Guidelines.... Plotting V's Pantsing... Rejections

When I planned my next Harl Bites, I really didn't have a plan, so to speak. I wrote this werewolf story as I almost always do, with no clue as to where it was heading - just one scene in my head which I expanded and then kept on expanding. I *love* writing like this, love watching the story unfold and surprising me. Sometimes it takes far longer, sometimes the story just flows.
The negatives to this writing style is that I found it conflicted with my Bites story. Harlequin have guidelines to follow (for good reason!) So, I pushed these boundaries, a little too far. No, not a flat out rejection, my harl editor and I came to an agreement that I'd write another Bites that fitted those guidelines better, and I'd revise and expand Moon Thrall to *hopefully* fit Ellora's Cave, which I think it will slot in quite nicely - fingers crossed!
So lesson learned. My next Bites will be at least partially plotted, guided, so to speak, whereas my Ellora's Cave stories I will let fly.
Two vastly different ways of writing... and despite it all, you wouldn't catch me wanting to do anything else!
ps - just thought I'd pop in the rainbow on my ceiling, rather uplifting!