Diary of a Wimpy Schmooze Coordinator (AKA The Westside Writers Novel Critique Schmooze Recap)

February 11, 2015—2:57 PM

Man, I am so burned out on this whole annual novel critique thing. If I wasn’t co-coordinator I’d probably just skip it. I mean, it’s fine for young, productive people who still have hopes and dreams; real writers who manage to move from one project to the next instead of working on the same stupid book for more years than I even want to admit. Am I really going to bring those same 4 pages? Sure, I’ve done some revising since last year but really, what’s the point? Those pages have been polished so many times it’ll just be everyone saying how much they like them, and I’ll puff up, start pontificating and forget that my real problems are later and structural until I get home and realize what happened and start to hate myself for the whole big ego thing… On the other hand, if I don’t bring anything, I’ll really feel like a loser who can’t even put himself on the line when he’s asking everyone else to—I mean what’s wrong with me? What’s WRONG with me?

Maybe I’ll call Karol and tell her I’m under the weather….

February 12, 2015—12:32 AM

That was great! I’m so glad Karol didn’t let me wuss out (though she didn’t have to be so mean about it). First of all, there were so many new writers there. Of the 26 people attending it seemed like a third of them were newbies. And then, at my table at least, they were all really talented. Everyone had different and amazing stories (many with a strain of animalism that was fascinating), and everyone really listened, hungry for useful criticism. Even better, the comments were all pretty deep and thoughtful. As for my stupid pages, it kinda started out like I said, with me pontificating. But then I reminded myself to shut up and listen, and I found out about some very clear missteps in my first paragraph that implied my main character was younger than he is. A few Schmoozers had a global idea that, while interesting, doesn’t really work given the nature of the book. Still in all, it was a great and revealing night, and everyone there seemed to find it as much fun as I did.

February 21, 2015---3:00 PM

Just got back from a bike ride and somewhere along Mulholland I realized that the Schmoozer’s global idea was actually terrific and solves some of my structural problems. It doesn’t quite work the way they suggested it, but with a bit of tweaking, it’s freaking brilliant! I don’t know why I thought I was burned out on SCBWI. It’s awesome! 

February 21, 2015—3:37 PM

Ugh! I am so burned out on SCBWI! While I was in the shower, Karol left a message asking if I’d take the lead on this month’s blog (since she’s taken the lead on the last two and she’s busy setting up the panel for next month’s Schmooze).  I mean—I love going, I love leading it and I love talking. But why do I have to have responsibilities? And anyway, what’d she do for last month's blog? Just got a lot of people to write in what they thought.  Of course, that required effort too, with emailing and such. Hmm, how can I get out of this…?

Ha!  I know!! I’ll just publish this stupid journal, unedited! And then, at the end invite everyone to tell about their experiences at their own tables in the “Comments” section!  Problem solved! 

Oh, I am good!!  Now it’s off to revise my book, which I’m oddly excited to do—gotta love SCBWI!

 ...There you have it Schmoozers - a scary look into the tortured (yet somehow lovable) mind of one of your "fearful" leaders.

We have an AMAZING Schmooze planned for March 11:

What To Expect When You’re Expecting (A Best-Selling Book To Magically Appear on Bookstore Shelves/eReaders)

             -- A panel of first time authors will take us through the various steps in the publication process, from receiving an offer through the book’s release.

Seriously, you do NOT want to miss this one...or ANY one, really.

Until the, keep passing the open windows,

Charlie & Karol

Westside Writers Schmooze - Finishing Out The Schmooze Year With a Bang!

Before we get started...

PLEASE NOTE (and we’re just gonna keep announcing this over and over, lest one of our dear Schmoozers falls through the cracks):  Due to circumstances beyond our control (and contrary to the info on the super-spiffy flyers we distributed), the planned moved to the Main Branch of the Santa Monica Public Library has been POSTPONED. Until further notice, we will continue meeting in our regular home at the Fairview Branch Library Community Room, 2101 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405

…now back to our regularly scheduled blog:

After months of learning about the nuts and bolts of the writing life – from dealing with failure to the specifics of different genres and formats to what social media can do for you as a writer – we finished off the Schmooze year with three powerhouse workshop Schmoozes.

