Beyond the First Draft–More on Cutting
Mary asked for more on the subject of cutting when it comes to revising our manuscripts. As my former crit partners and current editors will attest, I may not be the best person to counsel others on this topic. But as I have sat through plenty of classes and workshops, as well as done and received tons of crits, I’ll try to pass along the advice I’ve heard over the years. I hope everyone reading this will post a comment with your take on the matter, too.
- If you can, once you finish your first draft, set it aside for several weeks, if not several months. That way, when you come back to it, you’re fresher and will be able to be more objective about it.
- This pains me to say. Cut as many adjectives as you can. (Ouch.) Adverbs, too. Do a search for “ly”–and click on “Find all occurrences” in the main document. It will select all of them. You can then highlight them or change the font color to red or hot pink and then as you read through it (on screen, anyway), you’ll see all of your adverbs. (Yes, it’ll mark words like only and family, as well, but it’s still really helpful). Replace adjectives and adverbs with strong, concrete, descriptive nouns and verbs. (See Showing vs. Telling—Puppets, Cartoon Characters, or Live Action? for some examples.)
- While on the subject of finding and highlighting—do a “find all occurrences” for was and were. Sometimes these verbs are necessary. Most of the time, though, they’re a sign of passive writing. Was going is twice as long as went.
- How much do you describe your characters and setting? (Another “ouch” for me.) Is all description necessary? This is where having crit partners comes in handy, because what we think might be necessary, they may think is quite unnecessary and drags down the pace of the story.
- Do you have any scenes that are mainly just for character development, but don’t really move the story forward? On a recent round of crits on Ransome’s Honor, my crit partners dinged me for a scene that I love, that explains some background of William and his friends Collin & Susan—but looking at it objectively, it’s not really important to the progress of the story. It’s just a fun anecdote for William to tell his younger sister. Which means it needs to go (wah!).
- I believe Sol Stein in Stein on Writing and Don Maass in Writing the Breakout Novel both state that most writers begin scenes too early and end them too late. Scenes should start in medias res or “in the middle of a sequence of events.” We don’t need to see the character getting out of bed, taking a shower, brushing his teeth, getting dressed, fixing breakfast, and then getting into the car. A scene with greater impact is to open with the character in his car, juggling his toast, cell phone, and coffee, and then suddenly careening off the side of the road. So see if you can cut scenes down by starting them later. Make sure you then end the scene quickly and efficiently—preferably with a hook. Drop a bomb and then drop the curtain. Leave the reader wanting more.
- Do you use “he said” dialogue tags with most of your dialogue—and have action going along with the dialogue? In most places, you’ll find that you can cut the “said” dialogue tags and still keep the speaker attribution clear with the action going on with the dialogue.
All right—now it’s y’all’s turn. When you edit, how do you tighten everything up and cut your prose down to a polished flow?
Beyond the First Draft–Face-to-Face Pitch Sessions
As most of my regular readers know, the ACFW national conference is just TWENTY-ONE DAYS away. In addition to figuring out what we’re going to wear (and how to pack it all) and where we’re going to go to dinner Wednesday and Friday nights, we’re also working on our dreaded synopses, proposals, pitch sheets/one-sheets, and maybe even revisions on our manuscripts.
One of the things I think we put off as long as possible thinking about are the editor and/or agent appointments we signed up for when we registered.
Well, I have good news!
If you have gone through the process detailed in this series—writing your one-sentence, one-paragraph, one-page, and full synopses; writing your proposal; writing your query letter; writing your pitch sheet and/or one-sheet—you already have the information you need to be able to prepare for your face-to-face pitch sessions.
Now is the time when I have to admit I’ve only done two face-to-face editor pitches. One was at the 2004 ACFW conference, the other was my last residency of grad school. The first was a trial-run, just practice. It was also a lesson in why we probably shouldn’t pitch books we haven’t finished writing. I was asked for a full and only had ten chapters. It was almost two years later before I had a full manuscript, and by then, that editor had left that particular publishing house. The second time around, I was pitching because I had to—it was a requirement for all fourth- and fifth-term students to pitch to one of two editors or the agent who attended our residency that week. Because the editor I had an appointment with was with a secular publishing house with no interest in inspirational—or even “sweet”—romances, I knew going into the meeting that I had nothing to lose. Again, this was just an exercise in gaining experience. It did turn out to be a good experience—the editor told me that if it were up to her, she would request a full, but since she knew her company wouldn’t publish it, we left it at that.
