Why take a long break between drafts

Illustration by Lee Kyutae

I started reading Draft 3 of TUBE yesterday, in preparation for Draft 4, and I was astounded by how easy it was to see where the story was trying too hard and where I was trying too hard, and to make mental notes on cutting out those bits without mercy (I no longer write on Post-it notes like I used to, I don't follow them anyway).

I finished writing Draft 3 on March 21st. Today is June 28th, so about three months have passed. That's a significant break compared t...