Okay, after many a threat to do so, I have now officially unpublished the serialized chapters of Mark Red.  I’ve been planning to do so for some time now, of course, in preparation for my eventual release of Mark Red as a full novel, but the editing of that novel has pushed me to stop procrastinating.  I realized, soon after beginning the editing, just how raw and rough the book was, and I thus felt the urgent need to pull it, lest any reader get a poorer-than-necessary impression of my writing skills.

I shouldn’t be too hard on myself about this, of course.  After all, this was the first real writing I had done since Med School, I think, so I was pretty rusty.  Add to that the fact that it was handwritten (initially on scrap paper, then notebook paper) while in prison, and then mailed to my sister, who gamely tried to decipher my handwriting in order to type it in and publish it.  You won’t know how heroic a task that was until you realize that, only after I begin writing long-hand did script begin to be called curse-ive—this because of the endless stream of profanity coming from anyone who tried to read what I had written.

Now, however, I am well along in the editing process, turning the very rough draft into a smoothly flowing bit of prose (I hope).  I still like the story, thankfully, so I’m not deeply disappointed.  But, man, were there some terrible stylistic gaffes and goofs…embarrassing.  I am editing a lot every day on the way to work and in between other things (mostly non-existent, since I have no life), and it shouldn’t take too long for the final novel to come out.  But I am going to have to go over it numerous times to make certain it’s smooth.  It’s a bit like drawing a picture, I suppose.  Your first line on the paper can really suck, but with repeating strokes you refine it into a graceful curve, and then finally you ink and color it, and if you’re lucky and persistent, it comes out pleasing to the eye.

In any case, I’ll let you all know when it’s coming out.  In the meantime, please do check out Son of Man and Welcome to Paradox City, both available on Amazon Kindle.  Read and rate, and if you feel up to it, review.  It’s okay, be honest.  I can take it.

TTFN.