21st-Century Leper

Someone reading this may imagine that writing a book is a glorious event. For me, it's like having a baby (complete with restless nights, soul searching, morning sickness, and birth pangs). I agonize over every word I write, often reliving the pain. The difference, of course, is that once I have given birth to my book, this baby gets no free passes. If my book is an ugly baby, there will be those who will bluntly tell me that without trying to spare my feelings. My writing is occasionally bombas