Monday, December 17, 2012

U Got the Look Meme


I've been tagged for the U Got the Look meme a few times now and had been meaning to post about it but, as my mind seems to become more scattered each day, I kept forgetting to do it. Last week I was tagged by the wonderful Annalisa Crawford, so I decided to hurry up and do the post before I forgot yet again.

Annalisa was a fellow NaNoWriMo participant this year and decided to use her NaNo project for the meme. She suggested that those she tagged do the same, so I thought that could be a great way for me to get back to my project and start the editing and re-writing I've been putting off since NaNo ended.

If you're not familiar with this meme, the rules are to find the first mention of the word "look" in your manuscript and then post the paragraph(s) surrounding it. I didn't have to go far to find the first use of the word in my ms, as my first "look" was on the second page.

So here is my excerpt from the opening chapter of  The Ghosts of Aquinnah:

“We can’t get to you, boy,” the man yelled. “We’ll sink ourselves.”

Christopher looked down at the currents swirling around the submerged deck of the wrecked ship, and his heart sunk. It was no mystery why the rescuers couldn't come any closer. The currents could easily pick up their boat and slam it into the wreckage.


“Come to us!” The man held up a boat hook. “We’ll get you!”


Christopher knew there was nothing to do but let go and fall into the churning waters. In a way it would be a relief, as he couldn’t hold on to the rigging much longer anyway. He stared at the men in the boat and then glanced back down at the sea. Within seconds, he dropped into the waves below.

Thanks to Annalisa for tagging me! I'm terrible at picking out people to tag as I think it's impossible to choose, so I'm just going to send out a general tag to everyone who comes by here and wants to do the meme. I always love reading everyone's excerpts.

Last week was crazy here as it was the end of the semester at work and I made the terrible mistake of trying to switch to a new internet and cable service at home. At first I thought the switch went very smoothly, but I should have known that was too good to be true. After several heated phone calls, numerous attempts to hook up various wires and cables, and time wasted booting and rebooting modems that didn't work, I ended up going back to the internet I already had. It's safe to say the week was a complete fiasco.

As a result, I ended up taking an unplanned hiatus from the blogosphere and fell way behind on my blog reading, so I'm anxious to get caught up as much as possible this week.

Also, Lisa Regan will be here tomorrow as part of her blog tour for her debut novel Finding Claire Fletcher. Lisa's going to be talking about when she knew she wanted to be a writer. I'm excited to have Lisa here, and I can't recommend her book enough.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and I'm looking forward to catching up with everything I missed last week. 

18 comments:

  1. Very tense scene!
    Sorry about the Internet fiasco. Where computers and Internet are concerned, things never go according to plan.

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  2. Great scene. I really want to know what happens next because I'm fearing the worst.

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  3. Loved the excerpt. Already got some tension going.

    And blah to internet providers. Why is it always so hard!

    See you tomorrow for Lisa's guest post. :)

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  4. Yes, I love how the providers pitch this, "seamless' switchover experience, where they swoop in, give you a new box, and you're instantly connected and having the time of your life. Then the surly install people show up, track mud on your rug, tell you they're going to have to re-wire your entire home, and that your computer (that was working fine with your previous service--and every other service ever created) is the problem.

    Sorry for the frustrations--something you don't need this time of year. But I did love your excerpt! :-)

    Merry Christmas Julie! (Just in case I don't get another chance to wish you one. :)

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  5. Love that excerpt - exciting, gripping!

    And I hear you about technology - I had to get a new phone and I dreaded the whole experience. It actually turned out okay, though. Overall.

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  6. Bah on internet foul-ups, but great excerpt! Everyone is right; the suspense is gripping.

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  7. uh-oh! I want to read more. What is Christopher going to do??

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  8. @Alex, thanks! And that is definitely the truth about computers, I'm just so glad I could go back to what I had.

    @Annalisa, thank you! And thanks again for tagging me.

    @Luanne, yeah, if only the internet services worked like they do on the tv commercials. Thanks about the excerpt!

    @EJ, that about sums up the whole experience LOL. Thanks so much, Merry Christmas to you too!

    @Madeline, I'm glad your phone turned out alright. Thanks so much about the excerpt!

    @Julie, thank you!

    @Johanna, I'm so glad you liked it, thanks!

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  9. Thanks for the ... look... at your excerpt. It... looks... good. (I'll stop now.)

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  10. Oooo, what a fun idea! And what a gripping excerpt. You've definitely got the look!

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  11. Your week would have made me crazy. I hate when things don't work right.

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  12. It's a busy time of year. Sometimes blogging doesn't make the list.

    Thanks for sharing the excerpt! And Merry Christmas!

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  13. Julie,
    Your writing is top-notch, especially given this was for NaNo. I'm impressed and want to read more. Enjoy the continued journey.

    xoRobyn

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  14. julie, that was awesome! you really reeled me in! i heard their voices, felt the scene!
    great job!

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  15. @Susan, LOL, thanks!

    @Theresa, thank you, I appreciate it!

    @Carol, yeah, I am so impatient anyway and this just drove me up the wall.

    @Emily, thanks, and Merry Christmas to you too!

    @Robyn, oh, thank you, that's so nice of you to say.

    @Tonja, thanks!

    @Tara, you're so nice, thanks!

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  16. I just love this excerpt! Also I can't wait to read Polar Night when that comes out!

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