Ho ho ho and Happy Critiquing

The ho ho ho is sounding pretty hollow at this end. I just
made the mistake of reading my first post. I intended to produce a romantic novel by the end of 2005. Give me a break.

I resigned sadly from my critique group --not doing me any good to post stuff on a first draft basis. However I learned a lot and would recommend joining a congenial group for the following reasons:
1. Reading another writer's work critically helps you see what faults lie in your own work.
2. Confidence gained from being brave enough to show your work to another (preferably sympathetic) writer helps you write more confidently and hopefully more prolifically. You no longer need to spend hours of anguish over something that does not seem quite right. Someone else will solve the problem for you by commenting on what they see as wrong with the passage.
3. You get the practice of problem solving using someone else's work. This is much easier than trying to see the faults in your own work initially.

If you're waiting to find out about the nano novel --I rather like the idea but putting it on hold while I finish the WIP. I am at last ready to return to it after reading a dozen novels in the genre I'm writing for. I see the problem --my sentences are too long. I need to share the POV between hero and heroine to give more suspense and immediacy to the building romance. I need at least two good and relevant action scenes per chapter.

So that's all right then. Another ho ho ho but feeling a bit better. After all I'm only a year late.