So I read Dark Talent today for the first time in about two months, armed with Patrick's line edits. Gaaaaahhhh! I hate going back to my first drafts after a long time off. It's more than embarrassing. It feels like a betrayal. How could I have written so sloppily? How could my heroine swallow before each and every time she speaks? (Okay, slight exaggeration...but not much. God, I hate my own writer's tics!)

Thought for the day: if you haven't looked at your draft for a long time...just don't. Burn it. Then spend the rest of your life talking about it as the best novel you ever wrote. Trust me, you'll be happier that way.