Thursday Thoughts

My inner editor has burst forth, brandishing the red pen ... wait, I don't edit short fiction on paper.

I'm not precisely sure what she's brandishing, but it's terrifying.  Maybe she's taken a page from the Grammar Nazi and wields a spork.

In any event, I've always found myself unable to avoid starting right away on critiques I receive.  It doesn't matter how much or what else I'm doing, I feel compelled to put it down and work through the comments.  I can compel myself to stop if I absolutely must be out the door right that moment, but I've been known to be five, ten minutes late because I at least have to start ...

Of course, I don't take critiques on blind faith, nor do I rush through them:  if a comment seems dubious to me, or the edit is complex, I may set it aside for future consideration.  And, of course, there are times when a suggestion or complaint seems off-base, but it suggests another solution or issue.  For whatever reason, however, I feel the need to make the "obvious" fixes as soon as possible.

... you might imagine what going through Flow was like, with this work habit ... I'm lucky I ate.  Or slept.