I have a confession to make.

When I was working on the first draft ofThe Polaris Uprising, I would always go back and read what I wrote. Most writers will tell you this is the kiss of death, because you’ll end up hating it and think you’re the worst writer who ever lived and/or get sucked into the vortex of editing before it’s even done yet.

But I did it anyway.

And you know what? I didn’t always hate what I wrote. In fact, many times, I kind of liked it. Oh sure, it wasrough, but even then, I w...