Friday, March 5, 2010

I'm in LOVE!

Okay perhaps infatuation is a better word.

I was gonna write a post about the hero I've been brainstorming for my next mss and how utterly divine he is but that I'm having issues with setting his conflict directly against my heroine who is also very strong to me. But I was only playing with this mss while tring to NTA the sub that was currently sitting on someone's 'desk' in Richmond.

Anyway I've heard back on my sub, which was just over the first half of the novel. I heard back in a WEEK, which is why I'm in LOVE with the editor I'm working with. She's so kind and yet professional and helpful in her letters and she really MUST get some type of award for her speediness! Really, she must.

But you're probably all dying to know what she said, right?

At first my heart beat wildly and I almost died without reading the rest. She opened with something along the lines of my mss having strong elements but NOT QUITE achieving that elusive emotional complexity and sexual tension that I'd achieved in the partial. ARGH. Fighting the urge to slam the laptop shut and bang my head against the wall, I jumped to the end of the letter to find my fate.

Bottom line was despite a number of revisions on what I sent, she STILL wants to see my full.

Am excited by the fact I still have a full request and hugely daunted by what I must do in order to sub it.

The revisions all make HUGE sense. Everytime I read a revision letter I find myself thinking - of course! Why didn't I see that?

But once again - as seems to be the case with a lot of revision letters doing the rounds lately - I was relying more on convenient plot devices than following the true nature of my hero and heroine.

So now... it's kinda back to the drawing board. Allowing my heroine to feel angry about seemingly being used for sex and my hero to really feel the guilt and betrayal of his late wife while feeling immense attraction to the heroine!

Wish me luck! And I promise I'll try to write less self-centred posts in future!

15 comments:

Becca said...

You can so do this babe. You are on track, just keep on keeping on!
Hugs!!

Jane said...

This is so awesome!!! Congratulations, and good luck on the next stage.
Jane xx

Janette Radevski said...

Hehe - yep that ed is on some kind of nitro! And yes - you CAN CAN do this (had to do two CAN's cause two are always better than one.

Rachael Johns said...

Thanks so much Becca, Jane and Janette! Am letting it all digest for a few days and then will throw myself into it!!
xox

Angie Peters said...

That's fantastic, Rach! Good luck with the full - sounds positive.

Keep us posted with your progress :)

Lacey Devlin said...

Congrats Rach!! That's so exciting! I'm thrilled to know someone else out there did the exact same thing as me with their plot devices. I think they're sneaky and get you when you're tired (either that or I have bad writing habits ;) ).

Rachael Johns said...

Thanks Angie!

And yep Lacey - I'd like to blame the sleep dep too :)

Caroline said...

Fantastic news! Go for it girl! Caroline x

Joanne Coles said...

Oh yay, Rach!!

So happy for you. I hope you nail the full :-)

Jackie Ashenden said...

As you know, huge jealousy on the speedy front. :-) And fab news on the revisions. No really, it's great because now you know what's needed! And like everyone else has said you can definitely do it!

Mel Teshco said...

The end is really in sight now Rach! Go for it =)

Christina Phillips said...

Ooh Rach! Fab news, I'm so pleased for you. And how wonderful to hear back from your editor in a week!!!

Rachael Johns said...

Thanks so much Caroline, Joanne, Jackie, Mel and Christina. I'm feeling so very nervous at the moment, so your support means SO much!

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

Brilliant news - congratulations.

X

Kat said...

wow wow wow! So speedy, and such good news! :o)

Really excited for you, lots of luck for you going forward. You can do it!!!!!

Jo
x