I seemed to have a headache most of the day. Not sure whether it’s the intensity of the critique sessions and writing, the heat or maybe I’ve just had a good run and it was due. At any rate, I found myself a bit paralysed to do much. Struggled through ok, but whoa, tough going.

By now we’ve settled into a rhythm. We’re open with our crits (not as open as we will be by week five - previous Clarion South groups call that ‘ferrel week’, as the story goes) and have got to know each other. There are three apartments of us on consecutive floors and we’re all at home enough to stop by and say ‘hi’, ask people if they want to go for a walk or generally see how they’re doing. This is the fun of it, having that network of people around to help you out. And, in my apartment, I’ve already found it comforting to be able to get up from the keyboard, wander down to the kitchen and, chances are, there’ll be someone there to ask ‘how’s your story going?’ or ‘have you finished your crits?’.

We’re hosting Robert Hood for dinner tonight. All floors that is. He has drinks at one, dinner at another and desert at the third. A great idea to have everyone get to know the authors.

A harmonica’s humming down the corridor. I think it’s the downstairs floor. Laughter’s filtering in all the way here. Good to see people are having fun.

So, what did I learn today? Off the top of my head: the value of naming your stories something that’s related, but doesn’t tell the reader, the subject matter of the content; how to shorten paragraphs by getting rid of unnecessary exposition (especially with dialogue); why it’s important to have every line work for the story (to move it forward); how some people work in humour (I’m no good at this, but I’ll work on it); that the ‘basic rule of dialogue is that it must never do only one thing’ (Robert Hood). The idea of the latter, I guess, is that if it’s doing one thing, there’s no conflict, no spontaneity…it’s just flat, dead.

I’ve started working on another story with the working title ‘The Workers’ (no idea why! I’ll change it). It’s about man that can project peoples’ consciousness even when they’re dead. I’ve had the idea a while, but have returned to it. Which means I’m working on about four stories at the moment. I don’t mention it to say that’s good. I mention it because I find it slightly confusing. There are problems I’m facing with each of them, parts where I’m trying to move the plot forward but am getting stuck. All the while I’m thinking I need to hand one of them in next week. The fun of it is I’m thinking about lots of ideas and I have these four separate worlds in cloud-bubbles whizzing round my head when I’m walking round campus. What better place to be then to have several stories on the go and all of them shouting at you - “hey, work me out!”.