Got my response from Don Maass about my first three chapters. It was a friendly letter, professional, and he declined. His reason is a good one. It's something I'm going to take a look at because all I really have to do is some shuffling of chapters. You see, I have my antagonist in the first two chapters. While I have other cool things happening I thought a reader would stick with an unsympathetic character, but that may not be the case.

I'm going to need to have this novel mailed by mid-Feb. I'm going to try the novel workshop weekend Dean is organizing. Actually, he's going to run four a year, but I'm going in March, plus the one next November. Up to twelve writers and each participant hands in a novel, plus read two complete novels and three chapters + proposals from the other participants. All in one month before the workshop. A New York editor (in a smaller capacity) will read all participants' sample chapters and proposals only. The editor will not attend but will send feedback and critique and marketing advice.

I've never been keen on critiquing novels, definitely not my first novel, but what works here is mailing the novel before the workshop. If I don't mail it and I get critiqued, I might have a bad reaction to it and the novel will sit in a drawer. One might say "Well, don't do it." I believe in feedback for learning purposes, so in order to get that and not the negative, I need to mail first.

I still have first readers, but I haven't come to a conclusion yet if that's just as bad for me as a critique.

What intrigues me about the novel weekends, just like everything in that writer house on the coast, is the total immersion. Dean doesn't fuck around. It will be focused and everyone will be talking about how to improve novels, how to market them, and etc. Informative. I've come away from Lincoln City with a full brain before. This won't be any different.

If it isn't to my taste, I'll cancel my November spot. However, if I do plan to go, the November workshop will be my deadline for the second novel. I'd say I need it done Mid-August to have time for first readers and tweaks and changes.

Plus, I'll have a another novel to pitch at Surrey next year, the same conference where I pitched Time Will Tell to Don Maass.

Deadlines. I can't live with them and I can't live without them.