Continuity my backside.

So reading one of my how-to books on getting published backfired when it came to one piece of advice.  The book advised-- and I do concede this idea has merit, just not for me-- that once my book was finished I needed to put it away for awhile . . . for a few weeks, so I could come at it from a fresh perspective, more like a new reader.  I was to pick a time to read through the entire book with as minimal interruptions as possible.  Are they kidding?  The idea is that too many authors get caught up reworking one little part or another, and lose the continuity of the entire story.  Without reading all the way through the author doesn't know if it flows well, or if it's a choppy read.  Well, okay, I'll grant them that . . . but what cave are you supposed to crawl into to avoid the real world for a few days? 

I tried it anyway, when John went out of town to Rocky Point for a turn-around trip.  To those of you who know John well, and know what he's like when he's out of town alone, oh my, you'll have an idea how many phone calls I received. Grrr. After the first flurry I was actually clipping along fairly fast, until I came to chapter eleven.  Drat, I didn't like how that chapter read.  I spent the next two days and most of my alone time fussing over the next two chapters!  Continuity will just have to wait for another guy's fishing trip in June.  Fishing trips work for me, because phones don't reach way out there. No wonder monks and inmates have a history of becoming authors . . . from a time standpoint it makes sense.  I don't have the right 'stuff' to pursue life as a monk, nor would life behind bars be my first choice. 

So what have I learned from this?  That the rest of my book may read like a hatchet-job, but chapters eleven and twelve will keep you riveted!