06/21/00 -- Cyber Slut Faeries on Mars!

My next novel

Okay, maybe not.  But that's kinda what I feel like I'm going to have to do to get something that isn't heavy or dark or bleak.  I printed out my story this morning and sat in Van Hoosen for an hour before our critique session started so I could tear it apart. 

We didn't get much of a Sean Speech this morning.  He threatened to talk for 45 minutes on the semi-colon, but relented and gave it to us in twenty seconds.  Which prompted a question about weird grammar/punctuation for style and brought us back, by the end, to a do what the book tells you to do, and what to do if your book comes to you while you're sleeping and says, Strangle nurses.  Okay, we didn't actually have a list of things to do if our book said that, but I think my first reaction would be to make an appointment with my shrink.  Or, if I didn't have one, to get one.  A good one.

After critiquing, I came back to my room to struggle with my story (which had copious scribbles on it and a to do list with such things as 'give him a name', 'add action', and 'add dialogue'--I think it was the last two that intimidated me).

I had written most of the story as it stood by hand and had typed it in yesterday.  Today was fixing the problems in the story and expanding it a little bit (okay, wound up expanding it by almost 1200 words).

Lunch saw Karen, Jennifer and I at Taco Bell... and then we showed Karen the Office Max.  She went crazy.  That wasn't a surprise.  Then we hit Barnes and Nobles.  I grabbed a copy of the most recent issue of Realms of Fantasy since I haven't read one in a while.  Karen grabbed a handful of other scifi/fantasy mags and also grabbed a copy of Glitter Train (which, until that moment, I'd never seen a copy of either...didn't get one for myself, might take a peek at Karen's later).

Then back to campus.  Whew!  I wrote a little bit more, edited, printed, then went downstairs to meet folks for dinner.  We went to Mongolian Grill.  It was an experience.  Everyone in East Lansing was there.  It was way too crowded in the 'fill up your bowl' line... and even more crowded in the 'wait to get your food cooked' line around the grill.  And they kept singing happy birthday and ringing the damn bell.

Afterwards, I asked Karen to give this story a look.  I'm not sure I like it, still, but she gave me a couple of suggestions to make it better and I wound up cutting nearly 350 words out of it.  It's down to just below 2000 words.  I'm still not sure I like it, but it was a good exercise.  It stretched me a bit.

I was going to read something else, something not for critique, but I wound up going to sleep, instead.  Novel concept, eh?

Thanks, Chrysalis, for the catnip tea card!  It was so very sweet of you and it totally made my day! :)  *hugs*