When to submit?

You must know your work is ready before you send it out. You must have resolved your doubts, and feel certain you would be proud if it appeared in print just as it is. Many publishers no longer edit much, but even those who do so prefer to receive writing in a polished state.

Another clue: you may have been changed by the work, and have watched it change profoundly. Most writing transforms in some way when it reaches a state of full development.

It’s hard to resist the temptation to send a book or story out, to see how a professional reader (an editor) would respond. Every stage of revision is so gratifying—it’s easy to mistake that feeling for a sense of completion. Try to take your time, let the manuscript rest between rounds of revision, get good advice, and wait until you’re certain it’s really, truly done.

Next time: Why revise?