At long last, the critique of my manuscript for Oh Mother Where Art Thou? arrived!
I’ll share the last paragraph, because it was the one that gave me the most hope:
Debbie, I think you have rich possibilities for a novel in this draft once you catch the wave and enjoy what fiction has to offer the reader – and you. Anything can happen – let it be wild, fun, surprising, and also true to your vision. This, of course, is not easy, but if you steer in this direction, your book will start to sail free of convention, let go of realism as the highest goal, and when it starts to entertain YOU, you’ll know you’re on the right track. I wish you all the best as you enter the next draft.
The previous five pages of the critique overwhelmed me to the point where I wondered if I just needed to completely start over. The story I thought I was telling was not the same story the editor read and absorbed. But with the passage of time, several re-reads of the critique, and new interesting ideas bursting into my brain, I’ve pivoted to actually feeling excited about the next steps!
