Hello, my name is Sophie.

I’m a Chinese-Canadian author-illustrator based in Vancouver, BC.
Welcome to my corner of the universe.

WIPpet Wednesday: The Price

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Happy Hump Day!

It was SUPER hard to choose today’s snippet, because this is going to be the last snippet that I will be posting from Matt and Olivia’s story*. Now that I’ve trimmed, formatted, and compiled the novel into a neat PDF for beta-readers**, it doesn’t quite qualify as a WIP anymore. It’s a bittersweet feeling :’)

Curious about the final word count of my novel, after revisions? Well, I was able to reduce the length from 147K to…

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103K!!!

Not bad, I’d say πŸ™‚

My other announcement is that I will be taking a break from WIPpets for the next 2 weeks. That is because I will be away in China with minimal, if any, access to WordPress (thanks to the Great Firewall of China.) After 2 weeks, I promise to be back with a snippet from my new WIP, a young adult / adult science fiction titled Children of the Sun.

*I’ve cycled through 3 titles for this novel, only to leave it unnamed :’) If you guys have any novel-naming tips, do let me know!

**Although I already have a few trusted beta-readers, let me know if you want to join in. (My story does contain sensitive content such as suicidal ideation and self-harm. Please please please don’t ask to read if any of these can be potential triggers for you.)

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Today’s snippet is from a deleted scene that I absolutely love. On the way to a concert, Matt makes fun of Olivia for rolling her eyes too much, because apparently excessive eye-rolling can cause your eyes to fall out.

β€œI mean, for all you know, maybe your eye fibres are already loosening up,” Matt says. β€œSince you roll your eyes so much.”

β€œNo!” Olivia says.

β€œAlthough, I hear that there’s a way to remedy that.”

β€œWhat?”

β€œOh… I don’t know,” He says. The corners of his mouth lift up into a smile. He can’t help it. He’s having too much fun.

β€œCome on, you gotta tell me,” She says.

β€œAt a price,” He says.

β€œWhat? What’s the price?”

β€œHmm,” He says.

Except, there is something that Matt wouldn’t mind doing. As they walk side by side, they are so close that their shoulders are just an inch apart, which means their arms are just an inch apart, which means their hands almost touch.Β Matt’s hands feel wet and clammy, he wipes them on his jeans.

β€œCome on, Matt!” Olivia says.

β€œWe could, maybe, you know, hold hands,” Matt says. But at that moment, a streetcar screeches past on its tracks, and a group of teenagers chase after it, pushing between Matt and Olivia.Β When they are gone, and the street is quiet again, there is a wide gap between them.

β€œWhat’s that, Matt?” Olivia asks.

WIPpet Math: 25 sentences for the 25th of October (Phew! That was easy :’) )

WIPpet WednesdaysΒ 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.Β Be sure to check out some of the other lovely WIPpet snippetsΒ here. Thank youΒ Emily WrayburnΒ for hosting.

 

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How is your week going? What is the title of your WIP and how did you think of it? Any naming tips? Are you guilty of rolling your eyes?

Responses

  1. Fallon Avatar

    Haha! Aw, Matt. I feel your bashfulness/nervousness here. πŸ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Haha yes :’) In general I love to write about shy and quiet people like Matt.

      Like

  2. Marie Avatar

    OH, I will miss you SO MUCH while you’re away, Sophie! 😦 I hope you’ll have an amazing time in China, though ❀
    I wish I had tips for naming WIPs, my WIP doesn't have a name either, at the moment, I just can't decide or find the one that sounds…well, like it's the one? If that makes any kind of sense. I'm hoping that you'll find your one title though ❀ ❀ And congratulations again on finishing your WIP, this is so exciting! If I'm being honest, I really love, love, LOVE all of your snippets and I am really curious about your story, but I have never beta-read anything in my life, ahah πŸ™‚
    I hope you're having a lovely week, Sophie! ❀ ❀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      I will miss you so much too Marie!! Thank you! There are some cultural differences between me and my relatives in China (I am so Canadian now haha…) but I am hoping that the trip will go well πŸ™‚
      Yes that is exactly how I feel about my novel! I thought of some names but none seem just right. I am hoping that a name will pop into mind when I am least expecting it. Hope you will encounter the perfect title while you are editing πŸ™‚
      Thank you Marie and I am so glad to hear that you love my snippets ❀ To be honest I just beta-read my first novel this month! You would just read the story as you would any other book, and then share your thoughts with the writer. I will be making more revisions afterwards and posting it somewhere (here or on Wattpad), so you can also wait to read it there! It is completely up to you πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Marie Avatar

        Oh I hope everything will go well, but I’m sure it will be great to be with some of your relatives again ❀️
        Ohhh, okay. I don’t know why, but for some reason I thought it was supposed to be harder than that or that I had to be qualified or something, ahah. I wouldn’t want to bother you, though – I will wait to read it if you decide to post it on your blog or on Wattpad, I’m sure it will be AWESOME ❀️❀️❀️

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar

        Yes I haven’t seen my relatives in years so I am looking forward to spending more time with them :’)
        Haha there really isn’t any qualifications for beta-reading (at least I don’t think so?) That’s all right if you want to wait until the final draft though. I’ll keep you guys updated about that πŸ™‚ Thank you so much for your encouragement Marie ❀ πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Marie Avatar

        You’re so welcome, Sophie. I really loved all of your snippets and I will be looking forward to the moment you’ll publish more on here or on Wattpad, for sure! ❀ ❀