First up were our two critique nights in April and May.  Schmooze critique nights are extra special because they provide a safe, friendly environment in which to hear honest feedback on your writing.  Whether you’re a brand-spanking newbie or a “seasoned veteran” (Charlie uses Tobasco heavily while Karol prefers the one-stop shopping of Mrs. Dash…ahem, where were we?) – sharing work with others can be nerve-wracking.  But the Critique Schmooze ethic dictates that we start and end on positive notes and try our best to help one another improve our work, rather than rewriting someone’s story obtrusively or crushing anyone’s dreams.

If you’ve been shy about coming – don’t be!  Join us for next year’s critique nights, and we promise, you’ll be glad you did.

Thanks to a brilliant suggestion by Schmoozer Jeffery Cox, we invited actual illustrators to join us for April’s Picture Book Critique.  It added a new dimension to the proceedings that was really fun and resulted in the largest turnout in some time, with nearly 40 people packing the room. (Not that we’re the types to count or care about that sort of thing.)

Charlie & Karol pose with some of
the Illustrators in Residence

The Illustrators In Residence (as Karol and Charlie dubbed them) were there to give general impressions about how well a manuscript might lend itself to illustration and to make suggestions on how to improve a story’s visual potential.  The night was so much fun, we’ll definitely invite illustrators again next year.

In May, writers of longer works were the beneficiaries of another great Cruelty-Free Schmooze Critique Night.  Alas, no groundbreaking new element was included – just hardworking writers bravely sharing their work and their thoughts on the work of others.  “We don’t need no fancy-schmancy, newfangled element,” the Schmooze novelists reported, claiming to get great value out of the night even though Charlie and Karol did nothing new.  Success!

Our final workshop Schmooze was the Fabulous Elevator Pitch Schmooze – SO fabulous, in fact, that we’ll be closing out the 2014-2015 Schmooze year with another one!  We spent some time discussing what makes a good elevator pitch and how it differs from book flap copy or a publisher’s description of your book.  There were some differences of opinion, but everyone pretty much agreed that your passion for your story and the tone and feel of your book should absolutely shine through in your pitch.


The real work came when the Schmoozers paired up and began crafting and practicing their pitches.  Charlie and Karol admitted to feeling a swell of parental pride when looking out at all the pairs of writers, working hard and so engaged (but don’t expect them to give you lunch money or drive you to the Sadie Hawkins dance—or make your bed!).  After working in pairs, several Schmoozers shared their elevator pitches with the room and got some of that Schmooze-patented, helpful-rather-than-hurtful feedback.  The whole evening was…in a word…AWESOME.

 Having to give your elevator pitch need not leave you HORRIFIED!

And speaking of AWESOME, Charlie and Karol have a truly exciting, experimental, CONCEPT YEAR planed for those Schmoozers intrepid (or foolish) enough to follow them. 

Starting September 10^th, thanks to YET ANOTHER brilliant idea from Jeff, they present a Ground-Breaking Year-Long Concept-Schmooze experiment:

The Journey Of Your Book – From Initial Story Spark To Your Readers’ Eyeballs.

We’re in our regular home at the Fairview Branch!

First up on Wednesday, September 10^th – The Spark…And What To Do With It

We'll look at where ideas come from, how to determine if there’s a book in your cool new idea, and some tips for flushing out your idea and turning it into a story we can all care about.

So…finish your summers off with Big Bangs (though don’t, like, restart the Universe or anything) and join us in September, ready to WORK and begin The Journey Of Your Book!

Until then, keep passing the open windows,

Charlie & Karol

STRAIGHT FROM THE SCHMOOZERS’ MOUTHS PART DEUX – RECAPPING THE NOVEL CRITIQUE SCHMOOZE

Greetings Schmoozers!

Like last month, Charlie and Karol have mostly relinquished the floor to the Schmoozers for this blog post.  Also like last month, they realized there was no way they could top the novel critique Schmmoze blog post for 2012 (read it HERE). 

The Schmoozers in action

Here are the blog post prompts we put out to the 23 brave writers in attendance:

The most important thing I learned about my manuscript was...

– Hmm, let’s just say all the information I thought was on the first page WAS NOT THERE.

CAROL BARTH

– I took a risk with my novel's voice, and the overwhelming response amongst my group was that it worked.  Beyond that, I got a very helpful suggestion to help make my opening paragraph much stronger with the addition of a single sentence.

Garrett Vander Leun

– Too much telling.

LAURIE YOUNG

– The most important thing that I learned about my piece (3 pages from a writing prompt) was that it could become a middle-grade book. I'm still smiling from the kind and encouraging feedback I received. 

