Hello, my friends and the occasional relative!

So yes, I have compiled some feedback files and have 855 problems to address, aside from the need to significantly upgrade the opening chapters, which are much as they were when I first vomited them out in order to get started, and adjust some aspects of the finale to give it better context and improve the flow of action.

But 855 is also hyperbolic. Many of those are the formatting change messages that seem to be inevitably generated when you merge documents in word. Realistically it is probably somewhere between 150 and 200 actual problems, and closer to 150 really as some of the ‘problems’ are comments telling me this or that part of the book works. It is always nice to get an “attaboy!” message in amongst the “uh, what is this?” questions.

I view the numbers as a good thing. I have targets again, items to clean up and remove from the text, the way I once removed a large collection of loose straw trampled into the gravel of a courtyard, a courtyard ringed by maybe 6 stables. With water and a rake, I started, and slowly cleaned a corner, and made it a game, and my empire of clean slowly overcame the forces of straw and horse droppings strewn across the gravel, and in the end I triumphed, and the courtyard shone in the sun. The next day, I started cleaning out the stables, a new battle between the empire of clean and the forces of urine soaked straw. My eyes still water at the memory. You would think horses just peed pure ammonia it was so strong sometimes! But once the straw was gathered up, I remember using the tines of a fork to clean out the drainage grooves in the concrete floor, and the stable sparkled, clean and dry, and then I put in fresh new straw, and a rope bag full of hay for when the horse returned from exercise, or the paddock, whatever they were doing, and it felt good, a job well done, a place the horses would enjoy returning to.

And so it is now—I have an empire of order to impose on the enemy battalions of questions, comments, corrections. I shall only clear a small area initially, but I will watch it grow, and as always happened when cleaning up after the horses, there will come a point when I know I have cleaned up more than remains left, and the first glimmer of satisfaction will be felt, to grow stronger as the enemy dwindles, and my empire of order grows in strength, dominating the pages.

Careful persistence is the key. I will see you next week and let you know how far it has taken me.