Date: December 16, 2007 08:23 am Title: Chapter 2 - Mrs. Halpert Goes to College
Remember what I said in your last chapter about Glasses!Pam being the most adorable? It's still true, but wow... this portrait you've painted of her here is every bit as detailed and amazing!
I'm serious--this may be the most realistic portrayal of Pam's inner workings I've ever read. The conflicting emotions; the hormone-and-stress-of-life highs and lows; the frustration of artistic block... just, wow. :)
How in the world am I supposed to get anything else done today until I've finished reading this entire thing now? Thanks a lot. :P
Author's Response:
Yeah? Well I was closing down the laptop before I ran out the door to get some errands done and NOW look what I'm doing!
You've left me nearly speechless here and that's not easy to do. I got the idea for this story and made notes on the major plot points, so Pam was always going to be the focus of this story...but then I realized (I'm a little slow, okay?) that I was going to have to actually write about Pam! And first-person Pam, too! What the hell was I thinking? Jim is so easy (TWSS) for me, but Pam? There was a lot of sitting with my hands on the home row, staring out the window thinking, what would she be thinking? How would she feel about that? Yeah, a lot of that.
I love her conflict at the end of this chapter. I think she really wishes for a moment that she could forget all the art stuff and just completely immerse herself in her life with Jim and not want anything more than that. I went back to school full-time to finish my degree when I was 38 and I tended bar at night. I so understand this part of her.
I can't say a big enough thank you for this review.
Date: December 03, 2007 08:53 pm Title: Chapter 2 - Mrs. Halpert Goes to College
Ok, love the cute and silly names Jim comes up with for the baby when he gets home! That was the bright spot, in an otherwise pretty sad chapter. :-( ....I hope what Pam said at the end about it being her sweet life is really true for her. Otherwise her professor really pissed me off! Not that he didn't make completely realistic points...but still. ::sigh:: on to chapter 3! Kinda glad I missed these initially, so now I have a lot to read!
Author's Response: It was intended that "my sweet life" is totally true for her, LoveFool. She's just a little adrift with herself right now, but she's crazy in love with Jim and happy to be expecting, but I think she's apprehensive about the changes that are coming for her.
Date: December 02, 2007 07:30 pm Title: Chapter 2 - Mrs. Halpert Goes to College
This is so realistic, how you've keyed in on the dilemma many of us women have: how to wear all those hats at once and not go crazy. The old Superwoman syndrome. And as happens so often, our own selves get pushed aside by the demands of work, home and family. Can't wait to see where you go with this. Poor Pam.
And it was interesting that she was trying to do a series of pictures of hands. Reminded me of Gil's comment. Was that on purpose?
Author's Response:
You're amazing! Yes, it was on purpose, so I'm thrilled you picked up on that. I also think it's typical of someone in Pam's shoes to subconsciously set herself up to fail. There are a million things that she could have decided to work on that might have turned out great and given her confidence a boost, but she picked one of the hardest things to draw, and it just reinforces her own feelings of inadequacy.
Thank you so much, EH, for such a thoughtful review. It makes me feel so great that you're reading this so closely and catching all these little things!
10 [Report This]Date: December 02, 2007 10:46 am Title: Chapter 2 - Mrs. Halpert Goes to College
Oh...poor Pam. It's hard enough when you're pregnant and your hormones make you feel like you're insane - and then to have someone say something like that to you. How upsetting.
I'm reading on now....
Author's Response: kells, I still think about the prof who told me that if I wanted to write the next great American novel, I should forget about journalism, quit school and buy a typewriter and just write it. Yeah, thanks for nothing, Assbag. I think Pam might have handled this differently had she not been in a hormone haze, but she's sensitive right now and the timing of this meeting couldn't have been worse for her. Thank you so much for reviewing and for your great rec on the boards. So sweet of you.
Date: December 02, 2007 09:55 am Title: Chapter 2 - Mrs. Halpert Goes to College
No need to tinker anymore--it's beautiful as is! I think you're too hard on yourself : ) Thank you, Sweetpea, for this lovely story. I'm really enjoying it.
Author's Response: Oh, Nan, I can't thank you enough for saying that! This chapter really gave me fits and I was editing it in the interface and hit Preview about 10 times and kept jacking around with it and at one point, I hit the back button and lost the whole damned thing. AAAAHHHHH! I'm so glad you're reading and enjoying and thank you so much for this review!