WIP Wednesday

Currently reading: Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose (it's really good so far)

Currently listening to: Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble (love)

So I usually don't do these, but I've just had the most productive writing day in living memory (just hit 3,000 words). I mean, seriously, the story won't let me go. And the characters are just way too fun. Don't you love that? Even if it's fan fiction. Whatever. This story is obviously worth telling if it can get me to turn off the internet, turn off the music, and write for three solid hours and be sad to go to bed. Yeah, you're getting excerpts. I can't help myself. It reads like normal fiction (because of the whole reincarnation dealio), so it's really, honestly like writing my own story.  I have a playlist for it and everything. LEGIT.

He’s goading her!  She attempts to hide the icy finger of fear sliding down her spine.  She cannot lose her job.  If he reports her for misconduct, she is done for.  But she also can’t seem to keep her big, fat mouth shut against this guy.  Between flirty, rude customers and getting three hours of sleep, civility is the last thing on her mind.  “Fine.  I hope that makes you feel better as a human being.”

“Now, see here, Rose”—and she detests that they are on a first-name basis now—“I come onto this plane minding my own business, you insult my clothes, and then you accuse me of trying to hit on you.  I don’t know where all of this hostility is coming from, but it’s certainly not because I am being a, uh, ‘whiny bitch,’” he says, making air quotes.  “Besides, I am entitled be that way if I so choose.  I paid for a ticket.” 

She stands there dumbly.  “Okay.”

“Okay,” he says, finishing the glass and pouring himself another.  “I’m glad we got that all settled, then.”  He smiles at her.  “You have to be one of the most interesting flight attendants I’ve ever met.  And if I weren’t afraid of getting reported for sexual harassment – since you seem to think I’m assaulting you or something – I would tell you that you’re quite pretty.”

What a jerk.  She stiffens and stands straighter.  Right now, she is thinking two things.  One – he’s probably not going to report her for misconduct, which is good.  And two – he’s also having way too much fun with messing with her, and she’ll be damned if she spends the rest of this flight exchanging verbal spars with a tipsy, horny businessman.  She decides to quit while she’s ahead.

“Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” she says formally, ending the conversation.  She is tempted to do a little mock curtsy but thankfully manages to hold her snarky side back.

“Oh, I will,” he says with a grin.  He keeps his word too.  Throughout the seventeen-hour flight, every time he needs anything at all, he makes a point to ask for Rose and none of the other eleven flight attendants on board.  She is so, so tempted to poison his second bottle of vodka but figures that would be going over the top.  So instead, she settles for spitting in his steak, which makes her feel better long enough to not accidentally taser him for the entire trip.

Tomorrow, I will do an actual post on critique groups (I went to one tonight) and learning to read and write. Maybe by that time I'll have crazy characters out of my head and onto the page.