After I published my second book, I got over the fear of it not being perfect. There was a lot of handholding involved on the way to acceptance, though. Thankfully, I have wonderful writing friends who didn’t mind helping me be strong. We were all in the same place at the time and understood each other well.
I mentioned that I see editing as painting the leaves on the bare branches. It’s kind of like winter turning into spring. Definitely hopeful. I have very little negativity associated with it normally, it’s all a part of the process. So, I still have no idea why I dragged my feet with editing on the last book and fear doing it again with this one, which I cannot afford to do since it’s already on preorder.
Perhaps shaking up my process, the way you described in a prior lesson, is the answer.
Cheryl