I don't exactly have first draft blues, but I do have first draft purples. What does this mean? It means I can keep slogging, even though I can't seem to do what my critique group is telling me to do--give one of my two main characters a more distinct voice that conveys her quirkiness. I want to just insist that my critique group is wrong. I hear the nuances in my character's voice. I know where she comes from. But if they don't get it, that means that readers won't get it either. It's still in the shadow stage, and I need to sharpen those edges. I'm beginning to see a few glimmers of them in the last couple of days--it gives me the kind of hope I feel this time of the year where time is more expansive and the sun shines late into the evening.