Receiving Editor's Notes: Stage T

Welcome back, dear Reader! This week we're discussing the stages of receiving editor's notes. Like the stages of grief, these may not be experienced in the same order by every author, and not every author will experience every stage. Some authors may experience totally different stages. This is just me, and how I cope. I disclaimed at the beginning that I am about the farthest thing from a psychologist you'll ever find, and that this series of posts is for entertainment purposes only!The first three stages are Panic, Outrage, and Utter Despair. But, if an author can get through those stages intact, then they are golden, because the final stage of receiving editor's notes is:T - for TacklingThis is the stage where you move past all the other emotions and get down to the business of being what you are: an author! You take those notes and you tackle that project into submission. You re-write those illogical scenes and make them sit up and obey. You cut out all those superfluous adverbs and you notice that your story gets tighter, better, more compelling. You take that flat, boring character and you make him or her come alive! And that, my friends, is a glorious, magical thing.And as you tackle the monumental task of editing your story, you realize something amazing! Your editor was never trying to hurt you. They saw the faint glittering precious thing inside the rough, dusty trappings of your writing. They saw what no one else would have seen... what no one else would have even looked for, and they gently handed you a hammer - and instructed you to crack it open. It hurt, it was painstaking, you had to be meticulous, it was hard! But inside you discovered something precious, sparkling, and beautiful... something you can be proud to share with the world.So, yes, upon receiving editor's notes, we authors may P.O.U.T. a bit. But that's all just a normal part of the process. If we can look at the sea of red covering our carefully crafted papers and think, in the words of a very wise man:"Well, John, you've just been hit. The getting up is up to you." (Who can name that movie/character???)Then we can get up, and move into that final stage and emerge on the other side as better writers, better authors, and quite possibly better people. And that's it for my series on Receiving Editor's Notes. On to the next project!Just a head's up, in the past couple of weeks I hit 1,000 followers on Twitter! As a celebration, I'm having a giveaway in the near future. I have the prizes all lined up, I'm just waiting on them to arrive. So keep an eye out!Also, the Five Enchanted Roses authors and I have a fun series of "getting to know you" posts coming up soon, and we're setting it up like a game of tag, so that should be fun! I'll keep you posted (haha!) on the details.I'd love to hear from you, dear Reader and fellow-Writers! What "stages" do you go through upon receiving notes from your editor?