Crit Groups and Memories

I believe I mentioned that I've been working with a Crit Group over on the Forward Motion site. I am working with two women who have been tearing apart my work on "Clans" with a vengeance! (Actually, they're both very nice and are gentle with my fragile self-esteem.) I've never worked like this before and I'm amazed at how much I'm learning about my own work. It has been pointed out to me that I have issues with InfoDump (which I knew) and I have a terrible habit of misusing commas (which I did not know). With just the three of us working round-robin on our novels, we're able to do some pretty detailed reviews and I'm really enjoying the process. I plan on simply printing out their Crits and using them as guides when I get to the editing for "Clans".

My other novel: GS, is moving slowly in the editing phase. The One Pass Editing method is working great, but it's tough to find free time in the evenings to work on it. I got about 5-6 pages in last night. At that rate, it should be done about a week after my fat ass drops dead from a heart attack. Maybe I need a few days off? Even the writing is dragging at this point. I've easily written 220k+ since the beginning of November, which is a hell of a lot for somebody doing this part time. Let's see, that's . . .

220k words / 4-1/2 months = 45k per Month (rounded) = 12k per Week = 1800 words per Day.

Yea, that's a lot.

I'm feeling a bit out of sorts today. I dreamed about my first girlfriend last night and I woke up this morning feeling very depressed. It took me a few hours to figure out it was because I haven't seen her in twenty years. Twenty years! Holy crap, I'm getting old! (Cool! A mid-life crisis on the blog!) I wonder where she is now and what she's doing? It's strange to think she doesn't look even remotely like I remember her (God knows I don't!). I wonder if she's fat, with four kids and graying hair? (I'd take gray. Gray hair is definitely better than no hair!) Hmmm . . . it just occured to me that she probably still thinks of me as being young and thin with long brown hair. Kinda nice to imagine someone out there still thinks of you as being in your prime! I still remember her exactly as she was at 17, with short blond hair, sparkling green eyes, and a smile that made dimples so deep on her cheeks you could get lost in them. She was something special. Yes, I have been married (happily, believe it or not!) for 15 years and my wife is even prettier than she was, but as they say: you never forget the first one.

Later!