Hey gang, let's create a bookish thingy!

Done with the second/second draft. Basically, I started at Chapter 20 and went through to the end, Chapter 34.

I probably should still tack on a little epilogue.

I have a couple more days to spruce it up here and there, and then I'll print out the hard copies. At first, I was only going to do a couple copies, but then I thought, why not get as many people involved in the process as possible? So I'm thinking more like 5 copies I'll pass around.

With the understanding that the people will actually read it and make critiques. If not, I'll ask them to return the manuscript in a week or so with the "I didn't really have time to do it" no harm, no foul excuse easily accepted.

I'm serious when I say the more criticism the better. Even if I disagree with criticism, it usually spurs me to make it better. It gives me something to work with.

Hopefully get it all back within the month or two so I can take a month or two to write the last draft.

Jared was talking about the idea of "the click"; that moment when you know you've got a piece right -- art, writing, whatever -- and need to stop.

I've never had the click moment in a novel, I think because there are too many parts. I think, in fact, you could click every chapter and the book as a whole still doesn't hang together.

We've got some interesting possibilities lined up; illustrations, and possible short movie clips of chapters. I'm doing the Midnight in Paris thing and have my main character (who's eternal) meeting such writers as Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft and Tolkien and R.E. Howard. Some local filmmakers are talking about making scenes.

And we'll be looking for artists to illustrate, as well.

I'm not exactly sure what Jared has planned for the online interactive things, but I know that I'll try to stay available for anything.

This could be kind of fun, almost collaborative. Lots of things are possible when you're not worried about the money.