Mates

I've got a new critique partner, and she's awesome. Not only is she local (like, only a mile or so away), but our daughters are friends, she's a HS English teacher, and our books are totally compatible. They're completely different, but they have the same feel. Sort of. I mean, as much as an Arabian Nights-ish fantasy and a dystopian novel can feel similarly.

I love her book. Love it. And she seems to love mine, too. *sigh of contentment.*

I do miss my old critique mates and their stories, though. I know them so well, and they've become great friends of mine. But they live in San Diego, and they meet in person and I was the far-flung member communicating by email and skype. It was hard. I did it for two years, but I really needed someone I could sit with in person and hash out ideas on a couch.

So, dear old critique mates, I miss you. And dear new critique mate, I am so fortunate to have met you (and your well-stocked YA library in your house). So happy that we are urging each other to write often, and well!

[Oh, and I've written a LOAD of good pages this week. Yay!!!!]

Silver Phoenix Video

My friend Cindy Pon, who is in my critique group from San Diego (unfortunately, I participate long-distance), has a lovely book coming out next Tuesday called SILVER PHOENIX: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia.

I'd tell you a bit about it, but her video does a much better job than I ever could. So, without further ado, here it is:



Nice music, too, no?

And to show my family's enthusiasm for Cindy's book, here's E just before bedtime:

She's holding a tiny dragon, too. I did my best to get a smile. Mostly, she would just bat her eyes at the camera or sulk, so I was lucky to get what I got.

Revision on a Roll

I woke up early this morning, as you do when you have a toddler, and then went straightaway to Target and bought myself a new desk chair. Nothing fancy, but it's super comfortable when compared to my old wooden chair.

Then I came home, locked myself in the office, and tried out the Shrunken Manuscript revision method. Only, I didn't read the directions first and I ran out of computer paper. It didn't seem to work out well for me, but that's hardly the method's fault--likely it's my interpretation of the method. At any rate, I decided to recycle the paper and print off the last four chapters, where ROHANA seemed to fray the most. Then I read, and thought, and read some more.

Then it came to me. Aha! A means to an end, literally. The only downside (if you can call it that) was that I had to re-write the ending, the last three or four chapters, from scratch.

So we went to the grocery store, had lunch, and put the kiddo down for a nap...and, since hubby was home, I left the house. I went to Starbuck's, since my critique group recently gave me a giftcard (a "congrats for getting an agent" gift--how cool is that? I also got a mug that says "My Critique Group Understands Me"). There, whilst occasionally cupping a hand over my ear as my coffee-house neighbors chatted too loudly, I wrote. And wrote.

I wrote 3,265 words.

I don't think I've done that in a long time, if ever.

Now, there's more to be written, but my bum was tired at that point and I had to get home.