10 ways to look like a 'newbie'
5. Cause of death? Over-criting
Author, Melissa James, helpfully said to me once:
It's why they do it."
It is possible to crit your work virtually to death, ironing out any trace of individual personality, losing all the nuances that made the story special, conforming to whatever trend is selling this week.
Critting can too easily get bogged down in real line-editing type stuff at the expense of the real value of critting - structural, thematic, story-based aspects.
Which is absolutely not to say that anything you send an editor should still have typos or chronic watch-words in it, but at least leave a trace of YOU in the story.
An editor (or an agent) is far more likely to express interest in a quirky, attention-grabbing story or style with a great plot. Agents, particularly, are looking for something DIFFERENT about you, something marketable.
Clearly, you need to follow the basics of genre requirement but the message is 'loosen your tie a little' and let your voice shine through.