It feels like the writing community is always stressing on speed. Draft quickly, revise quickly, critique quickly. You need to go, go, go or you'll lose your chance. If you can't be speedy now, then how will you ever manage when you have a book deal and an agent and a deadline to finish by?
I think we all need to calm down.
Now I understand the need for speed. Really. I do. But there's no point in rushing so fast that your writing suffers because of it. And I certainly can't be the only person that's experienced this. Sometimes a manuscript needs to breathe, and we should always let it.
Take a break between drafting and editing. That way you'll be able to revise objectively. Don't deny it--objectivity is key when killing off those straggling adverbs and darling sentences. Likewise, if you're stuck on a plot point, brainstorm. Analyze every inch of the problem until you can make it work. Maybe it takes you a week, or even a month, but it's still better than forcing the problem into an ill-fitting mold.
So how do you guys feel about the constant pressure to produce? Have you ever rushed through your manuscript? Or do you take the occasional break to let things marinate? Tell me in the comments.
