I think nit picky is impt too. I want to know what others think needs correction in my writing, even if I choose not to follow it. Sometimes those little nit picks can change the way I write in a wonderful way.

Yeah, I only mind the nitpicky when it's the same thing again and again and again. And even then, I do understand--after all, deep down, I still think that V's comma usage pattern leads to run-on sentences and that S could find a way to write sex sexily in Regency vocabulary.

So, um, not sure about the etiquette of asking for a beta, but I have a partial draft of a story I'm working on and I've hit well, not an impass, but a point at which I need to decide what to do next. As in, is this a short story? a novella? If someone is willing to read it, I'd be grateful.

I'd be happy to read it, Burrell. Profile address is good.

Thanks Amy. I'll send it to you shortly. Warning, some notes at the end, you can just ignore them.

Oh, I do that all the time. Um, make notes where I've stopped, not ignore things people have written.

heh

Ugh. I can't write in anyone's voice but mine. I'm going into the second chapter of my children's/middle schooler book about Sam the bat.

Can only write well as a narrative. Fiction is kicking my ass.

Try imagining that you *are* Sam, Allyson.

Plus, not for nothing, most authors have a particular voice, and no matter what character they create, that voice is going to come through. Sam is part of you, in a way, because he's filtered through your head, your experiences, your emotions.

Also, don't sweat it now. Just keep writing.

I want to write a shelf space drabble, but I'm thinking ranting about my kitchen cabinets probably isn't going to be too interesting.

Allyson, maybe try writing in 3rd person but through Sam's perspective, as if the narrator were trying to ventriloquize Sam's voice.