Happy Hump Day!
And to those who are going back to school / have loved ones who are going back to school: HAPPY BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK!
I am working now, so this hardly affects my day-to-day life. But the smell of autumn and that first prickle of cold air will always bring back memories 🙂
My snippet for this week has nothing to do with the start of school, or anything new or exciting, but it does talk about beginnings. This takes place later on in my novel, when Olivia confronts Matt after an incident:
“Matt, about last night,” She says. Her eyes are downcast.
He stills, his heart pounding, his eyes dropping to the bandages on his left arm. He leans against the counter, touching the wound with the other hand.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Olivia asks.
Matt opens his mouth, then closes it. He wouldn’t know where to begin. There is the purple haze that sinks into your mind, it begins as a harmless whisper, telling you that you’re not so smart, that so-and-so could do better, it begins as a gentle weight on your chest, that reminds you to get your act together, or it will squeeze the air out of your lungs, it begins as a veil over your thoughts, and you feel your mind turning just a bit slower, having to retrace its steps just one more time, and it takes a bit longer to make decisions, because you want to make sure you do the right thing, even if it is as simple as choosing what to buy for groceries and what to make for dinner, it makes you dread every action, every thought, every inch of your being.
She is looking at him again, her mouth pressed into a frown. He knows he has to say something. Now that he’s made her do all this, he owes her an explanation.
He opens his mouth again, but the words catch in his throat.
The thing with words is, the longer you keep them in your heart, the more they hurt you, the more they fill you with shame, the more you want to keep them in your heart.
WIPPet Math: 7 paragraphs = 6 for the sixth of September + 1 for the first WIPPet of this month 🙂
WIPpet Wednesdays is a blog hop where writers can share a snippet from their WIP. The only stipulation is that the excerpt is somehow related to the date. Be sure to check out some of the other lovely WIPpet snippets here. Thank you Emily Wrayburn for hosting.
Sophie Li 
Touching actually!
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Thank you 🙂
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Oh, this is achingly perfect. I’ve known that feeling, and I think you’ve really hit it exactly here. My heart is breaking for Matt. I hope he’ll open up to Olivia.
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Thank you! Glad that Matt’s emotions came through. He will get there one day 🙂
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Oh, yes, know that feeling. The things we tell ourselves(or others tell us and we internalize) can be rough.
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Yes Matt is his own worst critic. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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This is such a beautifully written snippet, Sophie! I’m loving every single one of the snippets you are sharing with this feature – I’m eager to read the whole story someday 🙂
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Aw thank you Marie!! I am so glad that you like these snippets. I might be posting my entire story one day, on this blog or on wattpad, not too sure yet 🙂 It might be in a while since I still need to do at least another round of edits! Editing feels never ending at times haha
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Oh I really hope you will, I would LOVE to read it 😀 ❤
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Aww thanks for your support Marie 🙂 I may be looking for beta-readers sometime in the future so let me know if you would like to be one of them! No pressure though 🙂
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Ohhh, that could be very, very cool, I would be honored!
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Yay 🙂 Thank you! I hope to one day read your book too!
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That last paragraph, Sophie, profound… and so very true.
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Thank you 🙂
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Very well done. The imagery, and the last paragraph….I want to know more. What happened to him? Can he heal? Can she help?
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Thank you 🙂 Matt will get there one day, it will take some time.
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And the longer you hold it in, the more impossible it seems to get it out. Poor Matt. Fab snippet!
I know exactly what you mean about that cool whiff of autumn. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 Matt has a hard time talking about his feelings, but he will learn
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Aghhh, this is beautiful and heartbreaking. Every time I read about Matt and Olivia, I am really rooting for them, but now more than ever.
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Thank you Emily 🙂 I am rooting for them too
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