CHERYL MANNING

– My transitions could be smoother.

DC

– I need to watch out for repeating what's been said. Keep the writing tight.

PATRICIA O’BRIEN

Last Leaf on the Tree Table (moderated by Charlie Cohen)

–...that it is a mistake to bring transitional scenes to a critique.  I got so sick of bringing the first 4 pages of my book I thought I'd bring the next four.  But those depend entirely on the first four to make sense.  So I wasted a lot of valuable critique time answering questions that were answered in the first four pages.  I wanted to see if there were things I could cut in the transition, but it was hard for anyone to judge, not knowing what I was transitioning from and to.  So what I learned was: Bring scenes where something happens.  Scenes that are, at least a bit, self contained.  Hmm.... Seems obvious now that I look at it, but...

CHARLIE COHEN

The "No You Can't Sit at Our Table" Table 
(moderated by Karol Ruth Silverstein)

– That, for a lesser writer, bringing a scene 100 pages into a manuscript to a critique might not work, but for brilliant old me…  No seriously, the thing I got was confirmation that the pivotal scene I brought

is coming across as awkwardly and honestly as I’d hoped.

KAROL RUTH SILVERTEIN

The most important thing I learned about writing for middle grade kids / teens was...

– You will be properly ridiculed if your main character says she lives on THE WESTSIDE.
CAROL BARTH

– In spite of my novel's unique and 'successful' voice, I still need to moderate how fully I use it because it could lead to comprehension problems for younger readers. 

GARRETT VANDER LEUN

– Be careful with word choice/vocabulary in your writing.   

Four Fatal Femmes Table (moderated by Laurie Young)

JOSHUA HAUKE

– Not to front-load the manuscript with background information. Dive head first into the mess and sprinkle background information as needed. Hook 'em from page one.
CHERYL MANNING

– Start in the action

LAURIE YOUNG

– Anything goes.  Really.

KAROL RUTH SILVERSTEIN

– I didn't exactly learn it, but it was brought back home to me: Never write down, and never preach.  But this is true for any age, from toddler to geezer.

CHARLIE COHEN

The biggest surprise for me at the May Schmooze was...

– I was surprised by how well received my work was.  Writing is such a solitary endeavor and it's always a little gut wrenching to finally take your little monster out for a stroll.  To not have everyone gasp in horror was a wonderful surprise.

GARRETT VANDER LEUN

– I didn't offend everyone at the table with my comments. I only offended HALF the table.
CAROL BARTH

– ...how amazingly well some folks can write.  Every time I sit at a critique table with "newbies," I am amazed that there are really terrific, visionary writers out there who have not before been to our schmoozes.  I mean, real writers who, somehow, got to this level of ability without us!!  HOW does this happen??!  Does this mean Karol and I are not the sun and the moon; the mother's milk of all your creativity?  That you people are the real talents and we, just trained monkeys, who hop around for your amusement?  Well, that's probably as it should be.

CHARLIE COHEN

501st Legion - The Wolf Pack Table 
(moderated by Blue Leader AKA Jeffery Cox)

– How interesting some of the stories people are working on turned out to be. 

JOSHUA HAUKE

– How committed the participants are.

LAURIE YOUNG

– (My tablemates were) awesome speed 'critters.' Really. It's not easy to give good advice under time limits, but they excelled.

PATRICIA O’BRIEN

–  Enjoying my pages being read out loud -- thanks to the wonderful job by Mara

CHERYL MANNING

Where ideas come from?

– …What!?!  No espresso brownies?!?  Noooooooooo!!!

ANONYMOUS

The most inspiring thing I heard at the May schmooze was...

– It's incredible how patient children's writers are and the lengths they will go to TACTFULLY tell me my pages need MORE WORK.

CAROL BARTH

– That my fellow critiquers wanted to read more of my story.

LAURIE YOUNG

– There was a woman who claimed she wasn't capable of writing anything beyond a few simple short stories...  And then she brought in this amazing short story that was loaded with original characters and a very unique plot that lends itself PERFECTLY to a longer-format story - - - not to mention that it only contains a handful of ideas from the author's incredible life story.  You don't know what you got until you sit down and give it a shot!  Don't say 'I can't' - just write!

GARRETT VANDER LEUN

– "Hey, they're are cookies over there." or "It's almost time for the SCBWI Summer conference."

JOSHUA HAUKE

– "COOKIES!"

