Dear Jan: Though you are unpublished, and therefore unqualified to answer anything truly meaningful about writing, you seem less terrifying than other WU contributors. Could you please answer a question for me? What is a “WIP”?
Dear Canonically Confused:
I cannot refuse such a charming request, though I’m obliged to note my fellow Unboxeders aren’t exactly a ravening crowd. You could safely pose this question to any of them. (Except for that Callender person. What a hot-head she turned out to be.)
Please see the definition for WIP below, along with some lesser known but related terms. When you next play full-contact Scrabble and cream your opposition, feel free to credit my thoroughness.
Jan, who hails from Alberta, Canada where the men act manly and the women just snicker
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WIP: stands for work-in-progress and refers to a writer’s current project; usually uttered in ironic tones since, to qualify, a piece need be neither working nor progressing. (Variously spelled W-I-P, wip, WiP.)
unwipped: the raw, perfect essence of a story before it’s begun and corrupted. The alpha. The creative spark. The untainted premise.
wiplashed: neck pain derived from prolonged periods of writing; feeling flayed—psychologically, spiritually, financially, or physically—from the demands of writing fiction.
wipstitches: sharp ache located in the side of the abdomen derived from belly laughter upon reading one’s own words; hallmark symptom of authorly delusion and self-deception.
wipped cream: manuscript destined for review and adulation in the New York Times; a literary- award-winner; probably written by a male.