You broke it, you bought it

It's not just the case in knickknack stores--it's true about writing, too.  Thanks to a timely reading by the esteemed Val, I've concluded that the first chapter of my aforementioned fantasy novel is busted.  I broke it, probably with too much revising, editing and a little over-vigorous "polishing."  I've always known this about my rather pathetic attempts at poetry.  My first and second drafts are usually pretty good, but never really good.  My third and fourth drafts are usually crap.  I don't know why, that's just how it is.  It has not ever been that way with my fiction, but perhaps that's only because my fiction is sturdier, more able to stand up to 20 or 30 drafts before it crumbles under the sheer weight of my tinkering.  Now I know.

As of today, I've got about a week to go back and unbreak that first chapter in time to query the book on March 11.

Luckily, the boss is away for the rest of the week, so I'm in the clear for a couple of 8-hour writing days.