Writing Under a Rain Soaked Porch

It's rainy mornings like this that I am grateful for my
screened porch. To sit outside and write like I am now, I'm also grateful for
my little Alphasmart, because that means I'm not tied to my desk. It's lighter
than a laptop, doesn't radiate heat and doesn't get damp like paper.

Rain has always inspired me to write, it's nature's white
noise and I am comforted by white noise. Hmm... I wonder if that's because my
mother use to use the vacuum or run the washer to help me sleep when I was a
baby. The downside to the rain is it keeps the kids inside and on each other’s
nerves and I have a harder time exercising my dogs.

Oh, the sound of the rain tattering on the roof and sliding
down the gutters is sweet, except for the occasional bark from Wyatt. He's
telling me it's time to play fetch and he doesn't care if he gets drenched, but
I do because brushing the tangles out of his coat is a real challenge.

I've accomplished more this morning writing wise than I have
all week. I've transcribed more of my newest novel, completed a weekly writing
assignment for my novel critique group and given some feedback on a fellow
novelists work. I never thought I’d enjoy being part of a writing critique
group, but I do! The fact that we were
originally thrown together as a part of a Momwriters project is even more
amazing because we all gelled the instant we submitted our introductions. I'm
not completely sure but I don't think any of us knew the other until this
group. By the end of our four weeks together we made plans to continue together
outside of Momwriters. Where else but on the Internet could six women from
vastly different backgrounds come together? Sure you could form a group in your
local community, but what are the chances that any of them are from or live in
another country. The six of us will probably never meet, but we'll always have
the bond of breaking out of our boxes and trying a new experience together. For
most of us I think it's the first time we've ever shared our fiction work
publicly, which is huge for me since I haven't ever really shared it with my
husband.

Oh well, I'd better get back to my novel and I still have
three crits waiting.