In Which the Novel is Revisited.

D for Dad, whom I spoke with a while on the phone yesterday, and D for dare: yesterday I met up with fellow writer recoveringmale (who also starts with D) in order to re-read our novels for the first time since November. You wouldn't think you'd need company for an activity like this, but honestly I don't know when I would have got around to it otherwise. I'm not sure I can explain why it was so hard (and it isn't always; I didn't feel this way last year), but I know that to some degree it was getting more difficult the longer I waited. Knowing that somebody else was doing the same thing nearby made it easier.

I got about 1/4 into the story before the coffeeshop started pre-closing activities. I have not yet returned to it, but the verdict is: boring! It's so tedious. It doesn't move. I haven't finished it yet, and I think it gets livelier eventually, but I have a vague feeling that if it has any future at all, it might be better to reduce it by about half and use it as Part I of a larger story.

D for deals: if there's anything more satisfying to my stingy Scottish blood than getting good stuff for cheap, it's getting good stuff for free. And also, finding good homes for stuff I don't need anymore, because I hate to throw things out. So I want to share something with you that makes me very happy indeed: the swap.

It pops up in various places and under various names, and it has different forms and rules, but what it comes down to is that you have stuff to get rid of and stuff you want, and so do other people, and thanks to the internet, you can pool your unwanteds and everybody wins. It's good for your wallet and good for the planet. Here are three of the best-realized swaps I am currently aware of. May their tribe increase.

PaperBackSwap: Step 1: Mail your old books to people who really want them. Step 2: Other people mail you books you really want. Step 3: Rejoice! This is a credit-based system, where every book you send earns you an opportunity to request not only paperbacks, but hardbacks and audiobooks as well. There's a friendly database that keeps track of your offers and requests, and a customized mailer you can print out and ship your books in. Nice.

Portland Petite Clothing Exchange: If you are a small woman, and you live in Portland, you can clean out your wardrobe and restock it at these well-attended monthly events. (Rumor has it that a medium-sized swap is also in the works.) If you don't fit these qualifications but you wish there were something like this for you, consider that all this was begun by one very determined (and very tiny) person.

Freecycle: Oh, surely you've heard of this one. Every town on the planet has one now. (Yeah, I'm exaggerating, but not much.) The way it works is, you post stuff you don't want, and you keep an eye out for stuff you do. Any kind of stuff: furniture, appliances, toys, records, fill dirt, you name it. Maybe you are one of those people who watches the list like a hawk for things you might want. Or maybe you are one of those people who only uses it to get rid of things. Either way, you win. Craigslist also has a free section which works the same way, and (in my town at least) gets quite a bit of traffic.