Some swell updates:

#1: Sent a slightly tinkered version of the above letter off to 5 agents last week. 2 replied already; both were form rejections Better luck to me on the other 3. If they all end up being form rejections/no replies, then I'll likely make some kinda drastic changes to something. Even just getting a personal rejection is a big deal (I'd gotten my first few on the last round of letters after my first 40 or so were form rejection/no reply).

#2: Got my semi-final draft done yesterday, w00t! Had my first beta reader (my fiance; she's actually quite tough please), and she gave her feedback. The revisions necessary were actually pretty considerable, but I guess I was in the mood for being awesome or something because I've already got my draft together and ready to rock, w00t w00t! Next step would be to find another small group of beta readers before sending it to publications, but I don't really know whom to approach next, *hint hint*. Just kidding ... unless ya gone do it. Extra, extra, spread the news, etc.

#3: No progress here still. I'm a fan of Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies and have been using one a day for the last week-or-so, but I've made very meager progress on feeling anymore ready to write a scene. I'm patient with these sorts of things though, especially while I'm making progress on other projects.

That is all.