Last night I hit it again. That wall where suddenly every comment on my work puts my hair on end, and I wonder how I ever thought anyone would want to read this manuscript. After scrolling with mounting ire through a few more comments, I look at the clock, and oh… that’s why.
I tend to get to that state by about 9 pm regardless of how much editing I’ve done during the day. (And yesterday I’d binge-edited eight chapters by that point.)
So I said “I’m done,” and tucked my manuscript in for the night. Even though I wanted to finish up the draft, it just wasn’t going to happen. I have learned that editing while tired is more likely to result in frustration and tears than improvements to the draft.
Hey, look, a metaphor!
Millstones had patterns of radiating arcs cut into them so they would grind better. Periodically the patterns had to be re-cut because they would become worn down. This is one of the millstones I saw at the windmill by Sanssoucci Palace in Potsdam, Germany.
Don’t try to keep grinding away at your draft with a dull millstone. Rest when you need to.
Here’s to a new day, new energy, new insights, and new creativity.
Happy Yarning!
All Kinds of Yarns 