Last night was critique night for the Windy City RWA group that I belong to, and I brought the first two chapters of "Only The Beginning" to be critiqued. As they read, I sat there in a tizzy. "What are they going to think?" "I think it's good, but I've been fooled before." "But I've learned so much." "What if I'm wrong and it's not as good as I think?" "What if I have to go back to the drawing-board again?!" You get the drift.

Well, they got done (two pros, two wannabes) and I was floored by their comments... they stumbled over two words and proceeded to brainstorm the circumstances in the heroine's life that would make those words approriate for her to use. 22 pages! 2 words! Holy Cow!! <grinning widely> I muttered words about being relieved that I was finally 'getting there' with my writing... the two pros very quickly assured me that I was past 'getting there' and was firmly entrenched in 'made it'. Wow! <doing happy dance>

This weekend makes four years since I started the first scene of my first book (the manuscript that's no-so-patiently waiting for me to finished editing it) and yesterday (while I'm not published, yet) I graduated from my writing apprenticeship. High five's all around!! :-)