Is it me, or does anyone else, about to get a professional review, feel absolutely terrified at the prospect?

It may be 'professional' but it's still only one person's opinion. It worries me a little when someone's ego, self worth and writing future seem to depend so heavily on one thing, a thing that's completely out of your control.

Goldfish, I understand your fear.

I have been putting off submitting my writing to a prize I won to have it submitted to an editor. I won it 4 months ago and still can't bring myself to consider it good enough to send to her. (partly because I haven't had much time to edit it)

I think my self worth etc is not wrapped up in it, as is Lin's point, but rather that if the review goes 'phew, this sucks' then it may be I won't be able to summon the energy to begin again.
Is that how you are feeling a bit Goldfish?
And Kazz, you must know you're going to get a good review. JAC is fab!

Exactly susie.
Any bad review can suck the energy out of your story I think, if only for that initial downer. And I don't want to delay finishing my work. And i don't want to spend energy and time convincing myself its ok to keep at it regardless. But I suppose it only takes a short while to get over the bad feeling of any unpleasant review and turn it around to getting as much out of it as you can.
And by the way, getting the chance to send work to an editor is in a different leauge entirely than simply sitting around waiting for a review that might be one skimpy paragraph long. Please dont squander your opportunity.

Susie, your post demonstrates perfectly what's dangerous about hanging around on YWO for too long.

You become stuck in a bubble and scared of sending your baby out into the big, wide world. Don't squander such a great opportunity. If you're serious about your writing, you have to submit it to agents and editors at some point. Yes, you might get rejected - on the other hand, you might get signed up. And, unlike the normal submission process, this is an editor who is actually waiting to read your work. What does it say to them if you delay, or worse still, don't send it off?

Goldfish, I'm not sure why you got so antsy over Lin's comment. Seemed pretty fair to me. Maybe you have a healthy sense of self-worth (good on you), but I'm sure a lot of people hang way too much on their pro-crit. And if you're 'not bovvered' why start a thread entitled, 'scary'? Lin's right. It is just one opinion. Just as one agent may turn you down and another snap you up.

Personally - and this is not a dig - I think, if you've had one pro-crit you shouldn't be entitled to another. Even if you've re-written the piece. You've had your shot, take the comments on board and let someone else get some professional feedback.

x 'Stay away from your potential. It's like your bank balance. There's never as much of it as you think.'