No worries, Sunny. I’m so behind…I still need to write something for Lee’s blog and catch up with the course. So whenever you have the time and feel inspired, I’ll be grateful. 🙂

Michael,

I so delighted to hear that your surgery went well and that, hopefully, you won’t experience so much pain anymore. Welcome back!

Thanks, Lee! I’ll check them out. 🙂

Lee,

Your post is so beautiful it made me cry. Thank you so much for your encouragement, inspiration, and amazing spirit. You’re a rock star.

Sounds good guys!

Hi, Lee. I sent you a direct message via Twitter. Did you get it? 🙂

Sure, Sunny. Can you write a guest post for my blog? Maybe a how-to or an inspirational post? 🙂

Hi, James.

Count me in! I love writing short fiction, and this sounds like a great collaborative project. Super idea. 🙂

Ebony

Hi, Margie. 🙂

I like how you use the superstitious crow to foreshadow death. I really like the following paragraph because I can see the ominous bird gazing down forbodingly at Emma. It reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven (one of my favorite poems).

Emma and the crow locked gazes. The crow leaned down and stretched its head towards her. Its tail rose above its mirror-black head. It blinked. Like a fired shot, it spoke again, louder. The “Caw!” reverberated in the air between them. Suddenly its black wings opened wide like a book. Its body lifted and glided off.

Suggestions…

Maybe explore the dichotomy of death (good thing vs. bad thing) more? The two men that died were obviously bad people who, many would argue, deserved to die. But what if it weren’t so cut and dry? I know I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but it feels like there’s room for a bit more conflict in this deeply moving story. Hmm…

Nice work, Margie!

Sounds great! I’m on board with the editing process. Thirty people plus a few final editors sounds like a good plan. Also, I agree that word count is more accurate than page numbers.

As far as communication, I’ve meaning to look more into Google groups. That maybe an easy platform for communicating via forums and video chat. Does anyone have any experience with it? I’ll look into this week.

Thanks so much, James!

Hi, Cartelistas. 🙂

I won’t be available next Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. All other days are open.

I’m on the same wavelength as Ann: I don’t think that a theme is necessary. That this is a Story Cartel Project is enough of a unifying theme to hold our book together.

That’s just my two cents. I’m so looking forward to this!