Let your drafts breathe!
I do it so damn often and I think it's fitting to say as a first post:
The minute you finish a story, don't dive right into the editing. For God's sake, spare yourself the heartache. You're fresh off the marathon, give your legs time to rest.
I write a lot of horror short stories as I'm working on a debut collection. This flow has saved my life:
Draft story 1 → finish → take a day or two off → get obsessed with story 2 → finish story 2 → rest again → then edit story 1. Don't edit as you go, no matter how much that little gremlin on your shoulder is hissing:
"You used an adverb here, you misspelled this, consult the thesaurus there's a better word for that, what if this isn't any good, what if the nukes fly tomorrow, what if you forgot to save, what if you-"
No. What if nothing.
What if you finish the story?
What if this is the one that gets you published?
What if you zip that lip and let your newborn breathe?
The What-If Gremlin is a double edged sword.
It gives me story seeds, and then it tries to spoil them. My fingers rush to type as I write through nausea, doubt and hellfire. It does you well to remember you're not a sailor, you're the captain. Steer the ship to port, then rest.
If it's a short story, a few days off can work. A novel? Weeks. Take weeks. Go live. You can't write honest fiction, or edit it for that matter, if you aren't also living. Sometimes the most honest thing you can do is step away so the inner critic can't cannibalize you both.
You could:
Lose yourself in another story
Listen to your favorite albums and go for walks
Go to an art museum
Find inspiration whistling through the days you spend in the sun
My short story "Tender" was born at a Barbecue joint with family, and writing was the furthest thing from my mind.
Editing is crucial, of course it is, but it isn't the same as creating. They require different versions of you. How can you cut something up and carve a masterpiece if you're still bleeding out? Go put a band aid on dammit, and may it smell like Spring and cover you like Fall.
