"I want MORE next time!"

Hearing that from a perfect stranger...I'd call it a successful first reading.

On Friday, Nicole picked me up from work and we headed down to CT. We stopped in to see my mom and freshen up then headed on down to New Haven for a little impromptu MFA reading.

First off, it was great to see everyone (including my summer residency roomie!). Living in Rhode Island and missing most of the FUMFA get-togethers, I forget that I belong to a whole community of writers. It was wild to see how very different each of our readings were, how each of our brains process and produce.

Since my stuff is super raw at this point, I wanted to keep it short; I don't think my reading was more than five minutes long. But it was a section of my book that I love dearly, and it was nice to have some feedback on it. A total shot in the arm.

With everything that's happened this month, though, writing new stuff has not come easily. I need to get my third packet in the mail so I can start my fourth, and I still have a long way to go. On top of that, there's financial aid stuff to do, and our save-the-dates. It's going to be a busy week, but if I can get it all done by Friday I know I'll feel a lot better. Wish me luck.

Now what?

So, I put my first MFA writing packet in the mail today for my mentor; I guess I'm really doing this. I worked on it all Friday night and until 5 a.m. Saturday morning, thanks to some awesome coffee my sister brought back from Nicaragua. (Note to self: get coffee maker.)

But now, having expended my energy in pushing out the final pages and craft essay, I'm feeling blocked about where to go next. So far, I have two "sections" to my novel--as of now, I'm calling them A and B to not confuse myself or mentor. I would like to work in a third (C), so I guess I will start a new section this time around instead of pushing forward on A & B before I get any feedback. I already know part C and the later events in B are going to completely morph A into something different, but I won't get into that messy business until April or May.

Despite all of these ideas, and only 25 pages in, I'm already scared that I won't have enough to say for an entire novel, though I can feel it all swimming around in my head. So I'm going to let it all marinate and do my craft essay first this month. Maybe it will give me some good ideas for this new section I'm starting.

Another thing to work on this month is getting some of my stuff published, once it's up to par. I didn't want to say anything before I received news, but I've submitted one story of mine that's "done" for consideration at a literary magazine called The Splinter Generation (thanks, Reuben, for your recommendation!). It's the first time I've ever submitted anything, and I'm excited for any outcome. Whether it's a rejection letter or--gasp--publication, it means I'm a writer. It means I'm in the game.

Best of luck to other newbies out there submitting their first packets!