Coffee Morning: Distancing yourself

Thanks all for being so welcoming and chatty last week! I really do feel part of the gang now.

I promised something shorter, and different. Here goes....

Everyone* knows that the best thing to do when you've finished writing is to put it away for a good long while to get some distance from what you've written. Then, so the received wisdom goes, you can see your work with a fresh eye. See what works, what doesn't.

For most of us, though I'm guessing it doesn't always work out like that. You start writing with the best of intentions, think 'I'll be finished in plenty of time to submit to that competition' (or 'I'll be done way before that assignment is due in', for those who have done writing courses!). But - then life gets in the way, and you haven't got as much time to put it away for as you'd hoped.

Are there any ways round this?

How do you get distance from your work?**


* Probably.
** I kinda feel like Carrie Bradshaw, looking for the important questions. Hee.