children of the sun

I finished my WIP!! (+ a snippet!)

Sophie Li

Copy of My WIP Aesthetics

Hello everyone!

WHAT?! I finished writing Children of the Sun!? FINALLY? *wobble wobble faint*

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The thing is, this is a manuscript that I’ve been working on for a long, long time. I wrote the first draft during Nanowrimo 10 years ago, put it aside and didn’t look at it again.

Until one day my fiance said to me, “Um, you know that novel you wrote 10 years ago? It’s the best story you’ve written so far.”

I pretended to not be offended that apparently I wrote my best work when I was 16.

So I decided to dig it out from the depths of my email inbox… and rewrite it.

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Now, five months later, it’s DONE. Compared to the first draft, I’m glad to say that character names stay consistent, not everyone dies, and the story kind of makes sense 🙂

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So what is it about?

Since the discovery of DNA in the 1950s, there has been tremendous interest in the potential of modifying the human genome. How soon can genetic diseases be eradicated? Can we push the boundaries of human fitness and intelligence? Now, in the year 2018, genetic modification of human embryos for medically necessary purposes is endorsed by the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, there are rumours of a new genetic disease, one that can give rise to spontaneous combustion and allow its host to breathe underwater. Those that carry these mutations, Deviants, must be medicated and controlled. It is the job of the Deviant Investigation Unit to track these people down.

Fifteen-year-old Meredith doesn’t have a last name or a passport. The only family she knows is Rio, Edene, and the other detectives in the Unit. When Edene, her best friend and guardian disappears, Meredith investigates the unexplained deaths of three young women, and uncovers her own past and the darkest secret in the history of genetic modification.

A Snippet

“Can I go to school this year? I think tomorrow’s the first day of the second semester of grade nine.”

“Meredith, honey,” Edene says. “We’ll go through your lessons at home again.”

Meredith deflates, her shoulder sinking.

“But you know what,” Edene adds. “We’ll get Mickey from the Unit to teach you science. Didn’t you love him last year? And I bet Rio wants to take you to the zoo again for another biology lesson.”

Meredith perks up. “And see the pandas? Remember the pandas last year, Edene? Weren’t they the cutest? I read in the news that they are going back to China in March this year. I really really want to see them before they go!”

“Oh I didn’t realize. That’s a shame isn’t it?” Edene says. She slams down the brake pedal and the car comes to a sharp stop before a red light.

“And oh, do you think Rio could take me to the observatory? It’s really close to here, just several streets away. I read on the Internet that you can see Neptune in the evenings in January. I actually really really want to see Saturn, but we’ll have to wait until June.”

“I don’t see why not. Why don’t you ask him?”

Meredith sends a text to Rio right away, adding in the part about his brother and the Nobel prize. She goes home giddy and excited, especially when Rio replies, agreeing to their field trip. After their split pea soup dinner, Meredith watches TV with Edene, falling asleep on the couch with a smile on her mouth. She dreams of going to the observatory with Rio and a trio of pandas. They see Saturn in the night sky.

If Meredith had known that this is her last day with Edene, she would have helped out more in the kitchen, talked less in the car, or at the very least fought to stay awake for longer to spend more time in her company.

What Now?!

I am planning a new novel, which I am super excited for since I haven’t written a first draft in ages! However, my issue with writing first (and for that matter, second and third and fourth) drafts is that, despite my attempts to outline, I always always veer off-course. And because of that, my novel structure tends to suffer. Because of this, I am hoping to try something different with this new novel by planning it out first. More info coming up 🙂

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Are you working on a writing project and how is it going so far? Are you participating in Nanowrimo this year (July or November)? Are you a planner or a pantser, or somewhere in between?

Published by Sophie Li

I am a Chinese-Canadian book lover & aspiring author. When not reading, writing, or taking care of an infant, you can find me organizing my life using a spreadsheet while munching on chocolate.

42 thoughts on “I finished my WIP!! (+ a snippet!)”

