Weekend Writing Warriors: Snippet 71- Arryk
Itβs time for Weekend Writing Warriors!Β Every Sunday, a bunch of writers post 8-10-sentence snippets from their WIPs on their blogs. Thereβs a lot of reading, commenting and great writing. Click on the link to see the full list.
A lot Β has changed since we last checked in with Arryk. After his father died and he became king heΒ wasted no time getting his armies together, loading them on ships and going to rescue Gwynneth. Unfortunately, it’s the middle of winter and a storm has caught his ship near a rocky shore. The ship is starting to come apart and there’s panic all around: (edited to fit)
Arryk knew he needed to do something, but didnβt know what that should be. Others looked to him to give orders or set some sort of example, but even a king wasnβt able to keep a ship from sinking.
Someone plucked at his sleeve; a young soldierΒ he recognized, but whose name he didnβt remember. βYour Highness, we must jump before the ship is destroyed.β
βJump? I canβt leave the ship,βΒ ArrykΒ said lamely.
βYou must,β the boy saidΒ andΒ Arryk remembered now his name was Magnus something-or-other. βIf you are lost, all of us are. Itβs no good to sacrifice yourself.β
He saw the sense in that, though it seemed so unheroic.
Previous snippets are here.
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an editorial comment, “said lamely” Whinged, bleated, whined, moaned, or simply said.
Great story.
Yes, but. I love my adverbs, though I try to ration them. π
Poor Arryk. This king business can be tough. All that pressure to succeed and to go down with the ship.
Yes, he’s finding the job much less fun than anticipated. So many responsibilities! So many shipwrecks!
Magnus is right. Arryk can’t just give up and go down with the ship. Good snippet, Christina. I hope the new release is doing well!
Thank you!
My first thought was, Arryk, you fool, you can’t just get on a ship to rescue your maiden without a thought out plan. Now, he’s stuck in a sinking ship… Jumping might be unheroic, but at least he might have a better chance of staying alive. Great snippet, Christina.
Yes, he’s a bit short on the planning side, so he tends to get dragged along by stronger personalities, which is fortunate in this case.
From the mouths of babes! Glad I am a landlubber
Haha, I’m glad I’m a landlubber too!
Oh dear, poor Arryk! Ya gotta feel bad for anybody in this situation. A dead king is of no use to anybody. Hope you pick up from here next week, and hope the new release is taking off.
In Arryk’s case, a live one isn’t much use either, but everyone has yet to figure that out!
Thanks for the good wishes on the release. Sales are a bit sluggish post-launch, but I’ve been getting some good reviews, so I’m happy with that.
I like this snippet. It’s no good being noble and going down with the ship. His men need a leader. Something tells me he will survive!
Thanks! He’s not the most practical guy and is in constant need of good advice.
This entire scene was so well done- it had me on the edge of my seat (and I have to admit, occasionally cursing the author). Congratulations on getting this reader totally wrapped up in your characters.
Aw, thanks! It was fun to write, and i love being cursed at for the right reasons!
Interesting that he considers jumping from a sinking ship the unheroic choice. I have always thought of death as the easy way out. Glad he is willing to listen to that smart young man. Great snippet π
At this point, his ideas on heroics are highly vague and idealized. Some tough lessons ahead!
He must be a pretty approachable king for a lowly soldier to approach him and offer advice.
Yeah, he’s still just one of the guys. He doesn’t really have the whole “king” thing down yet.
Never understood why the captain had to go down with the ship. I say go with Magnus’ advice. π
Yes, it seems like a dumb rule. π
I think it is just a convention that the captain is the last to leave a sinking ship, to make sure all the passengers are safely off. The king might well also have a man captaining the ship, so he would be the last to go, and that would let the king off the hook, and he lives to fight another day.
Yes, the king does have a captain for that job- he’s just a little unclear on what his own responsibilities are.
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I agree. No need to stay on a sinking ship, but what will they jump into?.
Sounds tough to be king there. I’m sure he can be heroic in other ways than going down with the ship. Nice snippet! π
Thank you! He definitely has his work cut out for him.
Jump?! Oh wow, this is gonna be a rough chapter. lol. Nice action and suspense here!
Poor Arryk certainly is not prepared for the job. the lowly soldier Magnus gave him sage advice, I hope he listens.
I guess being king is a tough job. Good excerpt.
I’m having a little The Finest Hours flashback, since I just saw the movie… but heroism is only good if it saves lives. Get your rear off that ship!
Haven’t seen it yet, though it looks very ship-wrecky π
Gotta feeling this young man will become entwined in the king’s life. Great snippet.
Your feeling is very right!
Well, he’s the king, not the captain, right? A king doesn’t necessarily have to go down with a ship. If he lives he can continue the rescue mission. I vote he jumps ship! π
Yes, he needs to be sensible, or get help from someone who is.
Let’s hope wise minds prevail and common sense wins out! Nice snippet.
That’s one reason I always loved ArrykβΒ he’s willing to go on the frontlines and do whatever he has to to help his men, who will do anything for him in return. Gah! I can’t wait for book three!!!
That’s probably his greatest strength. First draft of book three should be done by month end!
What a struggle, to lead by example. Great snippet, Christina!
Thank you!