Earlier this week, Gina Conroy published a post about editor/agent appointments over at her blog, Writer . . . Interrupted. In fact, if you visit most writers’ blogs, you have a pretty good chance at finding a post about face-to-face editor/agent pitch sessions—and lots of advice of what to do/what not to do. So I’ve gathered and compiled some information into a list of tips:
- Take a bulleted list of plot points to look at while giving your pitch. It’s more impressive if you can talk through the gist of the story without having to read it off a page.
- Before your face-to-face, find several friends/acquaintances to sit down with to practice your pitch. It’s helpful if at least one person does not know what your story is about—they’ll be able to spot holes in your description of the story. Crit partners or others who’ve read your story will be able to remind you of important parts you may have left out.
- Make eye contact. For introverts, this can be one of the hardest things in the world. But eye contact is a subconscious indicator of confidence.
- Be confident but not cocky. Having a fifteen-minute face-to-face pitch session is a privilege for you, not them. They’re just doing their job.
- Don’t just rush into your pitch as soon as you sit down. Take a deep breath and give the editor/agent a chance to start the conversation.
- Talk slowly and clearly. When we’re nervous, we tend to speed up and jumble/skip syllables. Listen to yourself as you talk. Be conscious of the way words are coming out of your mouth.
- Editors/agents are just people. They’re not out to “get” you.
- You have nothing to lose. I know it’s cliché; but, really, the worst they can do is smile benignly, shake your hand, thank you, and not ask for a submission. They’re not going to yell or scream at you. They’re not going to laugh at you. They’re not going to throw things at you.
- You have everything to gain. You owe it to yourself to do this. You owe it to yourself to be excited about your writing and about your potential as an author. You’ll never be a published author unless you start submitting/pitching. And now, even in the CBA, most publishing houses are closed to unsolicited/unagented submissions—unless you have met with the editor at a conference and they’ve requested a submission.
- Rack it up to experience. Even if they don’t ask you for a submission, if you plan to have a few minutes left at the end (which is hard to do in a 15 minute session, I know), you can ask the editor/agent if they have any advice for you on what you can do to improve your story and/or your pitch.
- Have fun. Everyone responds better to someone who is having fun than someone who is a nervous wreck. Smile. Laugh. Have a great time.
Okay, now it’s your turn. What’s your advice when it comes to pitch sessions? What’s been your best/worst experience?
Beyond the First Draft—The Pitch Sheet and One-Sheet
One Sheet to tell them all;
One Sheet to sell them,
One Sheet for promoting all
And in the pitch impress them.
Okay, so maybe rewording Tolkien’s One Ring poem isn’t the best way to promote my own writing skills. But hey, it was fun.
If you were to place an advertisement in a prominent writing magazine about yourself as a writer, what would it look like? Lots of graphics? A photo of you? A description of all your works or just one title? Previous publications?
There are two approaches to creating these marketing tools: (1) a pitch sheet for a single title/series or (2) a one-sheet that includes information about multiple titles/series, even across different genres.
What’s the difference and which should you do?
Frankly, the more I’ve learned about these, the more I think every author should have both. (Why is one hyphenated and the other isn’t? That’s just the way I did it.)
