Stop Writing To Think

This probably sounds crazy, but I sometimes feel so caught up in the need to use any spare moment for writing that I forget to take time to think. As I move along with rephrasing, adding emotions, or enriching descriptions, I'm thinking, but not deeply enough.

It's usually a comment by a critique buddy that makes me stop and really consider one of the elements I've put into my story. Does it need to be there? Why did I put that there? How can I make it work? Lately, I've been stopping a lot, even for elements that seem to be working, to think, 'What if...'

And it's been exciting. Even when I thought I had my story all worked out, thinking about what might happen if one element was a little different has led me to changes that increase tension, deepen character motivation and streamline the plot.

Do you ever ask "what if" when you're revising?