Where I stand in the World of Georgia

As of late, I joined twitter (my handle is AEWrites, btw). I started doing the tweeting/following/followed thing. It was something that I fought for a while. I have a tendency to fight trends... it took me quite a while to make the switch from Myspace to Facebook, and from Notes to Bloggerdom. But, alas, I've done it. I've been tweeting away merrily and getting to know some very passionate people. (I must admit that I feel a bit like a stalker.)

 Today, I'll share my experiences with one lady in particular: Georgia.

First and foremost, she's a writer. Secondly, she's the one who started the whole #YAlitchat. She also offers editing services. And of course, as writers, we've been warned to take heed of these people, but at her reasonable "fire-starter" package price, I figured it couldn't hurt.  So I dove in, crossed my fingers, and threw caution to the wind.
Here's what I've got to say about what she said. . .

Pain. Suffering. Disappointment. But not in her... but in me. Don't worry, my ego had a quick recovery (:
Georgia cut me to the quick, well, she cut my work to the quick. She said things my test-readers either would not have known to mention or were too nice to say. Yes, it surely stung when she said things like "you lost me here" and "I'm confused about...". This is true.

 But, let's be honest here, while I'd like to throw a pity party for myself and wallow in what Libba Bray calls the "Perpetual Night of the I Suck Abyss"... I won't. I can't.

Q: How would any of that actually help my book be published?

A: It won't!

Instead, it's better that I let someone like Georgia McBride cut it down. And my storyline will flow a lot better. She asked me questions that set me on track and will keep me heading in the right direction. And believe you me, I was convinced that my intro was fairly solid... but she set me straight.

When I wrote her a thank-you for her work, telling her that I was disappointed, but that her work was invaluable, she responded. It was her response that made the most sense to me: better she make these comments than get a rejection from an agent or publisher. Amen, Georgia, amen!