Welcome to WIPpet Wednesday! This is a weekly blog hop hosted by yours truly. If you’re a writer, you are very welcome to join us by posting an excerpt from your WIP that somehow relates to the date. You can click the blue guy on the right of this blog to be taken to the link up.
This will be my last week sharing from my Wizard of Oz retelling (for now). Last week, Dora and Julia were discussing the cheesy fantasy movie Dora was auditioning for. Today I’ve got 11 lilnes (2+9 for the 29th) from her audition.
“Are you ready?” asked the guy in glasses who had brought her into the room.
She nodded, trying not to lose focus.
“Princess Ruby, are you up there?” he called, only putting a small amount of expression into the line. He didn’t have a hero’s voice. It was sort of squeaky. Dora tried not to let it distract her too much.
“Yes, I’m up here!” she responded, fixing her eyes on a point on the wall about foot from the floor. She visualised the craggy rocks and the brambles that led up to the tower where the princess was being held, and imagined catching a glimpse of the hero as he fought his way past them towards her.
“Don’t move! I’m going to get you out of there!”
“Andre, watch out!” The script described a dragon appearing behind Andre, so Dora flung out one arm, pointing.
“That’s good,” said Oliver Zamik, breaking into the scene. Dora gave herself a shake to come back to herself, and then turned back to the panel. Only four lines? Was that all they needed?
Auditions are weird, y’all. I don’t know what’s weirder, that some people have to do them for a living, or that I put myself through them with no promise of a pay cheque later (I do community theatre, for those who might be new here).
I’m honestly not sure what will happen with this project. I would like to see it through, but I was having trouble even getting the scenes that were firm in my head down on paper, let alone the ones that needed teasing. I am back to working on Memories and Magic at the moment, but I will be finished the first draft of that soon, and I want to put it away for a while before I start editing (even though I am actually REALLY KEEN to start editing).
And now it’s time for WWW Wednesday! This blog hop is hosted by Sam over at A World Of Words. Link up with us by commenting on Sam’s post for this week, and just answer the three questions.
What have you recently finished reading?
A C
onjuring Of Light by V. E. Schwab… in the end, I had mixed feelings about it. I think it’s time for me to stop reading V. E. Schwab books, even if I am intrigued by Vicious. I’ve read four of her books now and only liked one (ADSOM). I also DNFed one back before I really knew who she was. So. Yeah. Anyway, review up this Friday.
What are you currently reading?
I started He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly on the weekend, when I needed a physical book to read on my study breaks. It took me a while to get into, but it grabbed me properly on the way home on the bus this afternoon.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Soulless is still next on my radar. Though I have bought a few books lately. And got a couple more ARCs. I’m really sucking at sticking to my “read books I already own” goal for this year. But it’s fine, the year’s only a quarter gone. Still plenty of time to catch up, right?
What are you reading this week? 🙂
A Keyboard and an Open Mind 
I can’t imagine auditioning for something. My social anxiety probably wouldn’t let me get anywhere near that. Interesting snippet, though. I’m wondering if she gets the part. 🙂
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It’s interesting how many introverted people and people with things like anxiety I end up performing with. I don’t know if maybe it’s something to do with it being a controlled environment where you know what everyone’s going to say and when things should happen?
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I feel the exact same about V.E. Schwab – I’ve only actually enjoyed ADSOM by her! But I do already own Vicious so I will probably read it at some point as it does intrigue me still.
Here’s my WWW Wednesday
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It’s actually kind of refreshing to hear someone else say that! I get why she’s so popular, but yeah, not for me.
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Great snippet! Yes, auditions are weird. I only ever did them as a musician, but both my kids have done them for theater. When my older one was 12, he had a callback which involved vocal coaching beforehand. The casting director told the kids not to “act like trees” while singing. LOL! My son did get the part, and he says he did not act like a tree.
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Ha! I like that. I think I’m okay when I’m just singing, but I can become quite wooden when I’m trying remember harmonies and dance moves and everything else all at the same time.
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I am curious about the Schwab books, but I’m probably going to pass on them. I am definitely wanting to read He Said/She Said. Thanks for sharing…and enjoy those auditions.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
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Yeah, I mean I can see why so many people love Schwab’s books but… yeah. Not for me. He Said/She Said on the other hand, I definitely recommend.
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I’m reading He Said / She Said at the moment too. Started it last night but I’ve been distracted with other things today so I’ve not managed to pick it back up yet. Glad to know you’re enjoying it though
Here’s my WWW
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It did take a little bit of getting into, but once I got into the meat of it, it’s been great!
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He Said/She Said sounds interesting! I am going to have to check that one out. Thanks for sharing the snippet.
My WWW Wednesday.
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I hope you enjoy it. It’s become quite gripping.
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I felt like I was auditioning with her.
I just completed Dreams from My Father, which is Barack Obama’s first biography. It read like he was talking to me, leading me around the world and making me think and feel. Before that, I read a middle-grades fiction book about the effects on Japanese American kids living in Hawaii in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attacks. I also listened to the Welcome to Night Vale novel, since my daughter and I are going to a live show next month, and I’ve had that on my Kindle for months….
