Wednesday, December 17, 2014

I'll Have A 777 Straight Up, With A Twist

If this is a 777, I'll take three, please.
Photo courtesy of:
http://www.cocktailsdrinkrecipes.com/
When I first started blogging, I have to confess that I didn't understand the purpose of blog hops, challenges, themed recurring posts, or awards. What are these strange, alien customs, and why do people do them, I wondered? What could be the possible reason?

Well, a year and a half in, I look back on my naivete (and yes I am skipping the accent on the final 'e' because I can't figure out how to get it into my post, dammit), and shake my head. I want to tell myself, these things are great, you idiot. When you get tagged in one you don't have to come up with an idea for your post that week!

So I owe Loni Townsend a big THANK YOU, because she tagged me in the 777 challenge last week, and now I don't have to come up with my own idea for this week. She also said some nice things about me, but mentioning them would negate the self-deprecating, snarky tone of this post, so I'll just say she's great, and you should go read her excerpt: it's from her WIP This World Bites, which is releasing NEXT MONTH, and which I can honestly say is hilarious and intriguing and entertaining, because I got to read it a few months ago. So, go check it out!

There - wasn't that fantastic?? Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now on to the 777 challenge. I'll let Loni explain what it's all about: "For the challenge you have to choose a WIP, go to the 7th page, scroll down to the 7th line, and share the next 7 lines or so."

Easy enough, right? Well, Loni sort of requested that I choose one of my nonfiction WIPs, which is a little bit more challenging, because they're all fairly short (i.e. much less than seven pages long.) So I cheated a little bit; or rather, I put a little twist on the challenge, and double-spaced one of these pieces, and hey! look at that: it's more than seven pages long, and usable for the challenge!

So, here it is:
The hike we were merrily attempting with borrowed sneakers, one water bottle, and two apples was nearly six miles round-trip, with an elevation gain of approximately 2,200 feet. It was the sort of hike we usually did with plenty of water and food, proper shoes, and a detailed trail map: a bit difficult but entirely possible for the average weekend hiker, as long as that hiker was prepared.
Of course, we didn't know any of that when we started climbing. We thought we were on a short jaunt that would end in a glorious view, and as time passed and the day grew hotter and the trail showed no signs of ending, we started to privately doubt our trusted informant, then to openly question her, then to wish we’d never met her.
Isn't this out-of-context thing really confusing kind of fun?

Now I'm supposed to tag people, and free them from the requirement of coming up with a blog post. Unfortunately, I cannot remember who has done this and who hasn't, and who's been tagged and who hasn't...so...I'm (figuratively, not literally) taking a page out of fellow blogger M Pepper Langlinais's book, and I'm tagging all of you. 

That's right. If you're reading this, and you want to do this challenge, I say GO FOR IT. Let me know you did it and I'll give you a shout-out the next time I post...

...which will be in the New Year, because I'm taking the next two weeks off. So, take the challenge if you'd like, and comment here letting me know you did, and I'll visit you and then link to it when I get back.

In the meantime: Happy Holidays, everyone!! Have a wonderful Christmannukolstice and a Happy New Year!

23 comments:

  1. I loved reading your 777 challenge, Liz! It definitely sets up the suspense for your WIP and gives us a closer look at your writing. "... as time passed and the day grew hotter and the trail showed no signs of ending, we started to privately doubt our trusted informant, then to openly question her, then to wish we’d never met her." I'm wondering who this woman is and why she directed your characters in the direction they are going???=)
    Have a wonderful break!! Merry Christmas if I don't hear from you until next year! Have an awesome New Year's!

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  2. I tagged Loni in this challenge so I'm thrilled she tagged you. I just love This World Bites, too, and hoped she'd share an excerpt from it. :)

    Your excerpt is fun! It ended with suspense, so now I'm wondering if the trusted informant tricked them on purpose.

    Happy Holidays, Liz!

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  3. I want to know how the hike ended. Enjoy your holiday and I know you'll come up with lots of interesting posts in the new year.

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  4. I love your little excerpt--that last sentence made me want to read more! I'm usually all over these sort of blog hops, but I've looked at my 7th page and what I would need to share is just absolutely horrible out of context, so I've always hoped that no one *would* tag me, lol.

    Happy holidays and enjoy your blogging break!

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  5. Challenge accepted! Love that last bit about cursing you'd ever met her.

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  6. I like the way that ended.
    Have a Merry Christmas!

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  7. I've done this before and YES it is fun. :)

    I love this foreshadowing on things to come. Hiking, lack of resources, shady informant....mwahahahaha!

    Great excerpt!

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  8. What you wrote is great but now I am showing my ignorance...what is a WIP??? I know what a whip is but that is for an S & M story and it is the Christmas season not a freak season (well maybe post Christmas boxing day sale can be considered Freak time). I won't do the challenge because i simply do not understand. So hanging my head low I congratulate you on a fun story. I think I was on a hike like that once

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    1. LOL!!!! Sorry for the confusion, Birgit! Fun though S&M would be that's not what I'm talking about here ;) WIP stands for "work in progress." you could adapt the challenge and show us a card that's not finished but in progress! Or seven different in-progress cards?

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  9. I loved it! You have such great voice. :D

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  10. I know, I love not having to come up with a post idea. It's a great excerpt, too. I actually think it works perfectly as a stand-alone with an amusing finish.

    Happy Christmannukolstice :)

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  11. I'll have whatever you're having. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right? It's an interesting (and challenging) challenge. Not sure I'm up for it at the moment. Enjoy your holiday break!

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  12. It is bunches of fun! Happy holidays to you and yours too. :)

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  13. Fun excerpt! Full of personality and voice. Loved it!

    Have a great holiday. I guess I've sorta kinda taken a break from blogging too because ludicrous speed reigns supreme at Chez Quinn at the moment.
    Maybe I should tell everyone that. Hmmm.

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  14. I really enjoyed this, Liz! I loved the suspense, and the details made me feel like I was there. It brought back some memories of some hikes we've done.
    Hmm....I'm thinking about doing the challenge...
    Enjoy your holidays and time off!

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  15. love your voice!! This was great and hooked me instantly. Love Loni! she tagged me too, and I'm going to be doing it after the holidays. I'm excited! Also hoping my WIP is more coherent by then haha.

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  16. I loved reading your little excerpt and really wanted to be able to keep on reading.
    Happy Holidays to you, Liz!!

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  17. I loved your out of context excerpt! I would love to read more.

    Merry Christmas!

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  18. Happy Holidays, Liz! And great excerpt!

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  19. LOL. Your posts always make me smile and laugh. :) Great excerpt you've got there! (standing, clapping, and whistling!)

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  20. Gah, I would totally do this if I actually had a WIP going. >_< But I love the excerpt. I've been on hikes like that and heard stories from friends who've done the same, and you captured that feeling of "What the hell are we doing and where exactly are we going?" perfectly. ^_^

    Enjoy the time off, and happy holidays!

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