That's better! Word count 16,152 (wp) 20,000 (pr)

Now, that's more like it. This weekend, including today's holiday, I clocked up 4000 words. I think the previous slow progress was caused by a particularly difficult couple of scenes, but the last part flowed much more easily. And I'm enjoying it, too.

I am concerned about a few things, though.

Firstly, genre. It's not really horror, although there's a supernatural element and even a little bit of gore, which I normally avoid. It's not exactly a thriller, though there's lots of action and tension. And it's not exactly a political piece, even though there's a lot of politics involved. So what is it, then? Being unable to define a genre for a commercial novel is a big problem when trying to bag an agent. And is this even commercial? I mean, it's not exactly popcorn stuff. But it's certainly not literary, either. I guess the only thing I can do is write the best story I can and not worry about pigeon-holes.

In other news...

I allowed the first pages of my previous novel out into the wild over the weekend by submitting it to Elektra's Crapometer. As always I got a very useful and constructive critique, particularly from Sex Scenes at Starbucks, a blogger whose opinions I very much respect. She prefaced her comments by saying she was going for the jugular, and I quote, "because I believe you can handle it".

I took that as a compliment. Her critique, as it always is, was fair, useful, well explained and thought out. I'm grateful she took the time to do it because it shone a light on the writing that I can use in a very practical way to make it better. So, SS@S, if you read this - thanks for that.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that critique is incredibly useful, especially if it's done well. I confess I take criticism in regards to writing much better than I do in other aspects of life, but maybe it's because I'm a novice and I know I've got a lot to learn. As an old saying round here goes, I know enough to know I know nothing.

:)

Oh, btw - I need beta readers for my last novel, Conduit. I'd be happy to return the favour if anyone has a complete novel they'd like my thoughts on (depending on genre, of course - there are some genres that I never read so couldn't provide a useful opinion on). If anyone's interested, there's a cryptic email address over at the top right corner of this page - drop me a line.