you will just have to trust me when I say it wasn't nearly as good as my first draft!

They never are. I have no idea why this is, but, GOD, I hate to lose documents -- because not only are they frustrating to rewrite (to say nothing of the wasted time!!) but they are just never as good as the first time through. I'm not the only writer who thinks that.

(You'd think "the practice effect" would buy you some extra quality ... but it doesn't!!)

I have been known to completely abandon an article (subject and all) if I lose the document before it gets saved or published. Fortunately this rarely happens the way I work, but it's not unknown. And when it does happen, it's memorable!