First Draft: The Witch of Blue Ridge

[Erin Fulmer]

Well, here goes...my first draft (just about 1000 words). I struggled with it this morning but finally pushed past my block.

https://erinfulmerwrites.wordpress.com/2020/08/03/writerinmotion-first-draft-the-witch-of-blue-ridge/

[songmaiden]

So much interiority! And it took a turn I wasn't expecting. Nice work pulling in all the feeling of the setting, too!

[Erin Fulmer]

Thank you for reading! I had to look up what interiority meant, so I learned something today. 

[Helena]

You covered so much ground with 1000 words. It helps me see the possibilities with such a limited amount of words. This is a great lesson!

[NysseRae]

This story gave me shivers in the best way.
I love how you dropped hints at the beginning that were expanded on later (the bones in the wood, using they/them pronouns for Riley the first time we were introduced to them). This was such an efficient way to tell a story using so few words!

[Vickywrites]

A real twist on the 'hermit witch' idea, I really enjoyed it. Love Lupe (I'm a big wolf fan  ) and the imagery you used with wards, bones and trees. Looking forward to seeing the next draft!

[Erin Fulmer]

You covered so much ground with 1000 words. It helps me see the possibilities with such a limited amount of words. This is a great lesson!

Thank you for reading! I definitely did some pruning before posting because I wanted to make sure I could get it down. Since my other project is way overbudget on words, eliminating all but the necessary is kind of the headspace I've been in lately. I'm thinking of doing a post today on my blog to pull back the hood on my writing process.

[Erin Fulmer]

This story gave me shivers in the best way.
I love how you dropped hints at the beginning that were expanded on later (the bones in the wood, using they/them pronouns for Riley the first time we were introduced to them). This was such an efficient way to tell a story using so few words!

Thank you so much! It didn't turn out quite as creepy/dark as I had originally conceived it so I'm glad the shivers still came out. :-)

[Erin Fulmer]

A real twist on the 'hermit witch' idea, I really enjoyed it. Love Lupe (I'm a big wolf fan  ) and the imagery you used with wards, bones and trees. Looking forward to seeing the next draft!

Thank you! Originally, I just thought the main character would have a dog for protection, but I liked the idea of her raising Lupe from an wild orphan pup (that didn't make it into the text, unfortunately!)

[Erin Fulmer]

Not sure where to post this in the forums, so I'll put it here. I wrote a blog post that "shows my work" on how I developed my first draft: https://erinfulmerwrites.wordpress.com/2020/08/04/writerinmotion-week-0-thoughts-on-process-and-vulnerability/

[SKaeth]

Wow, stunning first draft! I love the interiority as well, and how close we are to the witch. Very emotionally evocative! Great work.

[Erin Fulmer]

Wow, stunning first draft! I love the interiority as well, and how close we are to the witch. Very emotionally evocative! Great work.

Thank you so much! I was a bit worried that failing to name the witch would create a lot of distance from the narrator, so I'm glad that's not the case!

[dankoboldt]

Wow, what a story! I'll admit that I did feel a tad distanced by "the witch" as the POV character. Everyone else has a name, even the coywolf. But hey, I really enjoyed reading this. It might be my favorite so far. You packed a lot of conflict and action into a small space. Looking forward to the next iteration!

[Erin Fulmer]

Wow, what a story! I'll admit that I did feel a tad distanced by "the witch" as the POV character. Everyone else has a name, even the coywolf. But hey, I really enjoyed reading this. It might be my favorite so far. You packed a lot of conflict and action into a small space. Looking forward to the next iteration!

Thank you so much, Dan! So glad you enjoyed! I'm going to play around with naming her when I do my edits. For one thing, a name would take up fewer words than "the witch".... 

[dankoboldt]

Word economy. I like it!