CHARLIE COHEN

And a  few random thoughts/comments:

– Fresh eyes bring fresh insights. No matter how many people look at a manuscript, a new reader may see something missed by others.  It is such a pleasure to talk about writing with other writers.

PATRICIA O’BRIEN

– Inspiration works in mysterious ways. I just love being privy to the creative fruit and process of such diverse writers. Slowly, I feel my own flow desiring to be shared. And I surprise myself with all my comments during the critiques! I hope the love is clear.

DEBORAH COLE

Not Charlie's Table (moderated by Lee Wind)

– Whenever someone says you're only going to get to share the first five pages of your manuscript, there's a desire that I imagine is universal, to want to cram in more - twiddle with the margins, do a full first page - because there's a fear that if they don't see enough of it they won't 'get it.'  In our group on the novel critique night, we suggested that someone else besides the writer read the text aloud, and for one of our critique pieces, the reader only got to about three pages in before the reading time was running out.  The author commented that the person could maybe read the rest faster, but all the major points of feedback we had to give were already apparent in the first three pages.  (In fact, they were evident on the first page.)  It reminded me that as much as I, too, chafe at the idea of having my work appraised based on only a small portion, the DNA for the entire book is right there in the first three pages… the first page… and dare I say, maybe even the first few lines?  It was a good lesson to re-learn.

LEE WIND

We couldn’t have said it better...everyone!

Huge thanks to our table monitors and to Molly Mueller for snapping all the great photos.

Join us June 12^th for the niche Schmooze – where we’ll explore the road-to-publishing less traveled.  Plus – we want to hear your ideas on what Schmooze topics we should schedule for next year.

Until the, keep passing the open windows.

Charlie & Karol

CHARLIE & KAROL’S ULTIMATE WESTSIDE WRITERS NOVEL CRITIQUE SCHMOOZE RECAP

Chapter 1 – Schmooze Week

Crap, crap, crap.

That’s the only word I can come up with to describe:

A. What I’ve gotten done on my novel in the last month, even though I totally knew the once-annually novel critique Schmooze was coming up

***and***

B. The projected quality level of whatever pages I can slap together to bring to the March Schmooze, AKA Wednesday night, AKA three days from now, AKA – CRAP!

How am I supposed to bring something super-impressive when I’ve only got three days left? I mean, I have a reputation to uphold. I totally wowed my tables at the past two novel-critique Schmoozes. What if this time around, all I can be is (gulp) decent?

Breathe. Now – think: What do I need to do to solve this dilemma?

I know, a list. I’ll make a list of the million-and-two things I need to do to clear my head, my desk, my schedule. Yeah, that’ll help. THEN I can write.

Chapter 2 – Lovin’ these critique schmoozes. Nothin’ to ‘em. Got my HIGH-larious Dalton Trumbo letter (that I read a couple years ago at Lee and Rita’s first critique Schmooze, but who’s gonna remember that?), got my same middle grade novel pages that I’ve brought in the past three years (that I really should be rewriting as there IS in fact an editor interested, but hey, maybe the yakity yak at the table’ll put a fire under my ass) and I got my super cool personality that will ease me through the whole thing without breaking a sweat. Don’t know why Karol was so hyped up on the phone; that chick needs a chill pill. Must be hard to be one of the smart kids; always having something to prove. …yawn. Think I’ll grab another beer and sun myself in the yard. Maybe piss in the bushes behind the garage. Get myself a total tan!

Chapter 3 – Schmooze Morning

CCrrrrrrrraaaaaaaappp! HOW did I let this happen?? No seriously, HOW?

I haven’t done any writing – zip, zilch, zero. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I did put in, like, an hour, two days ago. I trimmed a bunch of fat from my scene, wrote out the part I came up with for the very ending and sort of fixed the beginning. There’s just that Gaping Hole between the opening and the end to deal with, and there’s still at least 862 items on my to-do-before-I-can-possibly-even-think-about-maybe-trying-to-write list.

I need to look over my list and prioritize. Maybe there’s some stuff that doesn’t absolutely have to be done pre-writing session. Like, straighten my pajama drawer. Heck, that’s been a mess for two years. It can wait. Play Angry Birds for two hours. Whoops. Forgot to cross that one off. Whew! Nice to see I’ve accomplished something!

