Some writers scoff at the idea of being part of a critique group.  A waste of time, they think.  Me?  I understand the value of them.  So much so, that when I started writing for money, one of my first tasks was to find a writing network.  I haven’t looked back since.

I’m now in a romance critique group which was started in April of this year.  The most valuable reward is that I’m writing regularly.  I started Anya’s Redemption, my novel-in-progress, more than a year ago.  Under normal circumstances, I would have finished within four to six months and started the task of editing.  But I neglected the story for months and only got on track in April.

My three chapters come up for review every three weeks, which puts me under pressure to have something ready.  But I don’t mind. As odd as this sounds, if my week isn’t on the horizon, I don’t start writing.  So, that’s one way in which the group works for me.  It keeps me disciplined.  Focused  Writing. 

Writing in the haphazard way that I do means I don’t always prepare a manuscript bible.  You know that notebook or folder where every little detail to do with the novel goes?  That same one.  What happens sometimes is that my protag might have copped out of a relationship two years ago and in another she’s slipped in an additional year.  Some sharp eye or memory is going to catch that.  Another good reason to be part of a critique circle.  They have your back and catch your errors.

Then there are the happenings I can convince myself make sense when they don’t.   Say my protag suffers from depression, but she’s hell bent on getting some nookie.  Some smart cookie will call me on that.  Hey now, since she’s depressed, I don’t think she’ll be all that interested in sex.  Maybe have her do this thing or that other until she’s feeling a bit better, then she can move on.  The same goes for any incredible happenings that don’t make a lot of sense or aren’t based on any real motive. 

When you can’t afford an editor, your critique partners are the next best thing.  This assumes they’re of a certain skill level where grammar and such are concerned.  We all know from experience that exhaustion sets in after a hundred editing passes.  The mistakes become invisible.  The only way to find them - outside of your support group – is to sneak up on them.  Rest a few days…weeks…maybe a month if you have the luxury, and then pounce again.

In any cluster of people, there are those who can give expert advice based on their profession.  In the same way, writers have weaknesses and strengths – the ability to find plot holes, the knowledge of a grammar guru, a good eye for sentence structure or a talent for spotting inconsistencies.  This combination works for the good of all.  

Not by any means least, my critique partners understand when a character or scene refuses to cooperate.  They are the best resource I have, other than my notes, books, story maps, and the internet.

Courtney, Diana (who’s only submitted one story so far, but never fails to review my work), Nadine (who was with us for a while) Rian (the newbie in the group), Sybil and Tina, many thanks for what you do.    

I’ve been a member at an online writing workshop since late 2004.  Joining that site was one of the best things I’ve done for myself since I started writing again. The site comes with a mixed cast of characters, however,  I’ve found some true gems who’ve become great pals – not that we’ve ever met face to face.

For many who write, it is a solitary experience.  Apart from a few close friends who’ll read our offerings and tell us how nice they are, writers don’t often have a network of people around them who have the knowledge to offer sound advice.

That’s where a writing network helps.  People of various skill levels have something to offer by way of suggestions.  Some reviewers don’t offer more than a pat on the back and there are others from whom we get valuable insight. 

Despite all the advantages, the network has a way of taking over all my spare time. It’s where I bounce ideas for articles off others and post novel chapters for reviews.  I’m at the point where I don’t need to do any reviews in order to post my own writing.  I have stockpiled a mountain of credits.   However, what gets me is determination to finish the stuff I start reading – even when the material is hard going. 

Sometimes when it gets onerous, I take a break from reading.  But I always remember the kind souls who helped me when I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.  Were it not for them my writing would not have improved to the point it has.   I’m truly grateful to those people, so I continue passing it on…

To borrow Etienne de Grellet du Mabillier’s words…I shall pass this way only once, so if there be any kindness, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.

At the start of the year, I got an extra diary.  I decided I’d make this year count on my journey as a writer.

I got into a writing workshop and did two ten-week courses.   Best money I’ve spent all year.  I’ve learned much about the craft of writing and through that connection, some of my stories were published in the literary pages of the Sunday Observer.

I completed a novel I started during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) - November 2007.  That one’s being edited right now and I’m writing another.

Though I still don’t have a dedicated schedule, I’ve accomplished a lot more than I thought I would.  I tend to work in fits and starts, not necessarily following the timetable I set for myself.  This can have not-so-wonderful consequences, like editing sessions that last for weeks at a time.   Not cool!

Maybe if I was writing for a living, things would be different.  As it is,  what I have is a lack of discipline thrown in with some God given talent.  Now, if I could just make those work for me on some sort of timetable, life would be peachy!

