Reluctance...

Well, I'm through the vast majority of edits that were suggested. No, I did not make every suggested change - some of the things that caught my critiquer were simply my voice. I couldn't change them without changing the entire tone of the story. But many, many others were very good suggestions.

And then there are the ones that are very good suggestions, but they're digging into new ground not covered on the previous editions. That new ground is back in dangerous territory, and I'm not quite sure how to proceed.

Writing a biography is tricky business when the members of your family that were also involved are still alive and kicking. Aye, theres the rub with the latest additions.

I have one family member who has pulled some really rotten things on the rest of us. The majority of them have nothing to do with this book, but some of it directly relates to the story I'm trying to tell. One incident in particular is critical to the plot, but I put in the barest bones of the situation and skipped over all the stuff I could have put in that would have just been included for meanness. And now there is one or two other incidents that probably should find their way into the story to help flesh it out.

It's like walking a tightrope. And the biggest problem is the lack of safety net, since the party in question (the jerky one) has expressed an interest in reading this book once it's done.

Oh, boy.