Taming the Foul-Tempered Beast

Published writers have two distinct qualities -- talent and the willingness to work. This combo tends to propel writers ahead into successful careers as authors. If you are so endowed, no need to read further. Just get back to work.
If you are a writer stuck in a limbo between what you think is a final draft and publishing, you most likely have two distinct qualities as well -- a sense of your own greatness and fear that you are wrong.
A sense of greatness coupled with intermittent fear tends to cause bursts of brilliance that fizzle in the light of shifting sands of iffy self-confidence.
For example, take a writer who has been dreaming of being a great novelist since childhood. He or she decides it is time to finally get to work on this dream. He’s always been successful at everything else. He's smart and determined. He buys all the books on writing. He takes classes. He quits his day job. He works like a fiend at writing.
Six months (or six years) later he has written a novel. He thinks it is very good. His wife likes it, too.
He hires an editor to make sure his novel is a good as he thinks it is.
The editor offers the sad news that this is only a draft.
If the editor is a good editor, she or he will describe all the good things the draft has going for it and then will give a list of specific things that need more work.
A good editor will avoid the phrase “this sucks” and will remain encouraging while also being honest.
But it is hard for a hopeful writer to hear anything but that the novel still needs work.
This is the point for the writer to make use of the feedback, but it isn’t easy if self doubt starts running the show.
It is much easier to think the editor is a foul-tempered beast who wouldn’t know brilliant writing if it leapt up and bit the editor on the ass.
Each writer is the final expert on his or her own writing, but the process of making good use of professional editorial feedback involves the ability to be open and objective toward comments that are offered.
If a writer cannot make use of the correct advice to write another draft, and perhaps many more drafts, the writer hits a brick wall, and the writing is stalled in an unpublishable state.
Not every editor gives perfect advice, and a writer has to learn to sort out what is valuable and what is not.
Listen, ask questions, decide, and then keep working. If publication is in your future, it will only happen if you do the work.