Stuck

Does anyone else have stuff you’ve written haunting you because there’s some good writing in there—and some not so good—and it needs your help? You’re a better writer now because the more you write the better you get, yes? So, you know that if you went back in and tore it apart, you could make it better.

Okay, switching POV now. Over several years, I sat down and wrote three novels (okay so one is more of a borderline novella, but that’s not the point). Then I self-published them with Amazon. They needed work. Rewrites, stronger verbs, heavy editing. Clearer heads needed to prevail, but I was new and green and hadn’t read any of the valuable books about writing.

Then I wrote another one that I never did anything with, then I wrote some short stories and essays and, and, and. Then I became a grandmother, twice. And I loved it. I didn’t write—not much, anyway. Then Covid 19 came.

My time with the kids was severely limited, I was determined to make my isolation time meaningful, so I took the novel with the best story and began a re-write. I belong to an international writing group, and we share our work and critique for each other every two weeks. For the past year that’s what I’ve done. I’m down to the last several chapters, and in spite of all the workshops and websites with advice as to how to publish, I’m stuck. Will I do anything with my story or will I chicken out?

It probably—never mind, definitely—needs a professional editor. They’re expensive. Is there a possibility that a good editor could be the difference between a hobby and a successful career move? Could I invest some money in my craft and have it become a best seller and maybe even a movie? Meh. Probably not that good. But then I’m no judge. I’m lacking objectivity.

I’ll need to make a decision in a couple of months. But in the meantime, I’m stuck