Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Show me yours...

Oops. The whole day yesterday, I got the feeling I forgot something, but didn't know what. Only when I asked my mom what date it was today did I realize that I am taking part in a blog fest.


For those of you that don't know, the Show-Me-Yours blog fest requires people to post 500 words from their NaNo WiP. Click here to get to a list of other participants.


As some of you know, I cheated a little last year and decided to add to my Doorways word count rather than creating another story that might take years to finish.


So, I'm hoping that some of you are curious about my WiP and that this piece will make you even more so. ;-)


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I chose this part because of the fact that it features four of my main characters and mentions the fifth one. Unfortunately, the piece is a bit too long, so I have to give you some background first, crash course style.

James has a rebellious streak and really does not like the fact that he has to submit himself to a mentorship. So he convinces his friend Ward to steal two keys for a night of fun. They slip into the corridor and decide to go to this little country that seems to belong to no-one. Once there, they go to James's favorite inn, where he has befriended the innkeeper's wife.

In the mean time, Darrion and Gawain desperately need to get into Caranth's dungeon. But first, they need to get into Caranth itself without arousing suspicion...

"Ah! I see my little key-keeper brought a friend tonight," the inn-keeper's wife boomed above the din of the filled tavern. "Is he your guard?"

Ward snapped his eyes back to James and stared daggers at him, but James just ignored it and shook his head.

"No, just a friend that really needs a drink." The woman's laughter boomed through the inn.
"Then you two need some of our finest Ale. Free of charge." She grinned and went to fill her order. James turned back to Ward, recognising by the look in his eyes that tonight was going to be a trial again.
"You showed her the keys?" James sighed. Yep. One hell of a trial. When Ward was like this, he wondered why he even bothered. He sighed and shook his head.
"I didn't know that you think that I'm an idiot."
"I don't. But if people know about the keys..."
"So what?"
"Don't you listen to what Phipps says?" James shot Ward his best blank stare.
"I might have had a headache." Ward shook his head with an air of exhaustion.
"Right. Headache. So the fact that wars have been fought for a possession of those keys doesn't ring a bell?"
"Look. No one is going to kill us for keys to a tavern and a boring little town with snobs in it."

One of the guys at the next table turned to them. His dancing green eyes gave James the impression that they were about to make a new friend.

"I agree with your friend," he said as he leaned back to put him into a better position to hear. "Keys are really dangerous if you don't recognize their importance."

That was all Ward needed to get up. "Thank you." He turned to James. "Let's just go."
"What for?" The jovial guy smiled and James realized with a shock that they were about the same age. "Join us for a drink. You cannot leave with parched throats. You know what they say..."
"Trust no one?" James stared at his rude friend, but the friendly stranger burst out laughing.
"So wise. But we pose no risk. How are we to know their value?" 

James got up and joined the stranger and his silent friend. Ward refused to budge.
"To see where they would take you," he challenged.
"They could take us straight to hell, for all we knew," the silent one spoke up, his attention fixed on the glass of whiskey turning slowly between his fingers. "No. We'd rather remain exactly where we are."
"And enjoy the company of our new friends," the green-eyed one finished and smiled a reassurance to Ward. He obviously saw something that Ward didn't: that they weren't going anywhere. "What is your name?"
"Ward." The green-eyed one's mouth dropped open and looked at James. "Then you must be James."





I could go on... But then, I spoil an interesting part of the book... so... 

Sorry... *laughs diabolically*. 

12 comments:

  1. I have heard of blogfests throughout the holiday season and had no idea what they were/are so I will definitely check out the one you have listed since I too have participated in NaNoWriMo.

    Your 500 words definitely has me curious what in the world those keys are for and where they will lead. I loved the line about possibly leading them straight to hell. Good work!

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  2. A gripping read! I echo Tracy Z's comment, this line is great, "They could take us straight to hell, for all we knew," the silent one spoke up, his attention fixed on the glass of whiskey turning slowly between his fingers.

    Eager to read more!

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  3. Interesting - I'm guessing the keys are like connections between worlds or dimensions or something? Quite intriguing. It looks like they're in a bit of trouble now!

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  4. Thanks Tracy. :-)

    Thanks Ellie, maybe one day, I'll post more, although it's hard to pick bits without them being spoilers. ;-)

    Rebecca you're pretty much right, but not quite. And yes... James just landed him and Ward in a world of trouble. ;-)

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  5. Awesome entry! Really nice job!! Interested to see what happens next for sure!

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  6. I loved reading your blogfest entry! Your book sounds amazing.

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  7. This is a great blogfest entry. Nasty of you to finish there and leave us hanging! Glad you entered!

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  8. Great entry. Sorry I didn't get to it yesterday:)
    J

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  9. Well, I'm certainly intrigued about what the keys (and implied doors) do. I was a little confused when I first ready it, didn't realize until the end that the 'green-eyed man' and his friend are also major characters, just meeting James and Ward for the first time.

    None of the characters has quite won me over yet, and the voice may need some work yet. But I wish you much luck with 'Doorways.' Thanks for remembering the blogfest!

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  10. I like the names! I was totally drawn in for some reason :) Hopefully I'll get to read more with time! Thanks for posting.

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  11. Thanks Colene, Golden, Jodi and Margo. :-)

    L'Aussi I can't be all nice... ;-P

    Chris, thanks lots for the crit. I'll pay extra attention to this scene when I get to it, since it pretty much makes the ending possible. I want the scene to unfold to the reader with a growing sense of dread, since by that time, green-eyes (Gawain) and silent (Darrion) will be well known to them and they tend not to be nice to gullible strangers with a desired object in their possession...

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