The pitch sheet is an important tool to have to use as a leave-behind after editor pitch sessions at conferences. It focuses only on the single title or series you are pitching to that particular publishing house. And if your book/series crosses a couple of genres, you can do a pitch sheet for it as a fantasy novel and a pitch sheet for it as a romance novel (just make sure you give the right pitch sheet to the right editor). The pitch sheet uses many of the elements that you put in your proposal:
- Half-page synopsis of the book
The one-paragraph author bio
Your photo (good, professional-quality headshot)
Your contact information
Your agent’s contact info (if applicable)
A one-sheet is more of an overview of you as an author, giving information about all of the titles/series you are currently pitching. There are two uses for this. If you are a single-genre author (like me), your one-sheet can be used as a leave-behind in an editor appointment to show them how much more than just one title you have to offer. If you’re a multiple-genre writer, your one-sheet is a great leave-behind for agents you may meet with. It shows them the depth of your writing experience. On a one-sheet, you would usually include:
- One-paragraph author bio
Information about the titles/series you have written/are writing
Your photo (good, professional-quality headshot)
Your contact information
Your agent’s contact info (if applicable)
The reason I think we should consider doing both a single-title pitch sheet and an author-overview one-sheet is because it gives us so many more options of what information we can give to prospective editors and agents. Of course, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too many sheets (keeping each sheet in a separate labeled and/or color-coded file is a great idea). But you also don’t want to turn off a potential editor by handing her a one-sheet that may make her feel you aren’t focused solely on writing the genre of book she’s looking for. This is one of those “use your best judgment” calls as to what you choose to do.
What should the pitch-sheet/one-sheet look like?
You.
Your pitch-sheet/one-sheet should represent you as a professional writer. Even though you have more leeway with using colors, graphics, and images, this is still a BUSINESS form. If you don’t have experience with graphic design or desktop publishing programs, don’t frustrate yourself and turn out something mediocre or that’s a jumble of information when a text document that’s clean and reads easily will reflect better on you.
Unlike the query letter, proposal, synopsis, here color does work—as long as it still looks professional. As I mentioned before—imagine you’re creating a flyer to be inserted into a magazine or newspaper. How would you capture people’s attention and make them want to buy your book(s)?
Look in writers’ magazines or something like Publisher’s Weekly or Romantic Times for author/book ads to see how publishing houses promote their authors/titles. Obviously, since your pitch-sheet/one-sheet is for unpublished materials, you won’t have a book cover to use for graphic interest, but is there some other graphic you can use? If your book is set in Paris, find a great graphic photo of the Eiffel Tower. Is it a historic romance set in the South during the Civil War? How about the iconic image of Oak Alley plantation. Don’t go to the trouble of designing your own book cover. That may actually turn editors off. But using one iconic image that will immediately set the mood and tone for your novel can help enhance interest.
Is it worth paying someone to put one together for you?
I don’t think so. No one knows you and your books better than you do. However, if you really feel that you cannot do an adequate job, it might be worth trying to find someone who can put together something with good visual impact. But remember—what’s most important about a pitch sheet/one-sheet is the information about your writing, not about whether you can wow them with great graphics and layout.
Pitch sheets/one-sheets I’ve seen run the gamut from looking like resumes to looking like newsletters to looking like professionally designed magazine ads. The most important thing to keep in mind is: don’t overwhelm the page with tons and tons of text. Again—study ads in magazines and newspapers. The ones that look better have the text broken up into sections. Those that do have a lot of text may use different fonts or blocks of color (or both) to break up the information so that it doesn’t just look like one big blob of black text on a white background. Be careful with the fonts you choose and make sure to pick those that are easy to read—and that represent the flavor of what you write. If you write thrillers, you probably won’t want to do your header in a frou-frou/scripty font. Don’t overdo it with using a ton of different fonts, either.
Having done this research, here’s my pitch sheet (printed front-and-back) and here’s my one-sheet.
What does your pitch sheet/one-sheet look like? What have you had success with? What just hasn’t worked?
Beyond the First Draft–Preparing the Perfect Proposal
Guess what—there are as many ideas of what the “perfect proposal” entails as there are editors and agents. So what I’ve done is go out and gather as much information as I can to give a general overview of what a Fiction Novel Proposal should contain.
So far we’ve moved from the Dreaded Synopsis (shows your writing voice, but is pretty much a cut-and-dry summary of your story) to the Query Letter (opens with a bang, gives a quick one or two paragraph “pitch” of your story). Now’s when your self-marketing skills will really come in handy.
The proposal is where you really brand yourself as a writer. It’s where you show the agent/editor that you’re so much more than just 100,000 words of a story written down on paper. It’s where you show them you understand the industry, you understand what they’re looking for, you know who your competitors are, and you realize that 80%+ of the marketing for a published novel is done by the author.
So what should a fiction proposal include?