But wait!  Nothing happens without some sort of planning. So you know what?  Right after I post this, I’ll be sitting down with the diary to draft this coming week’s cycle of writing-editing-reviewing.

More anon…

I must take some time to do a bit of plotting for the story I’m supposed to be working on.  I’m part of a writing group at an online network and it’ll be my turn to have my book critiqued in another couple of weeks.  We do three chapters each time and use a detailed format to do each review.  I banged out a chapter a week or so ago so the group could read chapters 17 - 19 and give me their feedback.  Since then I’ve written nothing at all. 

I started scratching down some ideas, but lost track of those, so it’ll be back to the drawing board for me. I don’t mind, because I started this novel more than a year ago.  It’s time I finished.  

I’ve written another since that time, but my main character is playing stubborn and refuses to tell me the rest of her story.  But I have to cut her some slack because she has mental issues she needs to deal with.  Meantime, I’ll be coming up with more danger for her to field. I gotta warn her though, she’s got a major decision to make.  Is she going to stick around with the man of her dreams or will she keep running?

It’s unsettling to not know for sure what happens next, but it’s something I’ve battled before.  I have no doubt inspiration will strike when I’m  getting ready to tear out my hair.  Meantime, I’ll be working on that project that’s due next month.

More anon…

Ever feel like you don’t do enough to be worthy of the space you’re occupying on mother earth? Yeah, I know we don’t have to do anything to merit being alive. God is merciful that way. But do you ever think about whether you’ve done anything meaningful with the life you’ve been given?

I’ve been wondering. Two weeks ago, I had to make a decision about something I’ve been doing for a year. I was given a choice as to whether to continue or not. I thought about it on and off for a week and decided that based on my job pressures – I sometimes work the entire weekend - I’d decline to participate. Up to now, I’m still wondering if I made the right decision.

Life is about give and take. Reciprocity. Caught up in multitasking, I sometimes forget to stop and breathe properly. So when this happens…

and I’m deep in a project, my first reaction at annoyance that I’ve been interrupted. But interruptions are not all bad. The break gives us a chance to interact with others, share thoughts, exchange views. 

In July, a friend of mine passed on after an accident.  I never got to say goodbye. Time weighed on my mind during that period, but you know how short the human memory is.  Not too much time passed before I returned to the treadmill, dashing about madly, nailing down things here, starting other stuff there, but not completing much.

At the same time, I fear that I haven’t done enough – in my work, my relationships and my writing. Like so many others, I feel there are not enough hours in a day. Once the clock starts ticking, I’m sure this is what happens…

At the end of a stressful day, I remind myself I won’t achieve more than what was ordained for me. My temper is sometimes stretched thin when things don’t fall into place or when people don’t do what they should. But why kill myself over these things? Life continues. Tomorrow is another day, the promise of a fresh start.

After God, I believe the most important connection we have is with each other. Relationships are the cherries floating on the ice cream of life. When everything is falling to bits around us, our relationships make life bearable. If I lose my job next week or my house burns to the ground, I’ll still have friends and family.

How many of us take time to cement the links we have with others? I know I can do lots better. As to what I can do for others, not in my immediate circle…well, I’ve arrived back at the question I’ve been grappling with these past couple of weeks.

Time is of the essence. I should get cracking…

I don’t know about you, but I believe that weekends are a special gift from God. A time to relax and throw off the accumulated stress from the work week.

Everybody else is asleep, Monk is on again and I’m enjoying this time to myself…well, except for the sound box that’s pounding somewhere in the neighbourhood.

Not to worry though. I have a vivid imagination, so paradise is but moments away and Monday is somewhere out there to be dealt with…much later.

I’ve had a project to do that was given to me early this year.  It’s due in October.  Of course, I thought I had all the time in the world to do it.  As it turns out, time has slipped away.  My deadline is looming ever closer and I’m nowhere near completing the assignment.  And it’s not like I’ve been idle.  I’ve been working frantically on assorted projects since the start of the year.  What with attending weekend workshops, writing queries and trying to make a dollar, it’s sometimes a challenge to find time to complete the jobs that must be done. 

But why must I whine, moan and complain?  I was perfectly aware these many months that this project had to be completed.  I find that my problem is prioritizing.   A sensible writer would finish the major jobs she’s being paid to do before the ones that pay peanuts. 

Alas, good sense sometimes deserts me.  So here I am, contemplating the one paragraph I started today, frantically looking for inspiration.  Let’s hope I find it while I occupy myself with this bit of diversion.

Clearly, prioritizing is not my strong suit.