Gasp

Coming up for air. I've spent the better part of my morning at work sneaking word documents and typing feverishly.

The trouble is, the two final stories to be added to the collection are longer than I'd anticipated, and each has been written in drips and drabs, then cut and pasted and filled in and cut out and then re-cut and re-pasted and re-smoothed - so much so that now, I'm bleary-eyed and can't figure out (nor am I even able to read another word) if they even make sense at this point. What I need is a month to put them both aside, read some good literary short stories, clear my head, maybe write another completely unrelated quickie, and THEN return to re-read and revise these two.

Unfortunately, time is not on my side, and I'm reaching a point where the director of the MFA's words keep whispering to me "your thesis is a thesis - if you're going to continue growing as an artist, it's something you'll back on in ten years and probably see as garbage." Which is somewhat comforting. Except, I'd like for it to be good, at least, good enough for now. Good enough that I can let it go and move on.

I need another brain, one that isn't filled with these character's back stories. I need that brain to read these stories and tell me what they're missing (if anything), if they're confusing, if they're even sequentially in order enough to be a part of a draft of a thesis, or if I need to go back to square one...er, page one.

So, anyone know any good brains for sale? (Preferably ones that enjoy reading grad student fictional drabble?)

And, back I go...