Online Critique Groups - My Arch Nemesis....

...Writer's need good, honest and constructive feedback in order to grow. We don't trust our friends. We have convinced ourselves that our friends are either a.) biased or b.) sparing our feelings. We love our friends for this...

We just don't trust their feedback...

So, living in a small town with a university complete with a flourishing MFA program and shockingly NO public writing groups, I naturally turned to the internet.

The internet is great, you can be pretty anonymous and post chapters for critique. I did this for months with my first manuscript and it worked great. Until it did not work great. The quality of critiques waned and then one was down right flippant, which I took really personally until I found out the critter was 13. At that point I stopped completely.

But here I am with a new nearly completed new manuscript, in need of critique. I feel like I'm going back to a bad relationship.

Comment if you know of any writers in the Forest Grove area looking for a writing group (especially if they like urban fantasy)!

It's the most wonderful time..of the year!

Back to school!

Which means hours of time to dedicate to finally finishing this manuscript. (See previous post, New Projects Loom...) I'm about 60% done with the 2nd draft and have already got a handful of edits for that 60%. Finger's crossed, I'm finished the 2nd draft end of September, finishing edits end of October! The good news, however, is that I still really love this manuscript.

That alone is an accomplishment.

And I can easily say I have advanced from Faery-lore 'novice/moron' to Faery-lore 'competent'. Which wasn't exactly on my bucket list but still...

In response to Michelle's post on The spiral Path, asking where we write, I have this to say:

50% of the time, I am here:

with 30 Rock or Arrested Development playing on the TV in the background...

The other 50% to follow...

More Chapters FOR YOU!

I've just added through Chapter 25 of the Birthright. Check it out, I'll be adding the rest throughout the week and putting this baby to bed. I feel good about it as a first effort and learned a lot. Not sure if I'll get around to editing the sequel.

Particularly if no one is reading... ;)

New projects loom...

Well all, (and by all, I mean my husband, the 2 people who have be kind enough to comment on my posts and my one follower (thanks Jenn *XO*), it is time for an update on my project list!

Following a successful NaNoWriMo experience where I wrote 50K crappy words as a sequel to the Birthright, I promptly, closed said file, never to look at it again. I believe pretty whole-heartedly (albeit conveniently) that I need quite a bit of time away from that story and since I've lived in 'that' world for a few years now, it is time to created a new one.

My favorite faery tale of all time is Sleeping Beauty. While the original fable is quite gruesome, and the disney version is a bit too much with the singing animals and all, my affinity for the story lands somewhere in the middle of the two poles of the spectrum. (I would be referring to the faery spectrum, in case you are wondering) I prefer my princess to error more on the side of sappy true love, and I can do with a great deal less of the Prince pillaging her while she sleeps....see historical versions here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty.

YIKES.

When I decided to rewrite Sleeping Beauty as an Urban fantasy, things became a bit dicey since there are a TON of Faery's in this particular fable, and I an a Faery ignoramous. So I am currently and happily reading modern faery tales and plotting a gerat and epic Mortal/Faery war, complete with a halfing Princess and heir to both thrones and her banished Unseely Faery Prince and true soulmate. Don't worry, there will be quite a bit of killing, an evil twin, a best friend with whom she is also in love, and many many dark secrets, twists and turns.

Thanks to Michelle who is my Faery mentor, there to ensure that I commit NO Faery phopahs. Because THAT would be embarrassing...

Oh and soon, I will post more chapters of the Birthright. They are complete (minus one more edit (and by one more edit, I mean one more edit by me before I can no longer look at it with any sense of objectivitey))!!