Story Snip from Larksong: Chapter 29 and Year-End Writing Roundup

riting round up!

It's the annual writing roundup (finally! This seems equivalent to taking down Christmas decorations at Easter!).

 

Here's what I wrote or edited or published in 2023...

2023 Writing Wrapup

January: A new book by Ryan Bevan!

February: I started the Summer Fire contest, which is still open!

March: I posted the longest story I wrote last year, Goldenheart, with art by S. Barki!

April: I posted during the A to Z April Blogging Challenge! I won't be able to do it this year, which I'm frustrated about, but there's just no time!

May: Blog visits! From authors Michael Roth and Vanessa Ricci-Thode!

And myself, visiting the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog!

June: Art for my stories!

July: I started sharing snips from Larksong!

August: I compiled a list of my Our Flag Means Death stories to date

September: Publication anniversary for Dark Matter: Artificial, our Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

I also compiled my character faces to date

November: Publication anniversary for Druid's Moon

Also, NaNoWriMo, and the update at the time for Writers on the Moon (more to come about the latest stages of this saga in the next post, I hope!)

And my recap of my journey to Manchester: Rhys Darby live on stage and meeting him afterwards!

December: Art for my stories, latest collection!

In terms of Our Flag Means Death, I wrote about 50 stories and 500,000 words (a little more than that, but some are ongoing and one was a collaboration; the actual numbers are slightly higher), with stories ranging from short (the shortest is 240 words!) to long (the longest is 104,979 words!)

And now...

Larksong is set in Montreal, July 1914.

• In chapter 1, Alice arrived at the family cottage to take care of her grandmother's aviary, following her grandmother's funeral, only to find that her parents had already leased the cottage to another family for the summer. The only way she could have one more summer in her favourite place was to surreptitiously take on the role of governess to the two young girls...
• In chapter 2, we met George, laid up at the hospital with a broken leg. Instead of joining his friends on a Grand Tour of Europe, he's being sent off to recuperate at a rented cottage in the country...
• In chapters 3 and 4, we returned to Alice's point of view, and saw her bonding with George's younger sisters. Then she got a surprise -- George was arriving at the cottage that very day! We saw a hint that Alice finds George attractive and interesting -- but also unbearably rude.
• In chapters 5 to 10, they had their first argument, then argued once more, but the stakes were higher: war is on the horizon. Then George attempted a rapprochement. Alice had some feelings stirring... During their first evening together, they began to suss each other out over a card game, and they reached a détente of sorts before going their separate ways for the night.
• In chapters 11 and 12, we started the next morning in George's point of view, with his dawning realization of his attraction to Alice. Yet this realization did not lead to greater friendliness.
• In chapter 13 (which I mistakenly also labelled as 12!), a new complication arose, in the form of the arrival of Albert, George's younger, and rather rude, brother. Meanwhile, George was busy with inappropriate (as he thinks) thoughts of Alice. (I skipped a scene where Alice takes the girls down to the lake and needs to pretend with a neighbour, Mrs Chase, that she is not a governess, but simply helping out with the girls. Then, while Alice is distracted, trying to spin her web of half-truths and discussing the threat of war on the horizon, Lucy gets up on a rickety boat tied up at the dock and fell off into the water.)
• In chapter 14, on returning from the lake, Alice and the girls overheard an argument that ended with this outburst from George to his brother Albert: "I don't need your tales of self-pity. The question is, what are you going to do about it, now that you've f***ed it all up?"
• In chapters 15 to 19, we witnessed the fallout from the argument, then shared a moment between Alice and George in the garden. Alice left George and resumed her governess role, and decided not to join the brothers that evening in the parlour. Then, early the next morning, Alice went out, only to find George rowing on the lake, and joined him.
• In chapter 20, following their early morning idyll, we finally had a true rapprochement. Alice, making up her mind in an instant, called out to George's sisters: "We're going on an expedition with your brother." (I skipped the rest of chapter 20, in which we take a trip through the woods with Alice, George, and his sisters. There are friendly chats, the girls sign their brother's cast, and George begins work on a sketch of Alice. When they return home, the girls help Alice feed the birds in the aviary and clean it in preparation for the arrival of Mr Palmer, a prospective buyer visiting from Boston. Mr Palmer says he will make his decision on purchasing the aviary and return the next day. Throughout the day, there are hints of the gathering storms of war.)
• In chapters 21 and 22, as Alice saw Mr Palmer off at the gate, a new complication emerged, in the arrival of Albert's friends from university. Alice and George came close to admitting their attraction, but then George unwittingly insulted the birds and the aviary and Alice's affection for her grandmother's pets.
• In chapter 23, following omitted scenes (a bit of George's reflections on Alice, and his feelings for her (as well as memories of unfavourable reactions from his parents about his hobby of sketching and painting); at the end, he decides that it might be a lark to try to lure Pixie away from his brother. He proceeds to do just that before dinner as she plays up her role of nurse and guides George through some exercises in the front parlour. This leads to an arm wrestling match between all the boys, involving both wagers for a few coins--and kisses for the winner from Pixie. That evening, they all gather in the front parlour, and agree to attend the ball and bonfire at the Hatley Manor hotel the next night. George catches Albert and Pixie canoodling in the kitchen, but decides he's in no position to say anything because he was ready to embrace Alice the governess), the next day, the crowd slept in, all except Alice, who took her charges into the village to watch a magic lantern show. On their return, George decided to show them his secret--the full extent of his artistry. It was revealed that Eleanor is also a budding artist, and the siblings agreed to continue to develop their talent and to hide it from their disapproving parents.
• In chapters 24 and 25, the girls returned to the house, and Alice and George, alone in the enclosed garden, sat side by side on the bench... They kissed, and Alice revealed her true identity to George. They talked, perhaps all too briefly, about what they would do with their newfound feelings.
• In chapter 26, George watches her with Mr Palmer (who's returned to inspect the aviary and agree on its purchase) and thinks about how he's actually looking forward to the big party at the fancy hotel that night, now that he'll have Alice on his arm. I've skipped this bit, and a bit where they discuss Alice's attachment to the cottage and the birds, as well as the fact that Alice isn't really a governess and what they might have to tell his family, if anything. Also a part where, seated side-by-side and hand-in-hand on the porch, they talk of George's hopes and plans for his future career, in despite of his father. Then she asked him if he meant to return to England, but Albert interrupted.
• In chapter 27 and 28, in the evening, they all made their way to the banquet and dance at Hatley Manor. Alice juggled her governess duties with advances from Albert--and affairs of the heart (I've left out a bit of conversation with other partygoers from the village and the interlude when Elsie arrives to pick up the girls)
• Now, in chapter 29, Alice and George return to the house together (I've left out the bit of their conversation about Albert and his friends, and their journey to the house, with George in his chair--but his crutches have been lost)...
  

