feeling something is about to happen , so it's very effective. I wouldn't say "back and forth" twice, personally...and I enjoyed the snippet! This story is carrying me along for sure.

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    1. Thanks, Veronica! :-) Something is. A precursor to the much bigger happening coming tomorrow. :-)

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  7. Most 'night creatures' will avoid humans, especially if they can smell a dog. But if she doesn't know her way about, I agree she's safer inside the cabin.

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    1. Yep. Agreed. There's lots to see at night out there. Coyotes often hunt in packs in our area. Might be family units, but I'd rather not tangle with them. :-) Thanks for visiting, Aurora! :-)

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  8. You do a great job of creating the sense that there is something out in the dark that she should fear, and not just a cougar or bear.

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  9. A dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do!!
    Tweeted.

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  10. So realistic about her dog marking his territory. lol Great snippet. I look forward to learning more.

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    1. Thanks, Karen! We currently have 3 males of our own, and are fostering another male and a female. Yeah. They spend hours outside marking over top of each others' marks. lol

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  11. I was going to say the very same thing - Karen beat me to it! Such a moody, atmospheric feel to this! Great snippet!

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    1. Thanks, Hywewla! Sometimes I think our dogs spend more time outside with one leg up than with four legs down. :-)

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  12. You create quite an atmosphere. The darkness gets me, esp. since there are not street lights or neighbors. Great snippet.

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  13. BTW, stuff happens. Don't beat yourself up over the website or blogsite. So glad you had a backup.

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    1. Thank you so much for these kind words. Hugs... <3

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  14. She's smart to be careful. You can't be too careful when dealing with wild animals.

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  15. I've moved like this many a time in my life, hossing boxes into the car and then back out again at the new place. Unfortunately, with my current physical problems, it falls to my son to do all of the physically demanding stuff, which I feel really bad about. We're still getting boxes out of my old mobile home. I never thought I'd end up this physically compromised in my 50s, and it really hurts my pride.
    Well, I'm sure nobody wants to hear my sob story. I am interested in watching Emmily's story progress!

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