if you've written a bad book...

don't worry! i do it every year—Raw Material #29

Last week, I tripped into frenzy. Popcorn popped in my head; I heard nothing but static on TV. My jaw worked nonstop. I had a bitter, acrid taste in my mouth, like I’d just licked a battery then sucked its juices. 

Between last July and two weeks ago, I finished the second draft of my novel. I re-read it with sinking dread. At the end of the story, my wo…