SOPHIE LI

Author-illustrator

WIPPet Wednesday: La-dee-da-dee-dop?

Blog_wippet

Hello everyone!

For the writers out there: Do you… hide the fact that you write? Although writing is something that I do every day, and is essential to my being, very very few people know that I write. It’s silly, but I’m afraid to be judged by it.

When you think about it, don’t we attach stereotypes to certain hobbies? When someone travels, they must be adventurous. When they like to DIY, they must be creative and maybe a bit quirky. When they read, they must be introspective. When they pole dance, they must be earning money on the side to supplement their income. And when they write, they must be, I don’t know……….. weird?

Also, when I do tell people that I write, the next question is, inevitably, “What is your story about?!” Which I am never, ever prepared to answer. How can I distill my story down to a few sentences?

This week’s snippet goes back in time – back to when Olivia was still dating her ex-boyfriend Rudy. When she moved in to his home, she encountered a dripping tap that wouldn’t turn off.

“You never got it fixed?” She asked.

“Nope. I mean, it’s not quite so bad.”

Her eyes dared him to elaborate.

“Here, look.” Rudy says.

Olivia tried not to stare at his bare, muscular back as he strode to the other side of the living room. He grabbed his acoustic guitar and sat on one end of the couch, placing it on his lap.

“It’s like a rhythm.”

He tapped the wooden body of his guitar, two beats per drip. He closed his eyes as his head bobbed along.

Then he stopped, his eyes on Olivia, and patted the space on the couch beside him. There were flutters in her stomach, and she was again a deer in headlights. When she was nestled beside him, he began again, the heel of his palm tapping a beat on his guitar. His eyes closed as he strummed a sequence of chords. Olivia’s head was bobbing to the beat too.

He sang, “The tap keeps running /

Cause the water won’t stop /

And the clocks a ticking /

Because… La-dee-da-dee-dop.”

WIPPet Math: 9 paragraphs for September.

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.

If you missed last week’s snippet (and yes there was a snippet last week!), check it out by clicking here. My character aesthetics are in the post as well, but you want to scroll down to the very end for the snippet 🙂

 

Sophie Li

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22 responses to “WIPPet Wednesday: La-dee-da-dee-dop?”

  1. MichaelK Avatar
    MichaelK

    Thank you for your snippet, looks nice!
    I hate the fact that people are still stereotyping hobbies. As if watching TV all day is the golden standard we must adhere to!
    Very few people in my tangible (I hate the term “real”, I m real enough digitally) life know about my hobbies because of this. And I am already classified as kind-of-weird! So very few know I’m writing a bit and practically noone knows about what I’m writing about!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Thank you Michael 🙂

      A lot of people around me watch TV- on one hand I wished I watched more TV so I could talk more with them about Tv shows, but on the other hand it sounds like a waste of time 🙂 personally I find other hobbies to be more interesting! I think weird can be a good thing- it means that we are not afraid to be different.

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  2. AM Avatar
    AM

    Before I was published, I used to hide writing from anyone but my spouse and kids. Nowadays, everyone knows. I don’t know why people aren’t nice about others’ hobbies and passions. That seems not only rude but a very strange thing to do. Don’t they have enough of their own hobbies to keep themselves occupied? Or is mocking other people their hobby? That must be a terrible life.

    Love this snippet. The last line of his song made me chuckle. Sounds about like how I write some days, where I’ll write some good stuff, get stuck, and then end up putting, “Something else interesting goes here.” Haha!

    P.S. The dripping faucet would drive me bananas!

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      To be honest, I don’t think anyone has been rude to me when I told them that I write! If anything, they show interest. I guess my fear isn’t rational haha! That’s great that you are able to tell everyone that you write. I hope to work up the courage one day 🙂

      Haha glad that you like this snippet! Rudy is a good musician but maybe not the best lyricist 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Fallon Avatar
    Fallon

    Haha. That’s great. Gotta love how some people can make anything into something positive.

    And I totally get you about telling people you write. One day last month, I had 2 people ask me what I do. Then, what I write. When I said romance, their responses: “Do you have Fabio on your covers” and “Like 50 shades of gray”. No & NO. This is why I just don’t talk to people. *rolls eyes*

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Yes Rudy is a glass half full kinda person 🙂

      That’s unfortunate that some people are so immature. As a romance writer, I’d be offended by those comments too! Not all romance novels are like 50 shades!

