Since I’m in the process of a submission that involves my entire manuscript being read (wow!), that is where my mind is most days. (I’ll know in five more days at the most, but who’s counting?)
One of the things I was reading about the other day was someone who had gone back and read their submission and found all of these flaws. They were beating themselves up over it. Of course, everyone in the discussion told her not to do that. And I realized that without even consciously deciding to, I have thrown myself into other writing projects so that I am not tempted to go back and look at what I have submitted.
If I went back and looked, I know that I would indeed drive myself nuts with pessimism and optimism duking it out until I was crazier than I already am in waiting. But, it has been over two weeks since I hit submit and I’m starting to itch to take a look, to revise things I know now need some bolstering.
But you know what? Since hitting submit I have written almost 40,000 words (averaging just shy of 3,000 words/day). I completed the novel I was halfway through and am now almost halfway through my next.
So maybe all the waiting and holding myself off from revising is a blessing in disguise.
Nicole Helm 