Hello to you this Friday,

I’m re-editing You Don’t Know Me, I'll be sending it out soon as a self-published book. This will be my second review since the novel came back from the editors. I asked for only a basic edit for grammar, punctuation etc so I went through the novel correcting the errors I needed to, leaving those that were not errors but my writing choices. Now I’m going through the novel again for content and style error and story issues that can be changed or made better that would make the story have greater flow, make it seamless; I’m half-way through this process.

I’ll go over the novel a third time after putting it aside for a week for fresh eyes. I’m not ruling out a forth look though just to make sure I’ve caught all the bad stuff. Is this excessive? To the point I’ll never get my novel out because I can’t stop reviewing it with that fine tooth comb to catch every error, every uneasy word, to find a better word to use or shorten this paragraph, or change ‘he said’ to ‘Owen said’, and on and on--yes, it’s excessive… no it’s not, because I believe I have to work harder than the other guy writing his book, that I need to go that extra mile to make sure my novel is the best it can be and if going over it a forth time is the way to do it then there will be a fourth review.

I'lll submit my book for publication and soon but not until I get to the last page and realize there is nothing left to do to it, it’s as good as I’m going to get it; this does happen. I look at it this way, everyone wants to write a book—who wouldn’t? Writing can be indescribable, wonderful, at least when writing well, so who wouldn’t want to do it so in face of all that competition, to get my writing out front I have to be hardworking, patient, to persevere against all odds, to be relentless at making my book the best so that fourth review? It’s nothing in the cause for my book and in the immense pride I'll feel at--finally-- presenting to the world. I know it’s a feeling you understand well. Keep writing.

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori