Learning when to loosen the reins and let your characters run free

I've been working on a holiday steampunk novella that originated as an idea for a novel. Upon learning a great press had an open call submission for winter themed steampunk novellas, I've been slaving away trying cram my novel idea into novella length. I wanted to finish a project, submit it, and have that sense of accomplishment. But then my story ate words and barely inched along. 20k in and I hadn't even come close to hitting the halfway mark in my plot. I'd been skimping on descriptions of setting and short changing relationship bonding moments between key characters.

Today, I had to give myself a stern talking to. Rushing through a project to make a deadline for a chance to get in an anthology is not the way to go about producing quality work. I have one chance to make a first impression with readers. I owe it to myself to do whatever it takes to put make that impression a positive one.

Which means: let my story unfold at a reasonable pace, allow myself room to add in details that can bring the setting and characters to life, give myself a chance to set the completed first draft aside  to marinate before revising and revising and revising some more, sending a polished draft to my critique partners for input, editing based on their feedback, reading the whole thing aloud and revising AGAIN, before taking that bold and exciting step of querying and submitting my work to publishers.

So, if you're like me, tempted to rush to the finish line for a chance to make an open call deadline, stop and ask yourself what it'll take to do your best. If you can't do your best within the time frame allotted to make the deadline, maybe you should believe in your work enough to let that open call slip by, take your time writing and REVISING your story, and trust the finished product will find a home when it's done well.