on Fiction University:

If you’ve seen any of my other posts, you know I’m a pantser and, like many of my pantser-mates, I’m happiest letting a story unfold as I write and chasing down whatever breadcrumbs the characters leave behind for me. So, imagine the fear that came with an almost complete rewrite of a manuscript with a deadline of five weeks. Yeah, not much room for meandering there.

When the editorial letter came in, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or update my resume and look for a job as llama groomer.

Let me just say that I adore the editor I’m working with and her vision for the manuscript was insanely on point. She knew exactly what I wanted but hadn’t quite figured out how to get onto the page. The gift she gave me (other than the grey hairs and bags under my eyes), was a renewed energy for my story.

But renewed excitement or not, there was the minor detail of turning the manuscript around within the deadline.