Short snip today!

"Shall I return for the crutches?" she asked as they reached the cottage drive.

"You'll do no such thing. I can hop about for one evening. I won't be like them, Alice," he said as they neared the porch steps.

She let go and he manoeuvred the chair into position next to the stair rail.

"I used to be," he added. "I'm sure you'll find that easy to believe. Do you know, in all the weeks I was in the hospital, only two friends came to visit?" He grabbed the railing and swung himself up and out of the chair. "Enough about strangers and fairweather friends. We've got a couple hours yet before anyone returns. Let's have a drink."

She went up the step to his side and, between her and the rail, he successfully hauled himself up to the door.

Elsie had left a lantern on the table. By its light they went in and she went ahead to light a lantern in the parlour, to give George privacy to hop laboriously in her wake.

As he entered the room, she asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to–-"

"Yes." He hopped two steps to the nearest sofa and paused by its arm. "You might fetch the soda and shaker, though, if you'd like me to mix the drinks."

"Yes, please. I've never done it before." She gathered soda, shaker, and gin bottle and dragged over one of the spindle-legged tables, setting up the makeshift bar at his elbow. He'd stretched out on the chesterfield, leg extended across a stack of cushions, collar removed and dangling from his hand. His unpinned trouser leg had bunched up beneath him. She could see not only where the cast ended but the edge of his underthings. His other foot was planted on the floor and he leaned back, arms wide, other hand running carelessly through his hair.

Her mouth grew dry. She ought to, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. There was just enough space on the cushion before him, where she might wedge herself between his legs. Nearly on his lap.

She took a step back, to evade the temptation of such an absurd position, but he held out his hand, collar still twined about his fingers, and when she came near, he took her fingers in his and guided her to sit before him, exactly as she'd pictured it. Drinks forgotten, his arms wrapped about her, hands circling her waist, and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

She tugged the collar loose, folded it neatly, and set it on the table. Keeping her fingers busy as she dwelled on how much she'd wanted this moment and thought over and over of how she wanted it to--wished it could--last forever.

If he would hold her and they could stay in warmth and peace, then they could remain inside the bubble of this moment. George's body strong against hers, good leg pressed solidly along her leg, the muscles in his arms bunching as he squeezed her once, then skimmed his fingers up her arms, resting his hands on her shoulders as he planted a lingering kiss on the nape of her neck.

She tilted her head into his touch, and he brushed aside the curls that had come loose as his lips warmed her skin again and again.

Then he shifted a hand to her hip, nudging her to face him, and she met his mouth with hers.

The lingering sweetness of punch remained on his tongue.

Have you written a retrospective post?
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