How do you know when it's done?

One of my pals asked me, "When do you know the MS is done?"

I furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "When I finish my MS, I'm never sure that its done. It seems like there is always more I should do, more I should say or something I missed."

This made me think. When I submitted my novel Right Where I Need to Be, I just sent it. Okay, well I actually sent it, obsessed that I wasn't ready, and freaked that the editor would hate it. Yes, I obsess on my MS's.

What did I tell her? "It's never really done until you and the editor sign off on it and even then, you may go back and see things that needed fixed. It's a matter of what you feel comfortable with."

Once I told her this, I realized that it's a matter of opinion and a matter of quality. If you want quantity without quality, then you may breeze through changes that really need to be made. Then again, you can obsess on a change until you've run out of time. You have to find that balance that works for you.

What do you think? How would you have answered my friend's question? Let me know.

Toodles.