I've just finished attending an intensive week-long workshop on marketing information products on the web and one of the topics it covered that I think has applications for writers is testing.
Marketing experts constantly test the effects of different elements, such as one headline vs. another. Here's the part that I think could be useful to us as writers:
Keep testing, even when what you've got is working.
In other words, even when you've thought of a plot point that works, it might not be time yet to settle for that one. Instead, generate at least one (and ideally, two) alternatives that also could work. Often you will find that the second or third idea is better than the first--it's the difference between "good" and "even better."
Warning 1: this takes some real effort, because usually our feeling of relief that we've found ONE thing that works makes us want to move on right away.
Warning 2: If you're a perfectionist, you may have the opposite problem: never moving on because you're sure there's a better way. If that's you, after you've generated three options, choose the best one and move on!