  1. I’m so, so proud of you for finishing your WIP and taking back this story from years and years back! It really has potential, I LOVE your synopsis and your snippet so, so much already. Congratulations again, Sophie! I can’t wait to read this as a final book someday 😀
    I hope everything will go well with your new project, I can’t wait to hear all about it 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hello Marie 🙂
      Thank you so much! That’s encouraging to hear that you like reading about this novel so far 🙂 I think I will have to do at least one more round of edits (have some revisions planned already haha) and maybe I’ll put it up on Wattpad or something.
      Hope you’re doing well 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Oh congrats on completing your WIP Sophie, that’s incredible. I love the sound of Children of the Sun, and I LOVE the snippet you included as well. I know you’ve finished but I hope this won’t be the last you share of this one. 😀
    Also I know you said you’re best work was written when you were 16 but I’m sure that’s not the case, maybe this new WIP you have planned will be your best work ever (so excited to hear more about that too)
    Great post, and again congrats! 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Beth ❤ I'm glad that you like the sound of the story so far. I am already thinking of ways to improve this novel during editing, so this will definitely not be the last time I post about it. I feel like editing is endless sometimes lol :')
      I love working on my new WIP so far although it is still very rough. I will post a summary and aesthetics later on 🙂
      Thank you again ❤ Hope editing is going well for you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Oh that’s good to hear, both about the improvements you already have ideas for and that it’s not the last we’ll hear too. 🙂
        In that case I’ll look forwards to that update too (I always love WIP aesthetics!)
        That’s all right, and thanks Sophie! 🙂 ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Hello Stefanie! Wow that’s very cool that there is a knitting event in November as well. I don’t knit but I do a bit of sewing. I can imagine that it is an activity that requires a lot of patience! Good luck on Nakniswemo this year 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. *Squeals* I always get excited when my friends finish their latest work and yours is no different! Congratulations! Not only did you finish what sounds like an awesome story, but you also breathed life into something from so long ago. And all the best in your new story too. I am definitely a planner and actually have the opposite problem from you – I’m a plot control freak haha

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hello Haidan!! Thank you 🙂 It definitely was an experience to revive a story from long ago haha. That’s great that you are a planner. I always wished that I could stick to the plans that I make. How is your writing project going? Have a happy May 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Congrats! (I’m Haidan’s friend, if you recognize me from her Facebook comments). I want to hurry up and finish my WIP too, lol, though it’s only a first draft. Oh, I’m definitely a pantser through and through, but my most recent method of writing is a different kind of pantsing. I would think of “the goal of the scene” first, and then write the scene, which seems to make my writing feel more focused and less long. “The goal of the scene” could be something like “Jason and Caden argue over X,” “Sarah tells Jasmine about important issue Y,” or “the heroes find unexpected enemy Z.” So a plot goal.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hello Sieran! It’s nice to meet you 🙂 That’s awesome that you are writing as well. Sounds like a good idea to keep the goal of the scene in mind when writing while still having the freedom to improvise. I also like being a pantser sometimes 🙂 Happy writing!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. “to keep the goal of the scene in mind when writing while still having the freedom to improvise. “<—That's a very good way of putting it!

        Haha, yeah, it's sort of like those short stories in The Decameron, where the title of the story pretty much sums up the story or the "goal of the story", lol. An example short story title is: "A monk, having fallen into a sin deserving of very grievous punishment, adroitly reproaching the same fault to his abbot, quitteth himself of the penalty."

        Oliver Twist had something similar, where each chapter is summarized by its title, e.g. "Finnegan and Mr Steward at length meet. Their conversation, and the intelligence that interrupts it." (I changed the character names to pseudonyms to avoid spoilers).

        So I'm using the same strategy for each of my scenes, except I'm keeping the plot goal in my mind rather than telling the reader what this goal is.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Aweee, I loved that snippet and I am SO happy for you for having finished your WIP! Being a sloth among writers myself, this is one of the greatest accomplishments in my eyes. And I think it’s okay to veer off course for your next project. A lot of people are plantsers (a mix between pantser and planner, so winging it and planning it) and it works out for them, so it will work out for you too!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Aw thank you Kat! So glad that you like this snippet! I still have to go back and do another round of revisions for this novel, so it’s not quite done yet 🙂
      I am naturally a plantser, and I kind of enjoy plantsing my novels, but usually I end up having to do lots of editing because of plot and character issues. This time I think I’ll try a different approach. Do you outline your novels and what is your approach?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Oh yeah, revisions always take several rounds. Good luck 😀
        I am a complete pantser. I plan my characters a little, but the plot is almost random to some point. I only ever have an ending for the entire novel in mind, but the rest just sort of happens. I am terrible at writing, it’s also why it takes me so long I guess.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Haha yes, sometimes revisions feel endless :’)
        That’s a fun approach to writing, isn’t it? I also like to start a novel not knowing how it will end. This time will be a bit different since I am taking a “planter” approach 🙂
        Everyone writes at their own pace! I think writing slow or fast has nothing to do with being a good writer or not. The important thing is that we are telling our story 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Just keep going, and never doubt that you’re a good writer. After all, only you can tell this story right? 🙂 When I feel like I am losing momentum, having a stretch of uninterrupted writing time (for example during long weekends or vacation time) really helps me get back into the swing of things.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Thank you for the pep talk, Sophie! I know what you mean, but lately that uninterrupted writing time and the necessary energy has been really hard to come by. It’s not like I am giving up on writing it, it just takes a lot longer.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Life takes a lot out of us sometimes, doesn’t it? When I’m super busy, I try to at least write a sentence a day. Sometimes I end up just writing one sentence but other times it takes me further and inspires a whole paragraph, or even three! Take your time, our novels’ always there for us to jump back into 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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