Independence

My seven-year-old son is growing up. All of a sudden he wants to do things by himself. I had him at work with me on Friday and he kept asking to be sent on errands, and while I did worry a little about him out there in the big bad world all alone, I let him go. And he did a fine job. He even went and bought his own lunch!

It's frightening to let him go, but at the same time, I know I need to if he's going to grow up to be any kind of responsible adult.

It's the same with manuscripts. There is a point at which you have to let it go from being that baby held against your heart and send it out into the world. And it's a frightening thing. While a book can't get mugged or kidnapped, letting it out is opening yourself to criticism and rejection. And that's scary. But at some point, a WIP has to grow up and become a manuscript that's ready to navigate the world.

But how do you decide when is the right moment?