Thursday, April 7, 2011

You Heard It Here.

Yesterday I avowed that I will, to the best of my ability, finish my novel FOUR by Sunday night. I'm going to be a writing maniac:



Last night I wrote 4200 words and finally made it into the final act of the book! This was a scene I've been looking forward to writing for ages--takes place at a revival, but there's something not quite right about these people.

It's been a long time since I've shared some writing, so here's a (rough) clip from what I wrote last night:


     The evangelist cupped his hands around the male’s head and lifted his face toward the ceiling. One of the spotlight beams cut a swath across his face, and for a split second, Torrin thought he saw a shadow moving beneath the sallow skin, but then the evangelist was speaking again. His voice so low, so silky.
     “Three weeks ago this boy’s mother called me, begging for me to pray to the Lord for strength. Her boy, her baby boy, had gone missing.”
     Torrin frowned and leaned forward. Beside him, Vinita did the same.
     “We prayed—Lord, we lifted our voices to God Almighty and begged for this boy’s safe return. Jesus, please—please, bring him back!”
     All around them, the crowd murmured and responded with the amens and preach it’s he’d only thought happened in movies. The evangelist panted, a sheen of sweat shimmering on his brow as he slowly moved his gaze across the crowd.
     “And on the third night, God answered our cries. This boy came walking through the front door, just like we’d asked.”
     His voice pressed at Torrin, almost physical in its insistence for him to let it in, believe its words.
     “But he was not returned to us the same.” He cradled the boy’s head against his chest now, stroking one finger down a hollowed cheek. “The Devil had taken hold.”
     Moans and shouts rose from the crowd. The air thrummed with excitement, like they were here to witness blood sport instead of religion, and thirsted for the first crimson drop to shed on the ground. Torrin glanced to his right, then left. The same glazed expressions every way.
     “The Devil has taken hold,” the evangelist repeated himself, voice louder, “but tonight he will be gone!”
     Before his voice finished fading from the microphone’s ring, the male in the wheelchair suddenly sprang to life. His head snapped up, eyes peeling wide. His fingers clawed against his legs where the restraints locked him into place.
     The evangelist grasped the male’s head and thrust him further into the light.
     “You are of your father the Devil and his desire is your will.”
     The male bound to the wheelchair turned on the evangelist, snapping ferally at hands that jerked out of the way just in time. In the flash of movement, Torrin saw the tips of fangs beneath the male’s upper lip.

21 comments:

Katie said...

Write, write, write! And hopefully, the people will call about your house while you're writing :)

Linda G. said...

Oooh, good! Fangs? Creepy. (In a good-creepy way.)

Keep on writing! You can do it!

Lola Sharp said...

WooHoo! I love love LOVE this goal!!! I'm super proud of you...you are really attacking the word count.

Also, I enjoyed this scene. :) I always love your verb choices.

Write, Summer, WRITE!! Kick its ass.

Hugs,
Lola

Shain Brown said...

Awesome, that is a huge bite. Good Luck to you. And I loved the tidbit.

Old Kitty said...

OH wow!! You've set the atmosphere, pulled me in, made me think - what the...?? - and then wham!! The fangs come out!! EXCELLENT!! I loved this- keep going!!! Take care
x

Sarah Ahiers said...

oooh! I am super duper completely intrigued after reading this scene. And a revival scene would be frickin awesome. I'm hooked just on that idea alone!

Gary Baker said...

Intriguing extract. Keep it up. Good luck!

Hannah said...

Fantastic goal! You can totally do it! Glad the muse is back and on action. Great scene. I also love a good revival scene, reminds me of Carnivale. And now I want to watch Carnivale again. Damn my eyes!

Kiernan said...

Exciting! Good luck with your sprint to the finish!

Unknown said...

Ooh, very intriguing scene! Well done!

Good luck on your goal. And maybe send a little of your motivation my way? Pretty please?

Matthew MacNish said...

There's nothing better than reading about characters who aren't quite right!

Unknown said...

The final stretch! Good luck, Summer -- write, write, write. (LOVE this excerpt!!)

B's Mom said...

Can't wait for the finish product.

Toyin O. said...

What an intriguing story, thanks for sharing.

Guinevere said...

Good luck finishing up FOUR! I'm excited for you!

And I love your excerpt. Your writing is really evocative - I feel like I see your scene so well. And it made me nervous. I like that. :)

The Words Crafter said...

It began with my love for Snoopy. Then, it moved on to admiration for your manic writing achievement. But the clip....ah, the clip. What can I say, except BRAVO!

Tight. Great dialogue. Eerie atmosphere. Perfectly placed description and very well paced.

This clip blew me away. So, when can I buy it?

Stephanie said...

WOW! Haha, that word explains a lot for your blog. Keep it going! You have an amazing blog and great writing skills. Stop by my blog :)

Talli Roland said...

Wow, you're doing fantastic, Summer! Keep it up! Love the bit you shared with you.

Sophia said...

*That* is first draft writing? Your revisions must be all big picture stuff because on the micro-level your writing's already stellar. There was such a good mix of action, introspection, and setting, and you definitely have the page-turning element down. Good luck with finishing by Sunday, though if you can bust out 4k in a day of the same quality as your excerpt maybe I should keep that luck for someone who needs it moe, like myself!
- Sophia.

Bluestocking Mum said...

Wow! That's incredible!

Keep going and well done to you.

Great to make your acquaintance and I look forward to following your progress and writing

warm wishes
Debbie

Anita said...

Awesome for you...I hope you reached your goal!