Writers groups are a good idea.

Last week, I handed BRAWL "The Half-Daughter's Curse," and I really didn't know what they'd think of it.

Today, I got back seven very helpful critiques. I have apparently done a good job of setting the voice of the story. People are kind of split on certain details - but not everyone likes every story. And as usual, I've managed to be subtle in all the wrong places. For once, I have been told to make a story longer, not to cut anything, but to add detail and explanation.

I never look forward to editing, but for stories that I know have problems, it's always a big help to hand them over and say, "Make of this what you will, but tell me what it is."

If I get published, it's going to be directly related to their help.