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  4. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    Oh you’re not the only one feeling this way, Sophie. Not many people know that I write, actually, no one does except for my close family. I’m always a bit shy to talk about it, because I feel like there are certain expectations when you’re labelling yourself a writer, some stereotypes, I guess? It is annoying. Also, I never know how to explain what I am writing about to others, ahah.
    That was such a lovely snippet, Sophie! ❤ ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Glad that I’m not the only one who feels this way, Marie! Yes I agree that there are certain expectations when we announce ourselves as a writer. People always ask me if I am going to publish my book or if they can at least read it haha, and I’m not quite ready for that! Less expectations mean less pressure 🙂

      Thank you Marie ❤

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  5. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar
    Beth (Reading Every Night)

    Honestly not many people know I write either Sophie, but then again no one outside of my family know I have a book blog either. I’m very private about my life, I think I’m afraid of being judged by my hobbies if someone else doesn’t get it you know? Like you said people see travelers as adventurers but who knows what the people I know and work with will think of the fact that I write. 🙂
    I really loved your snippet for this week, and I really love these weekly meme as well. Maybe when I actually start writing for NaNo I’ll be tempted to take part (probably unlikely, but you never know).
    I’m already excited to see what you include in next weeks WIPPet Wednesday, I love hearing about peoples WIPs. 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Glad that I am not the only one who feels this way, Beth. I also only tell a few of my close friends about my blog. There are some people I know who announce each blog post on Facebook, but I could never do that! Just the thought of people I know actually reading what I write…. *shivers*

      Thank you! Being part of WIPpet Wednesday made me more comfortable and confident about sharing my writing with the online community 🙂 Hope you will join this meme one day! I’ve done Nano a few times and it’s always super fun- hope you enjoy it this year 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar
        Beth (Reading Every Night)

        God I could never do that either, both because I’d never be that brave about putting my posts out there like that and because I’m rarely on Facebook as is. 🙂 For me my blogging life and my everyday life are kept very separate, and I like it that way. 🙂
        That’s great to hear, and maybe it’ll help me get more comfortable in sharing my writing as well. I hope so too, I at least want to reach the 50K goal this year! 😀
        Thanks Sophie. 🙂 ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar
        Sophie Li

        Keep me updated about how Nano goes 🙂 I hope you do reach your goal!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar
        Beth (Reading Every Night)

        I definitely will, and thanks Sophie. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. The Character Dating Profile – Reading Every Night Avatar
    The Character Dating Profile – Reading Every Night

    […] Sophie at Sophie’s Corner […]

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  7. jlgfellers Avatar
    jlgfellers

    It’s not silly, but you’ve got to work past it. Your writing is quite addicting, but, yes, you need to boil it down to a couple of sentence. “Right now I’m working on a story about…” Very few people will go past that point because they don’t write. A few will say they try to write/ are frustrated writers… but there won’t be more past that. Have you published… working on it, but here’s my blog address (present business card and smile) Be brave, Sophie. You do something every day I don’t think I could… work with kids with cancer. Amazing! So, letting a person or two know you write… you can do that too.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Aw, thank you so much for your kind words Jeanne ❤ Your comment makes my day :’) These days I’ve been telling my close friends and family about my novel. It still feels weird! One day I will work up to telling more people.

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  8. Emily Wrayburn Avatar
    Emily Wrayburn

    I’m fine telling people that I write, usually, though I often do downplay it. Like, rather than “I’m working on a novel” I say something like “Oh, you know, just some creative writing.” And I’m also really bad at responding to What is your story about? even though I usually work on the same projects for a very long time, so you’d think I’d be able to craft a decent answer.

    I’d be side-eyeing this ex of Sophie’s for never getting the tap fixed, but I do like his reasoning. 😀 I find dripping noises very creepy after dark, though, so unless he wanted to play guitar all night to hide it…

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      That’s great that you are open to telling others about the fact that you write! I hope to work up the courage one day 🙂 Yes it is hard to summarize hundreds of hours of hard work in just a few sentences :’) Part of me is also worried that people would judge my plot based on the few sentences they hear of it.

      Haha yes I am also the type to make sure all taps are tightly shut before going to bed! I think Rudy is the easy going type who turns lemon to lemonade 🙂

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  9. debbiemcgowan Avatar
    debbiemcgowan

    I’m open about being an author, yet I still feel guilty if I spend a day writing (or any time at all) as if I’m doing nothing useful. I think the way we feel about it comes back to how little perceived (financial) value there is for what we do – and why people expect books to be cheap or free.

    Regardless, your writing is so good, you should shout it from the rooftops!

    I laughed out loud at the end of the snippet. I have a soft spot for musicians – those with a sense of humour? Mmmm. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Yes I love having a whole day free to write, but I feel guilty about it as well, so I know what you mean! I especially feel bad about putting aside socializing to write haha :’) I do think a writer’s work should be valued and paid for. It takes a lot of time and energy to write a great book.

      Aww thank you so much ❤ it makes my day to hear that you like my writing 🙂

      I have a soft spot for Rudy as well. Even though he is a supporting character, he has a special place in my heart 🙂

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  10. theorangutanlibrarian Avatar
    theorangutanlibrarian

    Ah your not alone about not sharing that you write- to be honest, I hid the fact I write on my blog for ages cos I was too anxious about it (and still don’t really share anything) so I really admire you for sharing it on here! And this was a really sweet snippet! 😀

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    1. Sophie Li Avatar
      Sophie Li

      Thank you 🙂

      I remember being super nervous about posting my first snippet here haha :’) one day I hope to overcome this and share my stories with more people. Thank you for dropping by and reading a bit of my story. I am happy to know that you write too! Hope to learn more about your WIP one day 🙂

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