purple pen

Four single-spaced pages. That's my revision letter...along with the complete manuscript (which my editor marked with purple pen). After sweating for so long, the letter left me feeling energized instead of anxious. Yes, I can handle this...just as long as Julie remains my own personal pep rally, encouraging me to write the best possible novel.

The letter opened on a sweet note (Did she really enjoy reading my story for the ten thousandth time?) and mentioned specific scenes that needed more work. Nothing too drastic. My sentences mostly stayed the same (although Julie knocked out every unneeded "But," "Then" or "And.") She even took the time to write a few compliments in the margins. For every "nice image," I broke into a grin. It was Kate who suggested that I put back all the description that the other agents told me to axe.

More proof that my editor kicks ass: This morning I found a package on my doorstep. Inside was a forest of crinkly green paper and a bag of biscotti--my favorite treat to dunk in coffee. You can bet that I'll be slurping buckets over vacation.