Breaking My Own Rules

I've taken a break from my work in progress to let it escape my mind for a little bit. I am up over 48,000 words at this point--the goal is between 65 and 68K. I usually would just let it sit until I can return to it with fresh eyes so that I can see the gaps in the story line, but I gave my manuscript to my grandmother for her to read.

This goes against a lot of rules that I have for myself. One,  don't let others read a manuscript until it is finished. Two, don't let family read drafts until they are complete.

I broke these rules for a couple reasons. One, I really value my grandma's opinion when it comes to literature. She reads probably 100 books a year. I read 31 last year. She reads primarily mysteries and thrillers. My WIP is a thriller. This leads to point #2: she has a good eye for what works and what does not. I am at a point where if something doesn't work, I would need to rewrite a good chunk of the manuscript. I don't want to do work I don't necessarily need to. Point #3, I want to finish this as quickly as possible.

Maybe this is laziness on my behalf. I don't think it is, though. Well, at least I hope it's not. I've never been more excited about a piece that I've written and I think that this book has a good deal of potential. I am excited to finish it, but I have become too submerged within the story line. I know what happens in a linear order, but I didn't write the book in a linear manner, so I need fresh eyes to help me point out what eventually works and what fails completely. Could I do this myself? Of course I could. But I would need at least a month away from it. Having my grandma read it saves me a lot of time. This is a big advantage for me, so I am breaking my rules in this instance.