On Reviews and Writing

I haven't had a review of my work in a few years, but one is currently in the works and I'm a little bit nervous about it. I've read the review and it is, in a word, stunning. In another word, it's humbling. The reviewer captured exactly how I feel about natural perfumery but never had the words to express. Me, a writer-perfumer, without words.

I'm rewriting the entire book. I've been contemplating it for some time and have now made the decision to write it more in my voice rather than in a text book-like way. As much information as I've got in it thus far, I still feel very detached from the work, and that's not how a writer should feel about a work in progress. Same goes for a perfumer -- if a perfumer isn't feeling the work, then the end result probably isn't going to be a good one. I just have to be who I am and duck when the stings and barbs come flying my way.