Let Sleeping Rough Drafts Lie

Outside the windows of one Pacific Northwest home (actually all of the at the moment of writing this) the wind is lashing the trees in  a wild dance and the rain is coming down in buckets. In short it is perfect weather! Perfect that is for editing. Nature had forbidden any effort out of doors and a warm cup of tea tempts an author from the counter. 
However patience is advised. When the last chapter of a work is finally wrapped up it is often tempting to start editing immediately.  However many authors find that it is best to put some head space between the wild rush of creation and the meticulus dissection of editing. Drawing artists have a similar system where they wait to judge their pictures until twenty-four hours have passed not looking at it. This author certainly finds that the editing process goes more smoothly when there is sufficient lag time.
It is speculated that this is caused by the image that the creator has in mind when the story is still fresh. An author knows what the finished product should look like and that is what the author sees whether or not that is reflected in reality just yet.   Giving it some time allows the ideal memory to fade a bit and makes it easier for the author to gauge the end result on  its own merits.