Question of the day: I know you really struggled with the writing process for much of your third book, then the last 20K words flew out of you. Looking back, do you see any difference in the quality of writing between the hard-fought and the easy pages? I think a lot of us think we need to be inspired to write, and to have it flow cleanly, so I'd be curious to see if you noticed a difference. 

This is an excellent question, and I'm not sure if I can answer it, but I'll give it a try. It was actually probably more like the last 30k words of my manuscript that I just banged out over two or three weeks or so. It was like I was possessed. One of the downsides, I've realized, of writing without any plan or outline in mind, is that when you're writing a particularly tricky manuscript - The One That I Want is almost a thriller in which all the pieces come together in the end - it's REALLY beneficial to your writing (and your mental health), to KNOW the end before you get there. Er, which I didn't. What I mean by that is that, in retrospect, I think I struggled so much on the first half of the book because I was throwing puzzle pieces in the manuscript but didn't know where or how they fit together. And just like an actual puzzle, once you see the general framework, filling in the rest is a lot easier.

So, to that end, do I see a difference in the writing? Hmmm, no, I don't think the writing is any different on the pages I shed blood for and on the pages that felt effortless. At least not in the final product - in the initial drafts, yes: because that last chunk was easier, the writing read, well, easier - it flowed better because I knew what the hell I was doing, so naturally, that led to more confident writing. But that's why I had as many drafts as necessary to get the first two-thirds right. My first draft might have been miserable, but hopefully, my sixth one was not...and if I did my job well, readers will be none the wiser that first draft sucked. :)

That said, I'll be very curious to hear what readers have to say. That's the interesting part of what happens in this process: it's very difficult - as you know - to be objective about your own work...sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Who knows if I'm being too hard on myself (probably) or if readers will indeed sense the difference between those initial chapters and the last? I'd like to think that a decent writer can mask his or her own struggle because that's sort of part of our job, no? I mean, I can share this publicly because you guys are writers and we commiserate together, but 99% of my readers won't know that this book was hard for me to write, and I'm interested to hear their take. Maybe some will indeed sense that struggle, but again, I hope - for my sake AND theirs - that with the rounds of edits I poured into it, that the finished product speaks for itself. God knows, and I think a lot of writers feel this way, that if anyone read my early drafts, I'd be forced to resign my professional author badge on the spot!

I'm also interested in hear your experience too: readers - have you ever struggled with sections of your book or entire books? If so, could anyone tell the difference? I'm truly intrigued by this question.