Welcome back to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday, weekly Sunday hops where writers share 8–10 sentences from a book or WIP. This week’s snippet comes right after last week’s, as Igor reassured Violetta his older brother Fedya didn’t share any personal stories about her. Igor then realizes something is different about her now than when he last saw her in childhood.
This has been slightly modified to fit 10 lines.
My Sennelier soft oil pastels, the same brand Violetta uses. Her pastels are just regular soft pastels, since Sennelier’s oil pastels weren’t created till 1949 (for Picasso). The original soft Sennelier pastels were created in 1900 for Degas.
“Say, I remember sitting at the children’s table with you at my oldest sister Tanya’s wedding. I was so jealous when you talked about how fun summer camp was, since I didn’t get to do that out in farm country.” Igor watches her blending the blues. “I don’t remember you being a levsha then; maybe I just wasn’t paying attention, but that’s the kind of thing that’s always stood out to me. Levshi notice their own kind immediately, while right-handed folks usually care less.”
“I wasn’t always a levsha.” Violetta puts down her blender and picks up a nasturtium orange pastel. “I had a very serious injury to my right arm when I was twelve, and after I recovered, I had no choice but to switch my dominant hand. Drawing is what helped me gain strength in my left arm and hand. If I had stayed right-handed, I doubt I’d be an art student today.”
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On Saturday, 4 June, And the Lark Arose from Sullen Earth (the long-delayed Volume Two of the story of Jakob DeJonghe and Rachel Roggenfelder) will be released. It’s available for pre-order now. I’ll announce more details on Monday’s post. I always like my release dates to be dates important to my characters, and 4 June is the day Jakob and Rachel reunite after 13 months apart. It’s the story of their first proper year of marriage, Jakob’s first year in America, a lot of culture clashes, and Rachel’s search for a midwife.
Welcome to My Magick Theatre 
How true of so many of us: we had to lose something in order to find our passion.
Excellent dialogue!
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I love that he remembers seeing her before. That small world of theirs is getting smaller!
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Wow, he is very observant! But, I guess most left-handers were trained to use their right hand early on back then. It is rare that it would occur the other way.
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As a sinistral chauvinist, I always have lots of left-handed and ambidextrous characters. Igor’s namesake, the great-uncle he never met, was left-handed, as are his father, both of his brothers, and his two youngest sisters. Several members of the family’s youngest generation are also left-handed, as well one of as Igor’s brothers-in-law. His mother is left-handed as the result of a serious accident she suffered ten years ago.
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I tend to notice lefties, because I teach and they sign the roll each day while I watch (to make sure they sign their name and no one elses!). So I’m amazed at how many left-handed people there are at my school! I’m glad Violetta could switch her dominant hand. That can’t be easy.
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Enjoyed the excerpt as always, and the details about the paints. I’m left handed, so I can quite relate to everything in the snippet! Best wishes on the new release.
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Love the characterization in this. I’m really looking forward to reading more!
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So what seems like a curse might be a blessing. I broke my dominant wrist in college and had to learn to write with my left hand just to keep up. Great snippet, Carrie-Anne.
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Interesting in the way switching hands switched her her brain’s orientation to be artistic. I’m “not righthanded,” a phrase I read somewhere to describe someone who isn’t ambidextrous but does a lot of things with my left hand.
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It’s interesting that she still feels herself to be left-handed, and a forced right-hander. Great snippet.
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I imagine if I’d had to switch my dominant hand from the right at 12 years old, I might still consider myself a “forced” leftie. Hand dominance is so pervasive. Great details in this scene, am really enjoying watching these characters continue to interact.
Marcia
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I loved the info. about the paints. Great snippet!
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I shudder to think of what my handwriting would be like if I was forced to be left-handed. But with enough determination, much is possible!
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That’s interesting. I love to practice writing with my left hand, for fun though.
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Interesting scene. You sneaked in a good piece of character revelation!
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Interesting. I wonder what injury this was, but I love how he notices this detail and remembers it from years ago. It’s a small world after all, ain’t it?
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That would be so hard to switch dominant hands. I’ve tried and it frustrates the heck out of me. Great snippet.
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