Assessing Your Manuscript Takes Courage

We know we need writers need courage, right? We pour our blood, sweat, and tears into a manuscript.  And when we think we have something great, we need courage to share it with others.  We as writers know this.  But you know what else takes courage? Recognizing that something we thought was great might not be so great after all.

None of us like to be in that place, that place that shows us where we messed up.  But you know what? It's a good place to be, and we shouldn't be afraid of it. 

I'm in that place now.  Rather than running away, I am embracing it.  I could cry and scream about the hours I've already put into this project.  I could stomp my stubborn foot and refuse to make corrections.  Or I could allow myself to become discouraged and trunk the manuscript.  But I believe in it.  And I love it.  I want to see it succeed.

So I will look at those errors as if they are quicksand, pulling my novel-to-be into non-existence.  I will build a stronger foundation for my story to stand on so it can't sink.  And I will do this however many times is necessary.  And that, my writing friends, takes courage.