My deadline for the end of this month is fast approaching, and, against many odds, I managed to get my draft finished in time to have a few beta readers look at it before I send it to the editor. I have four people working on this draft, all of whom I trust to the ends of the earth with my writing.

Why? Because they all have their pet peeves, and between them they can corral most, if not all, of my writing tics and general bullshit. I have a habit of using the word “gotten” in British narrati...