Writing is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.
Winston Churchill
I love the image of your work being thrown to the masses. Especially if you have a piece of work that doesn’t want to leave. For years I had a short story that I couldn’t get rid of…I edited it so many times I started hating it. My critique group was done with it.Just send it out they implored me and I sent it to writing contest after writing contest. The last contest I sent it to I paid for critiques, two of them in fact and wouldn’t you know it each judge had a complete opposite view of the work. One said it was ready and publishable, the other said it needs a lot more work. Finally I resolved myself to kill the monster, I was done. It had haunted me long enough. I sent it out to every literary journal I could think of and forgot about it.
Yes, it got published but at that point I really didn’t care. I had just about beaten it to death. When is it time to let go?
Today, find all of your monsters and open a new folder. Place the monsters there. Resolve to fling them to the public in January or else. Don’t let them get in the way of your new work. When I was beating my short story up I had little time for new work. Be realistic one of your monsters may never be ready to be flung, it doesn’t deserve anymore of your time and energy. Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag
Great advice.
Sometimes we really do hold onto work for far too long. Submitting can prove harder than the actual writing.