After being sleepy all day, I'm wide awake. Yesterday I received unsolicited advice on what to do with the third collection I am working on these days. Due to my own self-doubt, I'm inclined to listen to advice too often. I think this time, I will trust my gut. I listened to too many voices re: SEVEN early on, and had several versions of the manuscript floating around in my head with different sections, different titles. Not good in my opinion. Trust yourself. I don't mind a second set of eyes at all, but having many eyes on a manuscript doesn't seem like such a good thing anymore. One guy who called himself an "editor" took forever to get back to me with his edits, and constantly questioned what I was doing with the title and the sections. I'm so glad I finally came to a point I could just ignore him. No doubt he will be highly critical of the book. Fact is, he rarely publishes and has an ego rooted in a high I.Q. Something like way over 170. Too much confidence coupled with insecurity. Thing is he insults everybody. He was homeless too because he couldn't get along with anyone including his bosses and landlords. Seriously, a whole string of them. So much for a high I.Q.

Anyways, I want to trust my process and my instincts, though it is difficult these days to remain confident. This can become difficult even when one is lavished with praise. Work seems key. When I am working on something hard, I can feel it improving, but it isn't good to work something to death or work the life out of something due to insecurity. This, I have hopefully learned.