May you find the just-right project to work on, somewhere down the yellow-brick road! =)
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I was working in a book shop over the summer when Dreams from My Father first came out. It was very popular even over here. The middle-grade one sounds really interesting. What was it called?
I wish I could get to a Welcome to Night Vale show. They have done one Australian tour but it sold out so quickly.
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I can see why it would be popular. Mr. Obama is as inspiring a writer as he is a reader. The Audacity of Hope is now on my TBR list, and I’m hoping that he’ll brighten these next few years, at some point, by using his new bonanza of free time to write something else. The world could use it!
The name of the Pearl Harbor story is Under the Blood-Red Sun, by Graham Salisbury. I don’t think there’s a Kindle version; I had a habit when the kids were young of collecting any books I thought might eventually become of interest, and this probably came from a used-book sale somewhere, maybe at a library.
We’v been wanting to go for over a year now. We couldn’t manage the tickets the last time, but this time we were in a bit of a windfall after a time of lack, so we splurged a little, and Lise and I can go!
Our tickets for “All Hail” are waiting at the venue, and we go on the tenth.
I’m expecting we’ll be learning more about the mighty Glow Cloud.
I can fill you in after, if you want. =)
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A Wizard of Oz retelling sounds fabulous! I really enjoyed reading Soulless. Great book!
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Thanks! I’m hoping I end up enjoying Soulless, too.
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He Said/She Said will most likely be one of my top reads of the year although I get where you’re coming from with the opening – glad it has you gripped now though.
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I am not actually sure what time I started my lunch break today, but I’m pretty sure I accidentally took more than half an hour because I got too caught up in reading and lost track of the time! I’m really glad this one has turned out so well after a few meh books.
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Glad to hear you’ve gotten into He Said/She Said as I think it’s going to be one of my next reads.
I still can’t decide about ACOL. I don’t know if I hyped it up too much but I had kind of mixed feelings about it too. I think it’s wonderfully written and I love the characters but I found it very easy to walk away from rather than being gripped.
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That was exactly my issue! There’s no doubt Schwab has a fantastic command of language, but when I wasn’t reading, I didn’t feel compelled to pick it up. I just wasn’t invested at all.
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I am not familiar with V. E. Schwab, but I guess I am not mising out on much based on your post.
Here is my WWW
http://totallyaddictedtoreading.blogspot.com/2017/03/what-are-you-reading-wednesdays-5.html
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She is very popular in the fantasy and dystopia genres, and I do think she is a very good writer (her language is always gorgeous). But her plots just don’t engage me and there are too many other books to read.
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Oh I have heard amazing things about the Conjuring of light! May i ask why you had mixed feelings about it? (I may come back for the book review. Interesting
Here’s my WWW post
https://authorswilliams.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/www-wednesday-march-wrap-up/
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Mostly I felt it there wasn’t enough plot to justify the length, so I was quite bored a lot of the time. Plus I never felt like the Big Bad was especially threatening, so even though I knew the stakes were high, I didn’t really feel it. I think Schwab has a very good way with words, I just don’t seem to enjoy her stories.
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Oh no! A shame you aren’t enjoying Schwab’s books all that much… Vicious is quite different from This Savage Song and the Shades Of Magic series (superhero powers!!), but I can understand if you want to take a break first. And I hope He Said/She Said will get better! It definitely sounds great. Happy reading!
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I like your snippet. I hope your work goes through because it left me curious.
I have friends who are actors and they have shared with me the joys and pains of auditions. A few of them are rather shy off Camera/Stage, and the theory of one of them is that they use acting/auditions to express things they cannot in real life and that;s why, at least she, comes alive and a lot less restrained in theatre.
PS: Thanks for creating the WIPpet Wednesday!
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Auditioning is so terrifying! Especially when directors/producers/designers break in during the middle of it for one reason or another. I mean, come on, it’s hard enough starting! Luckily for my nerves, I’m usually on the other side of the audition, sweating nervously about whether or not the director will get the right actors – or whether I will, when I’m the director.
I’m sorry you’re not enjoying Schwab’s books, but nobody can write for everyone, and I’m often perversely comforted by seeing people who DON’T like the books ‘everyone likes’.
Thanks for visiting my WWW post and happy reading!
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I only auditioned for solo parts in choir – which is much easier than Dora is going through. You just have to stand there and sing. I’m guessing from her only needing to say four lines that maybe she didn’t get the part? I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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Aw, I really hope you do get back to this. I’ve enjoyed the snippets so much. This one reminded me of a performance I think I stage managed (how bad is that, that I can’t remember why I was there! :o) There was a scene where the characters on stage shielded their eyes and looked over the audience to view ‘a restaurant’. Not a dragon, but still. Community theatre is…wonderful?
(Sorry for late comment – totally forgot until I realised it was nearly Wednesday again)
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