The question that comes a lot as you write is whether what you have is ready to be published, submitted and posted. How do you know when your piece is fully baked?
Sometimes you don’t know until you send it off and realized in excitement you sent it off prematurely.
Sometimes you wait too long until you’ve poked and prodded it so much that what you have is a shriveled shell of the original manuscript.
This quick writing tip helps me in the words of Kenny Rogers:
“know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em”
It’s also the same rule of thumb I use on the rare occasion I go clothes shopping. If what I try on doesn’t look better than what I’m already wearing it’s a pass. If, on the other hand, it outshines my current outfit, than it’s a yes.
Try it when debating a piece.
Does making this edit improve my overall story or does it take away from it?
Will it add clarity, meaning and a deeper dimension or does it muddy it up?
A lot of this is trial and error. There have been many times when I hit send too early or sent it after over editing it. But this has helped me.
Let me know if it works! And what writing tips help you.
