I’m wrapping up edits to my latest short-story. It’s been a while since I’ve edited anything outside of a classroom environment and I’m coming to realize that I’m harder to please than any teacher. I’m working on the fifth and final draft.
Before that I had:
- the handwritten draft, the typed version of the written draft (known as the “first draft”)
- the “aha, typoes-are-gone-let’s-send-it-off-to-my-Friendly-Readers” draft
- the post-Friendly Reader draft
and the dreaded
- “I read it all. OUT LOUD. To myself.” draft.
I’ve long heard that a project is never done, it is only abandoned (because hey, as long as you’re noodling on it, you don’t have to deliver anything)…so I was getting nervous. Was I, in fear of releasing this weirdo story into the world, noodling on this? Would I know the right time to call it finished?
Then Seth Godin posted How do you know when it’s done?, a useful post about this very topic!
It’s very useful if you’re a perfectionist (like me!).