And I’m finally back!! No more traveling until March for me! My mama is coming to visit in a few weeks to meet the SO; it’s all so exciting. I got final edits back on For by Grace that I’ll be going through after I finish edits on Ashes Fall and write this novella on moral injury.
Today you’re getting more of Shayne’s story. I’m not exactly sure where it’s going to fit into the novel, but I just needed to write something. You’re getting 215 words, and here is my maths. =P 201 + 4 + 12 – 2 = 215 exciting, yes?
I’m excited! If you’re wondering what WIPpet Wednesday is, it’s an awesome thing hosted by MyRandomMuse. We all get together on Wednesdays and post an excerpt from our current WIP (Work In Progress). The only hard fast rule is that the excerpt has to in some way relate to the date. Like mine today, the math can get a bit crazy sometimes. If you would like to join in, just make a post, go here and link up with everyone’s. Then go to as many other WIPpets as you can and read and comment. We’re all comment whores, so commenting is a must. Even if it just is “I read it, and I liked/hated it.” Well, maybe skip the hated part.
But without rambling on any further, here’s the excerpt for today!
Shayne had a beer in his hand as he went to the door, his bare feet slipping over the faux wood floors his ex-wife number two had picked out. Just before he reached out to turn the knob, he shook his head, clearing the cobwebs.
“Hey,” he growled out.
What he would have once called his best friend stood on the other side of the screen door, squinting his eyes through the bright noon light at him. Shayne took a long swig from his beer and analyzed everything about ____.
There seemed to be no malice toward him, but Shayne could never be sure. ____ had been most adamant about Shayne getting out more, and this was probably just another attempt at that. Shayne held back a sigh a finished off his beer, leaving the empty bottle on the small table next to the door.
“Aren’t you going to let me in?” ____ asked, his head cocking to the side.
Shayne shrugged and eyed him again, looking for weapons hidden on his body. They both had them—Shayne knew that—but he wanted to know where in case anything went down. Shayne coughed into his shoulder and popped open the screen door with a punch, letting it shoot out and hit ____ in the face.
Clearly I need a name for Shayne’s best friend… I have a few ideas, but I’m still unsure of it. So I’m going to try this poll thing and see what you come up with. If you have any ideas for names NOT on the poll, feel free to mention them in the comments.
Adrian J. Smith 
My vote’s for Keith. Every Keith I’ve ever known has been a good guy. I know the name has nothing to do with whether one is a good person, but I just have strongly positive associations with the name. :)
Also, I want to read more of this story. Liking it very much so far. (Pretty please let me beta??? :D )
Of course you get to beta!!! =P I just think of Keith Mars who I’m not opposed to modeled this guy after.
Heh, I didn’t check the comments before I voted, and I went for Keith too. :) But it also depends of what kind of a guy he is. I’m assuming he’s a foil, which would make him more upstanding and less ruined, which is why I went for Keith, which also sounds like a good guy to me.
he is a good guy =P thanks for stopping by!
I like Tony and Harley. Both sound kind of tough. Not sure either denote much depth, though. I like how he slams the door in his face. Ouch!
haha Shayne is in a fun place in his life =P I love the name Harley. I have a very special fondness for it, but I’m not sure this will be the right character for the name.
I’m the one who put in Emmett, but to be honest Harley was almost my first choice.
almost? Hmmmm…this is a very close contest!
I went for other and threw out Rich. Although Emmett has a nice ring to it. I love how he punches the door open. Actually, his whole attitude in this excerpt. Stands there looking at him, finishes off his beer…gets a bit of tension building before Mystery Man even gets through the door.
Rich was actually on the list, but I eliminated it before I made the poll.
I love tension! Shayne is special. =P
Shayne seems to be a little um… volatile. But that’s interesting! I suggested the name Darren for his BF, don’t know what you think but I don’t know the character so don’t know if it’ll work. I’ll be interested to see what name you settle on. :)
He is a bit volatile. It’ll calm down eventually, and then show up when he’s not expecting it. Darren makes me think of Bewitched lol!
I voted Keith, because every real life Keith I’ve known has always been really “nice”… until everything went to hell because I tried to “work with” him. And though I don’t know him enough yet, I get the sense that Shayne certainly sees him as not a the best of friends at the moment….
he sees him as his best friend whom he doesn’t want to see because he’s going to make him think about shit he doesn’t want to think about…if that makes sense at all. So yeah, he doesn’t want to see him and doesn’t want to really think about him, but Shayne would always consider him his BFF.
Ah! Well, in that case, not Keith. Andy…. definitely an Andy. ;-)
I went with Keith too. No particularly reason why other than when I went back and reread the snippet Keith seemed to work better than the other options.
Awesome!!! Thanks for stopping by.
I love the name Keith (ever since Keith Partridge when I was 8!).
This guy, though…not a Keith, in my mind.
A guy who makes you think about stuff you don’t wanna think about? A Phil. Yup. (At lest in my world, which isn’t the one in this story).
Phil seems to me like a could-go-lots-of-ways-unassuming name.
My favorite bits are:
~~the faux wood floors his ex-wife number two had picked out.~~
and
~~Shayne shrugged and eyed him again, looking for weapons hidden on his body. They both had them—Shayne knew that—but he wanted to know where in case anything went down.~~
These give me a powerful sense of Shayne and his reality, and get me guessing, besides!
Aww thanks!!! I still haven’t decided on a name. Maybe by this time next week I will. =P