Monday, May 14, 2007

Missing Blog


Whoops, I meant to delete an old blog I set up ages ago but managed to delete this blog instead. That's not a problem except I'll probably repeat myself now that I can't check to see if I discussed a topic before.

I spent a lot of time this week reading through my contest books, which I'm pleased to say I finished. Just have to mark the final book and send it along to the coordinator. It was my favorite of the five. However, the first few pages were not a grabber. If I'd picked this book up from the rack in the store, I would have put it back without buying, and missed a good story. This reinforces what we are constantly told by editors and agents: those first few pages sell the book - hit the reader with the action.

I need to kick some *ss this week and get my synopsis firmed up. Rewrote it a couple of times last week but I think I need another pass through. I listened to an agent panel on synopsis from one of the past RWA conferences and their advise for new writers was to "keep it simple." They read a few synopsis and first pages and critiqued them. I don't know if they picked the worst ones but even I could see what was wrong with them: convoluted, confusing, too many characters, too much emphasis on external plot and not enough on character. Sigh. So much easier to pick out the problems in other's work.

On another topic. Our chapter is considering an agent visit. It's starting to get complicated and all I can say is, thank heavens I'm not on the executive. I spent several years on the Board of our local chapter and I enjoyed it for the most part. But putting together agent/editor/famous author visits were by far the most time consuming and stressful. You just can't please everyone. But, I haven't been able to swing a conference so getting a visit from agent/editor and hearing about the market and publishing from an industry professional is worth the expense to me.

5 comments:

Julia Phillips Smith said...

Big laugh on your reaction to other people's synopsis efforts! Meanwhile, trying to write one is like trying to bleed to death, one pin prick at a time.

Unknown said...

I hate having to write synopsis, but I know they are a necessary evil. Really, I use a rough outline for writing that I can turn into a synopsis, but I find it lacks punch. Then I end up going back and rewriting the thing to death. I really need to stop doing that.

Glad your blog is back. I was worried!

Anonymous said...

Happy to have your blog back!!

I have to work on my synopsis, but I'm dreading it. However, the contest I'm entering requires one, so I guess that's one way to force me to do it.

Unknown said...

I always want to put a line like this at the end of my synopsis. "My book is better than it sounds. Really."

Kelly Boyce said...

I just finished my first stab at Brimstone's synopsis and for once it was fairly easy. Still needs tweaking but I think it's in half decent shape.

And here's hoping the agent visit all comes together. This executive is worn out and counting the days til retirement!!! Four consecutive years on the exec is enough...