Nah. I want the story, the nice balance between dialogue and action, the mood...

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t Poking head We had a network crash here, and therefore I owe apologies to both Kristin and deb, because the files with the comments on their stuff were lost, and I have to start all over again. I'm not sure I'll be able to re-do it until at least tomorrow, though. Sorry!

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Oh victor, I'm crying.

Err, I'm sorry? I REALLY didn't mean to make you cry.

Yeah, but because your reasoning is sound. I can't explain it any more, but you don't need to be sorry, unless you caused all this in the first place.

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Yeah, but because your reasoning is sound.

Thank you.

you don't need to be sorry, unless you caused all this in the first place.

I didn't touch it, I was nowhere near the place.

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Insent to betas...and I'm getting on my plane. Thanks all!

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I was really tempted to do a Thanksgiving-themed drabble challenge this week (like "succotash," or perhaps "smallpox-laden blankets"). But then I thought nah, succotash isn't all that interesting.

So. Challenge #32 (breath) is now closed.

This week's challenge (#33) is the passage of time. I know it's really broad and vague, but it intrigues me. Please let me know if you want more specific topics, because we can always do succotash....

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Lament

Can someone please tell me: when does the wound close?

When does the scar form? Or has it formed, a hundred times over? Have I picked at it, pulling at the edges until it oozes tiny pain-glecked globules of memory and hurt and joy, leaving snail tracks down heart and soul?

How many days have to go by, get entered in my personal ledgers of loss and attainment, reach some sort of critical mass where days become weeks and months and the passage of time no longer matters to me, because I'm sure and whole again?

When do I heal?

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I got feedback from my old friend who had no idea what I've been up to, re: fandom all these years.

It was good. I am so relieved, as my big fear was that anyone outside my immediate fandom circle would be like, "um, this is confusing and stupid."

Her favorite was the Minear story, followed by ita's story.

Those are my faves as well.

I'm just so relieved. I was worried.

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Oh, Allyson, that's great! I love it that her favorites were your favorites - it shows that you judge your work with "open eyes", in the lack of a better expression (also, now I wish I read the ita story).

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That's wonderful, Allyson.

I've been thinking over the criticism from that agent off and on, along with all the widely divergent feedback I've gotten from the various contests I've entered and other agents and editors who've seen Lucy in one form or another. I know it's not surprising to get a variety of opinions--I mean, it's really no different from how we argue over various authors' merits in the literary thread. Still, I'm confused. In particular, I don't know what to make of being told that my writing "isn't strong." She's the second person to have that reaction, but I've also had equally expert readers say the opposite--one will say, "charming concept, but your writing isn't strong enough to make it stand out," while another says, "your writing is very strong, but the concept isn't unique enough for this tight market."

So my question is what to do with that particular bit of vague but painful criticism. I'm starting to wonder if I've deluded myself that I have any kind of exceptional talent. I mean, I think I have a nice, smooth prose voice as long as I edit carefully to rein in my tendency to be too verbose. I also think I'm brilliant at dialogue. I need to work on sensory details and action scenes, but I still think I'm pretty darn good at this. But "your writing isn't strong" sounds perilously close to "you have no talent for this, so you might as well go be an administrative assistant again."

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