As a map creator, you will want to test your maps before going live with them. It is indeed possible for makers to play their own maps even when they're in draft status. But changes to the map, though saved in the mapmaker, will currently not be pushed to the actual map unless you publish it. It would be good if it were possible to push the current status of the draft map in a way that wouldn't make it public for everyone! I've been told that this used to be possible, so perhaps that code is still lying around somewhere :)