Looking Back

Ironically, the very thing I applauded in my last blog (1/13/2026 – Hats Off to the Editors) became the very thing I deplore in this month’s blog. All that marvelous, razor-sharp advice offered by professional editors on YouTube sent me down a path of doubt. Overwhelmed with every writing nuance they believe I need to address in my manuscripts, I became frozen with doubt and lost my confidence as a writer.
 
Creative writing was chucked out the window to address line-by-line edits. Yes, their advice is helpful. Yes, it polishes dialogue and sharpens scenes. It also crushed my passion and squelched my emerging voice as I fret over each line I compose. I no longer enjoy writing. I’m just running through the editors’ checklists searching for my mistakes.
 
I need to step away from it all – both their spiraling spreadsheet of advice and my own draft manuscripts. Go for a long walk. Lose myself in nature. Take several deep breaths and find a healthy balance between my creative passion and their definition of acceptable prose. I need to find a way to let them guide my work without dictating the final product.
 
It’s a balancing act, and I’m the sad juggler who has dropped the pins.