Continuing the Quest and Rhythm: Yes, They're Related

Is OCD a blessing or a curse? Seems to me that it could be both, especially if you think of it in the context of writing books.  I never viewed myself as having this disorder, but today I could almost be convinced, as I've just completed another edit of an already published title, to wit, "The Recipe Box: War for Parker Farm."

It is a much better book now, not because the story has changed much but because the mechanics of the thing have been revisited (again). With each read-through of the published versions, I've found ways to improve the appearance of the text and flow of the lines. I am learning that reading has a rhythm, just as a melody has rhythm.

To be truthful, I discovered that in high school when William Shakespear was required reading. At first I found his style nearly imcomprehensible; then, I discovered that he wrote with a certain rhythm and once I found it, I almost enjoyed his work. Almost. At least I preferred him to Chaucer.

The latter was easy enough to read, but the content was a bit disgusting to me and I read only as much as was required. Authors were something that the teacher and I disagreed on; I liked Zane Grey's westerns and my English teacher accused him of having "mental constipation and verbal diarrhea." The teacher liked Chaucer, and I accused him of writing stuff that was...well...disgusting. I did not care that it was vividly written, getting to the heart of the matter, down to the nitty-gritty of the characters. Those characters were just not anyone I wanted to spend time with.