Chapter 4 (smacking lips) …hmm. Awesome looking day outside. Ought to swing by Melrose for some Maui Wowie (or Country Chronic if they’re out of Maui again, but really, if they are, I’m gonna start taking my patronage elsewhere), bike up to dirt, maybe head out to the Hub, far from the “federalies” and blow a stick to welcome in spring. …was there something else I had to do today? …whatever.

Chapter 5 – Schmooze Afternoon

One hour to write. Great, just great. What happened to my whole, freakin’ day? Stupid day job! Stupid Facebook! Stupid need to shower!

I shut off the music, the Internet, the cat.

(OK, I don’t “shut off” the cat. I tell him to get off my desk. He ignores me, so I insist he get off my desk. He hisses at me. So I grab the package of kitty treats and lure him off my dang desk.)

Cat on floor, fingers on keyboard…come on, Magic!

I write. For the whole hour, plus a little more. I solve some problems. I have an inspiring idea or two. I enjoy hanging out with my characters. Then I print.

No time to even staple my sets of pages. I fly out the door – you know, not literally or really even physically in terms of speed, but emotionally and spiritually, I fly, baby, I fly.

Chapter 6 Can’t believe the cell worked all the way at the hub. Man, that Karol sounded FREAKED. Really rained on my buzz. Probably a good thing though: I’d’a never made it home in time for the ol’ Schmoozerino tonight. Who knew it was this week? Time, man… know what I mean? Anyway, I gotta admit it’s a little disconcerting that it’s tonight rather than, you know, 7 days from tonight but, hey, … uh… forgot what I was gonna say. No worries though: Got my crap, got my little pages, and I’m ready for the G-L-O-R-Y! Was it Patti Smith of Van Morrison who sang that one?

Chapter 7 – The Drive

Radio blaring, singing at the top of my lungs. That’s how I roll.

I’m beautiful in my way, ‘cause God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track, baby. I was bo-rn this way…

Sigh. I just love getting my Gaga on during the drive down to Santa Monica. If ONLY I’d left at 6:10, like I’d planned (see: previous “no-time-to-even-staple” chapter). Then maybe I wouldn’t be so panicked about getting there on time.

Just my luck…the crip space behind the library’s open – SWEET!

I’m here. I made it. It’s Novel Critique Schmooze Night! WAH-HOO!!!

…OMG…what if people aren’t staggeringly impressed with my pages?

Chapter 8 Kinda hard to find a space. Lot of folks tonight. Hmm. Wonder if I should’a looked at those pages… Or at least figured out how much of the Trumbo thing to read. Are two single-spaced pages long? Karol would’a probably read it beforehand and timed herself. Ha! LOOOOOOSER! Ah, I got nothin’ to worry about; I’m one of the co-freaking-coordinators for God sakes. And dig my belly tan.

Chapter 9 – Your Typical Pre-Schmooze Madness

Yeah, so, good crowd on hand, maybe 30 people. I go to grab my midnight snack from the goodies table. Man! There's that brownie pie thing again! Don’t mind if I do!

Well, I’m ready, but Charlie’s still running around like a chicken without its chicken hat. I ready my highly important and detailed list of SCBWI announcements, snap the paper a couple times to see if Mr. Clueless is paying attention.

It takes a few more snaps…and a couple ahems…and then I just glare at him a little…and FINALLY he’s back and we can start.

Chapter 10 …wow, these pages from my ms sure seem bloated. When did that happen? Wonder if there’s time to line out all the boring crap on all the copies while Karol is yammering on about SCBWI stuff—ah man, probably don't have time. No worries: I got Dalton to save my ass. However bad my pages are, they’ll eat that stuff up.

Chapter 11 – S.N.A.R.K.Y. – In That Good Way

Time to revisit the fabulous SNARKY acronym for the suggested critique method that we came up with (and by we I mean me or rather I…except for the K, which was all Charlie because I’d basically forgotten there’s a K in “snarky” – my bad).

Where was I? Oh, yeah, creating a safe, nurturing environment, so Schmoozers don’t go running out of the library in tears, never to write again…blah, blah, blah.

Making art is a tough road, people!

Charlie’s up next with a scathingly funny letter written by Dalton Trumbo to his pal, Ring Lardner, describing for Ring the various soul-crushing ways he’s about to critique Ring’s manuscript.

Hoo-boy! Fun-NEE! The Schmoozers are eating it up!

Hmm…I think he may be losing them… Great, end of the page.

OMG. He’s reading page 2.

