TLDR: What works for one writer may not work for another. My rule is: Do the writing you fear. Do the writing you are excited about.
It’s quite possible I’ve been revising and attempting to publish short stories as a way of avoiding revising my novel. I want to do almost anything rather than revise it. I’d rather write new novels, two of them in fact.
My point is that any aspect of writing can be abused to avoid what is difficult.
My post here is inspired by this post on /r/writing in which op is concerned about over-revising rather than writing new things. Most replies center around pushing ahead and just writing to the finish, but I want to bring attention to this dissenting opinion.
The process of learning to write is all about learning what works for you and brutal self-honesty is a must. It’s so very easy to shy away from what you are afraid to do and I am afraid to revise my novel.
Fear, for me, is an excellent guide for what I should be doing. Head towards the fear and write what you fear.
But, you must also cultivate joy in the process. Write what you love to write. Those two novels I started since finishing my first are both space adventures with starships and railguns. I want to write a novel that feels like my nostalgic memory of playing Privateer 2 and X-wing vs. Tie Fighter. I’m excited about such things. That’s useful information.
Face your fears, fill your pockets with excitement and joy along the way.
Haste Writing 