I totally recognize myself in your words. I was in my mid-thirties too when I write my first novel and ok, the main character was young but the novel read like it was actually written by a teenager!!
Ok, now it's only a matter of time before someone chime in and inform that if you edit as you go, your first draft will be your only draft and therefore will not suck...
Bad research or the nurturing of a breakaway group of astrophysicists hell bent on setting the record straight for the little planet that could! VIVA LA REVOLUCION!!
Well, if you edit as you go your first draft might suck less. But revision and editing are different functions - even something you've edited as you go is going to need to be re-assessed once there's a completed draft.
