Rewrite.

I'm going to let my story rest for a while, then I'm going to write it over.

Yes.  I'm going to rewrite the whole thing.  Why?  It's not working.  It's not... enough.  This story means a lot to me, and I'm not good enough to write it yet.  The manuscript has a  thousand little snarls that I can't untangle.  Not plot problems, just... oh, I don't even know how to explain it.  It's not right yet.

I care about this story, and I don't want to put it out there until it's as good as I can possibly make it.  I think this is the way to do it.

In the meantime, I'm going to revisit my first attempt at a novel.  I still think the story could be a good one, and I have a few random ideas that will make it better.  I'm not giving up my goal to submit something for publication in 2011, either.  I have a flash fiction piece (a VERY short story) in the works, and I know where I want to send it.  I will submit it by the end of the year.  I'm also toying with the idea of starting a new novel, so I feel like I'm moving forward instead of backward.  I hesitate to do this is because I don't want to feel like I'm starting, starting, starting, and never finishing.  At the same time, something fresh might renew my writing spirit.  I do have a few intriguing ideas I'd like to hammer out.  We'll see.