A massive game of Concentration.

I hate it when people tell me how hard they work.  You work as hard as you have to work to get the job done.

I have no excuse.  Especially since nobody is making me write.

But damn, this is exhausting.

Writing a first draft is energizing and fun, almost exhilarating.

Writing a last draft is enervating and mind-draining.  I feel like I've been working in the coal mines. It's a giant game of concentration, especially when I am moving parts around.

But...

I see the book getting better before my very eyes.

I had a moment of doubt the other night and so I read the fully re-written first chapter to Linda and she seemed impressed.  She felt it was vastly improved.

That's when you know you've done something, when you re-write something that was already OK and make it better.

I'm a third of the way through this final re-write, which is behind schedule.  I've put the hours in, but I'm trying to respond to all of Bren's criticisms, which means having to create new material (that part is fun) and integrating it seamlessly with the existing stuff (that part is not fun.)

This is more like work.  Doing due diligence.  Making sure the book is as good as I can make it, and not just sloughing off when it gets hard.

I'm proud of the books that have been published so far.  I can pick them up and read them at random and see the work and time and effort I put into them.  They read well to me.

They are real books.  Professionally written.  Fast and entertaining.  Even bits of depth.

I want to be able to continue to do that.