Genre: This is where you must clearly identify what type of fiction you have written. For some of us, this is pretty clear-cut: Contemporary Inspirational Romance, Science Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery—in other words, the more standard genre labels. For others, you may have to tweak your label depending on the house it’s being submitted to: if your story includes fantasy, thriller, and romantic elements, you don’t necessarily want to label it as a Fantasy Thriller Romance. It’ll come across as if you aren’t sure exactly what you’ve written. If you’re pitching it to a publishing house that is looking for fantasy novels, you might want label it as a Fantasy novel and explain in the overview that it is a fantasy novel with thriller and romantic elements.
Target Market: Who’s realistically going to read your book? Sure, we want to say that our audience is the mass market, but for most of us, that’s not the case. Once you define your genre, do your research on reader demographics of who actually reads what you’re writing.
Promo Sentence: This is your one-sentence pitch.
Sales Blurb: This is the blurb-sentence that you typically see on the front cover of a novel. Not a full one-sentence pitch, but a short hook.
One-Paragraph Pitch: This can be the same paragraph you used in your query letter. About 75–100 words—what you would write as your own back-cover copy.
Competitive Titles: This is your chance to prove that you know the industry. List the Title, Author, and Publisher of about five to ten titles that are similar to yours in genre/theme.
Overview of the Book: This is not a synopsis. This is a description of the themes, voice, “flavors,” concepts, ideals, and “moral of the story” found in the book. It’s also a place to describe the series if the book is part of one. It’s where you delineate your hero’s quest, his (or her) goals, motivations, and conflicts. Concentrate this part (one paragraph to half a page) on explaining what’s at stake in the story and what readers are going to walk away with after reading it. If it’s an inspirational novel, what is the spiritual lesson(s) learned? What is the scriptural basis for this?
About the Author: This is the same information that you used in your query letter: who are you (as an author) and what are your qualifications? Unlike the query letter, here this is typically in third person.
Promotion/Marketing Ideas: Here’s where you can wow the agent/editor by listing a few ideas of how you plan to promote/market the book once its published. Do you have connections with book clubs? Association memberships through which you can announce/market your book’s release? Ideas for tie-ins, retailer promotions, packaging, giveaways? If you are a published author, what have you done successfully in the past to promote your books? If you are unpublished, this is a great place to show potential agents/editors how you are already working to build name recognition.
As I mentioned before, there are as many different formats for proposals as there are agents/editors. In fact, most agents will have either a list of information to include or will actually post sample proposals they like (such as at MacGregor Literary).
And here, for your viewing pleasure, is my proposal for Stand-In Groom (which used to be titled Happy Endings Inc.).
Updated to include:
Proposal for the Ransome Trilogy (published)
Proposal for the Great Exhibition series (Books 1-2 published)
Fun Friday—The Middle Name Meme
My crit partner Erica tagged me on this . . .
The Rules:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
My middle name is Nell.
N—Nonconformist. I’ve never felt obligated to do something just because everyone else is doing it. When I was in junior high, I went out for the volleyball team even though all the other girls in my (very small) class wanted me to be cheerleaders like them. I’m a girl who LOVES football and action movies (and yet still single—hmmm . . .) but also writes romance novels.
E—Educated. I know, not all that interesting. But something I’m awfully proud of—after dropping out of college at age 21, I went back as a part-time, nontraditional student at age 29 and completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
L—Laid-back. I don’t get uptight about much. Okay, maybe when I’m in traffic, or when someone is supposed to be meeting me and they’re late.
L—Loyal. It takes me a long time to build relationships with people, but once I do, I’m loyal almost to a fault, and willing to overlook and forgive almost anything.
Beyond the First Draft—The Query Letter
***Update (2017)***
This post was written nearly ten years ago, and much has changed in the industry. Most agents and editors (probably around 99.9%) are now taking only electronic submissions, so you need not worry about paper, envelope, SASE, or any of the physical aspects of the query letter.
However, do still pay attention to how your query letter is formatted. Even though it’s an email, it’s still formal business correspondence, so go ahead and format it that way—from the name and address of the recipient to your closing salutation and “signature.”