Chapter 12 Man… not sure if that took forever or if it just seemed that way when everyone stopped laughing in the middle of paragraph 2. Should’a stopped before 3. And I really don’t know why I went on to 4. Bad enough without Sara’s crack that I terrified everyone. You could tell they all agreed. They love her so much. With her purple hair. And her not-being-old. She’s always had it in for me. I hate her.

Chapter 13 Our First Ever (We Think) Super-Awesome Schmooze Raffle (that I completely screw up)

SO exciting! Everyone’s written their names on slips of paper that will go into a hat, and then our very own celebrity debut author, Sara Wilson Etienne is going to pick out the winner - who gets an autographed copy of Sara's book, Harbinger. I’ve loved this idea ever since I came up with it a couple months ago.

Charlie hits each table, collecting entries. Sara’s in position, ready to to pluck out the winning name. I position my camera and….CRAP! Why isn’t my camera working?? WHY?!

I realize it’s still on video mode from when I recorded an adorable video of my cat not getting off the desk when I asked him to.

I get it back on still mode, but I’m too late.

I miss the moment entirely.

…like I’m back at high school and that really cute boy I’ve been crushing on, who’s so completely out of my league that it’s dumb for me to even be crushing on him at all, asks me for help with his Spanish homework, and I say yes because it means I’ll get to hang out with him for a few hours, even if he’s really only into my weird ability to memorize Spanish vocabulary, and we end up having a really fun time, laughing and looking up dirty phrases in my Spanish dictionary and he mentions that some classic Pedro Almodovar movie's playing at the local art house theater that weekend and we should go, and for a moment, for just one fleeting moment in time, I consider saying, “yeah, sure” all casual, like it's No Big Deal that he basically just ASKED ME OUT, but before I can get the words out of my mouth, his cell chimes with a new text message and then he forgets all about the movie, and I miss the moment entirely.

Damn you stupid, fleeting moments-in-time!

When I eventually snap out of my disappointment, I see that Charlie’s already at his table, and he and the other table leaders are getting started. So I grab a seat at my designated table, bringing my dejection with me.

And as luck would have it – or maybe the Universe plans it this way – I end up sitting with the proud winner of Our First Ever (We Think) Super-Awesome Schmooze Raffle, Penelope, and she graciously poses with her prize.

We launch into Official Critique Mode and – WOW – everybody’s material is so interesting and different and special. Even my last-minute-not-even-stapled pages go over pretty well, and my tablemates have some way-helpful feedback for me. Very cool!

Chapter 14 That wasn’t so bad. They all caught the bloated part, of course. But they caught a lot of other, deeper stuff too that I hadn’t even noticed. And it was stuff that fits in with the stuff that editor said about reworking the book so, that’s good, I guess. Only bad thing was they all seem to think I could make it into something really good which I guess means I’ll have to actually work on the thing. Rats.

The other drag was how good their stuff was. Some was, like, publishing-ready-good. That kinda’ pissed me off, actually. Who brings stuff that good to a critique night? I mean, the idea of a critique night is to bring stuff that needs to be better, right? Not stuff that’s perfect—ahh, screw it. Next year, I’m gonna show ‘em. I’m gonna do some actual polishing before critique night. Heck, maybe I’ll even bring something new! I’ll be as much of a nerd as Karol. Guess it’s like ol’ Billy said: “Writing doth make nerds of us all.”

So off to Swingers, the secret party everyone knows about, where all the cool kids go to eat after the Schmoozes. I was a little worried that they’d shove me to one of the ancillary single-person tables after the whole Trumbo thing, but Karol invited me to sit right by her like it never happened. Sara even talked to me… guess she’s alright. Guess they’re all alright.

For a bunch of word-nerds.

Epilogue: The Drive Home

Speeding down the 10 toward home, my mood is more Bruno Mars than Gaga.

Oh, you know, you know, you know I’d never ask you to change.

If perfect’s what you’re searching for, then just stay then same.

Ah, perfection. Even if my pages aren’t perfect…yet, this year’s Novel Critique Schmooze sure was!

Man, I gotta pee like a race-horse. Soon as I get home, I’m racing behind that garage and: MOON-TAN, DUDE!!!

The End

Well, THAT was fun! Hope to see you all at the next Schmooze - Wednesday, April 18th. Our topic's COMEDY TONIGHT, so come prepared to share a few paragraphs from your favorite funny book, and together, we'll try to figure out how the writer made it so darn funny.

Keep passing the open windows,

Charlie & Karol