Publish it while it still makes you a little nervous. That’s usually the sign it’s honest.

The nerves usually mean something real is in there. Work that scares you slightly contains an actual opinion, or a detail you would rather nobody knew, and that is precisely the part strangers respond to. Polishing until it feels safe tends to mean sanding off the one thing that made it recognizably yours.

Set a point where you stop improving and post. Notice whether the last few edits are making it better or only making it less exposed. If they are the second kind, put them back and press the button.