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar

    Oh I hope you have an incredible time in China Sophie, and already I’m excited about the snippet from your new WIP although I’m a little sad there’s be no more snippets from Olivia and Matt’s story! πŸ˜€
    I can’t say I have any tips on naming WIPs. My one for NaNo currently has a rough draft title but I know that will change so I may just do what you’ve done and call it my untitled WIP! πŸ™‚
    Also I roll my eyes a lot, like so much, and at really inopportune times too (mainly when I’m at work and someone does something that grates on my nerves.)
    Great post, and again I hope you have a great time in China. πŸ™‚ ❀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Hello Beth ❀
      Thank you!! I will try to enjoy China- I am so Canadian now that going back to visit China will be kind of a culture shock haha :’)
      Maybe one day the perfect name for your WIP will come to mind. That is what I am hoping will happen for my novel!
      I roll my eyes occasionally at work too, though I try to do it behind people’s backs so that they won’t get angry (people can get scary at my workplace haha…)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar

        That’s all right. πŸ˜€ ❀ Oh it can be strange going to countries so different to the ones you're from. Hopefully you'll get past the culture shock quickly though! πŸ˜€
        Here's hoping right? I guess we just have to go through countless other names until we hit on that perfect one (I'm just as bad at naming characters as I am naming my WIPs)
        Oh I try and do it when people are looking the other way, I just feel one day I'll have the bad luck to really miss time it! πŸ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar

        Haha yes! Let’s hope that we both come up with good names for our wip! πŸ™‚ I bet it will come when we are least expecting it..
        I don’t mind naming characters as much. I usually give them the first name that comes to mind, but I do end up changing them a gazillion times afterwards haha :’)

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar

        Oh probably. I always find my best ideas come when I’m thinking of something completely different. πŸ™‚
        I always try and find the perfect fit, and it can take me ages. There’s one character for my upcoming WIP who I can not find a name for at all. He’s just going to have to be nameless I guess. πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Sophie Li Avatar

        Best of luck on your name-hunt! Sometimes I meet someone with a cool name and think β€œhey, that could be the name for my character!” That’s one source of inspiration for my character names haha…

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Beth (Reading Every Night) Avatar

        I do that as well. People and place names are a constant source of inspiration for me. πŸ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Sophie Li Avatar

        Yes there is inspiration everywhere πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

  4. MichaelK Avatar

    Hope you have a great time in China!
    My week is moving smoothly (hadn’t happened in a long time) but the weekend will be hectic between national holiday, Halloween party and the usual chores!
    My working title is “Tales from the Galactic/Astral Empires” and it’s kind of cover title for everything I’ve created so far. I am so bad at giving names I’d really welcome rather than give any tips! I don’t think I roll my eyes but I’ve got plenty of ways to show my frustration/impatience.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Thank you Michael! That’s great to hear that your week is moving smoothly. Seems like you have a busy but fun weekend coming up! Is the national holiday to celebrate when Greece was established?
      Yes I noticed that it is your blog title! It sounds quite epic πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. MichaelK Avatar

        Yes the plan is to have fun! This national holiday (the 28th of October) commemorates WW2.
        I am glad you think my blog title is epic, although it needs much work done to be truly epic!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar

        I looked into Oct 28 briefly- it is called Ohi Day, isn’t it? I didn’t know about the significance of this day before but it is very interesting to learn πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

      3. MichaelK Avatar

        That’s so cool you looked into it! Yes it is called OHI (pronounced O-hee, which is simply No in greek). It siginifies the refusal of Greece to surrender to Axis and fight with the Allies. A great treatise of this event (and many others) can be found in the book “Fateful Choices” by Ian Kershaw.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Sophie Li Avatar

        I see! What a monumental moment that must have been πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

  5. jlgfellers Avatar

    So very sweet. Sometimes it hurts to cut stuff, doesn’t it? Even good things hit the floor at times. And a WIP can include material in rewrites to, just so you know. It doesn’t all have to be in the first draft.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Hello Jeanne! Thank you πŸ™‚
      Yes the cutting process is excruciating! Like they say, we got to kill our darlings :’)
      Yes! I suppose when I am going back to revise this novel later on, I may post more snippets. However I think I will put this aside for a few months so that I will be able to approach it again with fresh eyes πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. jlgfellers Avatar

        Putting it aside always helps. I do the same.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Sophie Li Avatar

        Yes it does πŸ™‚

        Like

  6. debbiemcgowan Avatar

    Thanks for sharing this snippet…even if it did end up on the editing floor. :/ Yep, I roll my eyes, LOL. My current WIP title came from making the cover first (that’s my procrastination) and the cover model is holding a book with blank pages, hence ‘Tabula Rasa’. It inspired the plot…a bit. Not very well, but still. I’d really like to beta-read this. πŸ™‚

    Have a great trip!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Hello Debbie πŸ™‚
      That is awesome that your WIP title was inspired by a cover. Maybe that’s what I ought to do- start making a cover for my novel πŸ™‚ I do love how Tabula Rasa rolls off the tongue.
      Thank you for offering to beta-read, Debbie. Here is my manuscript in a Google doc:
      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MnjmxmZixLBNn7YgLZLnLiSw3-Fv7-63727yOFtTK_A/edit?usp=sharing
      Looking forward to hearing your thoughts πŸ™‚

      Like

  7. AM Avatar

    Aw, I see why it would hurt to cut this one. It’s very sweet. Poor Matt, getting cut off like that!

    I feel you on naming things. It’s taken me 3 novels and an anthology to name a series, and I had to poll readers for advice. I’m awful at naming things!

    I hope your trip is good. Looking forward to your next set of snippets.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Thank you AM πŸ™‚ I am relieved to hear that you also struggle with naming. It seems to be a common problem among writers!

      Like

  8. theorangutanlibrarian Avatar

    Aww this was so sweet!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sophie Li Avatar

      Thank you πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. theorangutanlibrarian Avatar

        You’re welcome πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

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