Shoes and Ships and Ceiling Wax

Or was that Sealing wax?

So I just finished reading the Best Book Ever!  Many years ago I had the opportunity to listen to CABBAGES AND KINGS by O'Henry.  It was funny, clever, and it had an ending that I NEVER saw coming (there's a reason they call it the O'Henry Twist).  As I've said in the past, audio books are great, and depending on how they're done, they can make a decent book better, a boring book entertaining, and sometimes they can even make a masterpiece boring.  I wanted to see what happened with this book, and I was not disappointed!

Sure, the book wasn't as phenomenal as I remembered, but that's not a bad thing.  It made a fantastic first impression on me, and the reread had a lot to live up to, especially since I barely remembered the story itself.  But the more I read, the more I liked the book.

It's the story of a Banana Republic in the midst of change.  Many characters come and go, and they all play a part in transforming the landscape of the little town in which they live, which in turn changes the country.  Romance afflicts two or three of the gentlemen, getting them to take risks they otherwise would never have taken.  Government corruption feeds the pockets of greedy men, and conscience only plays a role for a brief amount of time.

This book is filled with many of the basics of high-quality writing, and in my opinion, it is the one novel every writer should read.  Since it was originally written in 1904, it does have a few of the "don'ts" of modern writing, but they're so clear that they make an easy learning tool, and they never detract from the story.

Go down to your library and pick up this book.  Or download it for your Kindle or iPad.  The statute of limitations ran out years ago, making the work public domain, so the download is free.  You may get some issues with a free version, and if you do, there are copies as cheap as 99 cents.

A New Frontier

Five years ago, if asked, I would probably laugh at the idea of reading a romance novel, YA or otherwise.  Not because I held any sort of negative opinion of the genre, just simply because it's not a genre I choose to read.  I must admit I've never read a romance novel.  I've read novels with romance sub-plots, but that's never been the primary genre.

But the romance in many of the books I've enjoyed in the last five years has given me the desire to read some of the more highly recommended romance novels in the YA market.  I'm excited to go to the library to pick up ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins.  After that I'm going to look for the two books by Tara Kelly when I finish with ANNA.  Why?

Well there are many reasons.  I'll admit I am eager to read some quality romance.  But at the same, a romantic plot or sub-plot is considered vital to most YA stories.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on a bandwagon to "help my book along."  There's a romance sub-plot in the book I'm getting ready to query.  But I want to learn how to add romance to a novel in a more organic fashion.  I want it to feel more natural in my outlining process so that I don't have to fight with rewrites to get that important character-interaction/development added to my stories.

Looking back on the last dozen books I've read, only two or three are absent a romantic sub-plot.  And as a result, the character-depth is lacking.  I love characters, and I want those characters that play the parts in my book to seem as real as possible.

So that's my new frontier.  I'm venturing out into the [publishing] universe to find great romance novels, and I'm excited for the adventure, even (and especially) if the stories don't turn out the way I expect.

Life's Funny

So I planned on writing a post this morning about broadening my horizons, but then I got a call from my boss asking me to run in before the shop opened to help someone who needed gear we were storing for them.

I got down to the shop and back with enough time to get the post written, except that my cat was nowhere to be found.  That's right, I lost the little booger.  He figured out how to claw open the bottom of the box spring of my bed and then crawl inside to sleep where I can't find him.  So I didn't have time to do anything more than get a shower and get to work setting up a show we have downtown today.

I have a crazy remainder to my week, but I'll do my best to get a good post up on Friday :).

How to Write a Synopsis

We're going to assume that you don't have a contract that requires you to submit your synopsis before you write the book.  (Don't scoff: plenty of authors are required to do that.  It all depends on the genre, contract, publishing house, etc..)

So where do we begin?  Well, you've written a book.  You know what it's about, right?  Now here's the most important question: What's the character arc?  That's right, you need to put in character arc as well as story arc.  Remember, the protagonist may not be the character who arcs, but if you're writing commercial or pulp (pop) fiction, chances are the protagonist IS the arcing character.  Now if you wrote an outline before you started the book, good.  That'll give you a great place to start with your synopsis!  If not, don't worry.  Most of the steps are the same.  Now to begin!*

Step 1: Make sure you have your favorite drink available.  I stick with coffee because of its stimulating effect.  Compulsively drink said liquid until it's gone.  Stare at your computer screen, looking back and forth between the blank document that will be your synopsis and the novel you just wrote.  When you realize your cup is empty, refill it.  If necessary, run to the store to replenish your supply.  Stare at your computer some more, and the write the first paragraph that describes your story.  Make sure it's in present tense, third-person POV!  That's the ONLY consistent rule for writing a synopsis.

Step 2: Hurray!  After drinking so much liquid that you've had to go to the toilet a dozen times in three hours, you finally got the first paragraph written!  Does it accurately convey the action of the first opening scenes?  No?  Don't delete it!  Keep it on the page, write a new paragraph, using some of the ideas you write above, and when you're satisfied, THEN you can delete that first paragraph.  Now I realize this has been a difficult day, so turn off your computer.  It's time for bed.  Pick it up again tomorrow.

Step 3: Sleep in.  You got a lot done yesterday!  When you're up, repeat step 1.  Now it's time to finish that synopsis!  This is the easy part.  You're just going to describe the MOST important scenes of the plot and how the arcing character feels about them.  Make sure the character's change is clear.  Pepper in a few colorful phrases to make sure the synopsis isn't boring, but try to keep word-count to a minimum.  (Note: Industry standards vary.  Some agents and editors want one page, single-spaced.  Some want one to two pages double-spaced, and some want anywhere from three pages, single-spaced to eight pages, double-spaced.  There's no standard, and only five or six agents I've run across in the last four years even mention what they want in a synopsis.  Don't stress about it, just do the best you can).

Step 4: YAY!  You got that ENTIRE synopsis done.  It only took you two days, too.  Now it's time to send it to your writing partner/critique group/beta readers.  Enjoy this, because this will be the best feeling EVER.  Until you get your feedback.

Step 5: Bang your head against a wall, door, table, counter-top, or any other handy surface.  Try not to cry TOO much because swollen eyes are difficult to see through.  You need to see because it's time to throw out all of your hard work and start over.

Step 6: Repeat 1-4 until your feedback is EXTREMELY positive.  Avoid step 5 as much as possible.

I hope that helps.


*Disclaimer: I am not an expert at writing synopses.  Do not – I repeat – DO NOT use this advice unless it ACTUALLY helps you.  I assume ZERO responsibility for any consequences that result from using this guide.  On the other hand, if this is a successful method, I expect to see my name in your acknowledgements section.  Thank you, and have a great writing day!

No Update

I got nothin'.  It's a long day at work, so this is about all I have time for.

See you Monday :)