I meet every Tuesday with my critique partners, Judy Moresi and Donna Ross.

Today I brought along the first 10 pages of my newest book. I asked Donna, "How often have you read this starting chapter?"

She laughed. "What? Maybe, oh, five times?"

Yes, and that doesn't count all the times I've rewritten this without her knowledge.

Not long ago, someone asked, "How often do you rewrite a book?"

The answer: As often as necessary. Here's the deal: Those first ten…