Best rule of thumb on whether to do a physical/snailmail letter or an e-mail is to visit the agent/editor’s website and view their submission guidelines. Or ask specifically if you have a face-to-face appointment.
***
Learning how to write a good query letter is something that every writer needs to do. It can serve you in so many functions, not just in submitting fiction proposals. I actually learned the basics of writing a query letter in a magazine writing course I took as an undergrad . . . along with some input from one of the editors at the newspaper where I worked at the time. So, if you want to be published—whether it’s a novel or an article about ice fishing in the Alaskan outback—spend some time practicing your query letter writing skills.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE QUERY LETTER
Your query letter is your introduction to an editor/agent. You do not want to immediately label yourself as a “newbie” or an amateur when they open the envelope. So here are a few tips about the letter’s technical appearance:
Paper: Just like any other business correspondence, your query letter should be on white or ivory business/stationery-grade stock paper. Resume paper is great for this. Regular white paper (20-24 lb. stock) is okay if you cannot afford the nicer paper. Stay away from colored paper or “stationery” with graphic borders. And whatever you do, don’t use scented paper!
Envelope: If you are sending just the query letter (not a full proposal with sample chapters), try to get envelopes that exactly match your paper in color/weight. In the U.S., the standard envelope size is #10 to fit a tri-folded piece of 8.5×11″ paper. If you don’t already know how to do it, figure out how to print the address directly onto the envelope. This will look much more professional than labels or hand-writing it. If you are sending a full proposal, use one of the flat-rate letter envelopes available for free at the post office. You can print your own label at home to use on these envelopes (Avery 5164—3.33″ x 4″—or the equivalent store-brand label is great for this).
SASE (Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope): “Self-Addressed” should be self-explanatory. For the return address, you can use either the address of the editor/agent you are querying or your own. If you use your own, you may want to include some kind of code (initials, or if you keep some kind of submission record, the number of that particular submission) so that you know whom it’s from when the envelope appears in the mail. And great news for writers, with this most recent postage increase, the USPS introduced a forever stamp that doesn’t expire when the next rate hike comes along. Buy some of these and then you never have to worry about whether your SASE has enough postage or not! Tri-fold the SASE to put it into the mailing envelope. If it’s going in with a full proposal in the flat-rate mailer, it doesn’t have to be folded. If you want your full proposal returned to you, be sure to enclose another flat-rate mailer with the appropriate amount of postage (a stamp, not the dated-printed postage the postal worker prints for the outside envelope).
Colors and fonts: It’s okay to use a little spot-color on your letter—(see the posted example of mine, which has a little color in the letterhead). But don’t use colored fonts. If you’re going to design your own letterhead, make sure it looks professional and uses a professional-looking font—nothing too froufy or frilly (like scripty or calligraphic fonts). Remember, this is a business letter.
Format: Your query letter is the same as any standard business letter, so it should be written in standard block-letter format. Examples:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/BusLetter_Block.html
http://www.writeexpress.com/business-letter-format.html (this one’s great, because it shows how many line spaces to leave for each component)
CONTENTS OF THE QUERY LETTER
Some editors/agents are now accepting electronic (e-mail) queries. For that, you don’t have to worry about any of the technical aspects except for the block-letter format and colors/fonts info—you’ll still want to make sure your e-mail is laid out just like you would do it if you were printing it for snail-mail.
Addresses: If you are not using your own letterhead, be sure to include all of your contact information at the top of the letter. Do not address your query letter (or the envelope) to Dear Editor/Sir/Madam or To whom it may concern. Nothing else will get your query tossed into the trash faster (except maybe misspelling the editor/agent’s name). Show them you’ve done your research—address it by name, complete with title: Mr. Agent Alberts, Ms. Editor Edwards. You do not have to use the person’s job title, but it sure does look better if you do (but only if you’re 100% sure it’s correct):
Mr. Agent Alberts
Literary Agent
Ms. Editor Edwards
Fiction Acquisitions Editor
Salutation: Just in case you haven’t picked up on it yet, remember–this is a BUSINESS letter. Show off how professional you can be:
Dear Mr. Alberts:
Dear Ms. Edwards:
Opening Paragraph: What goes in your first paragraph is different based on whether or not you’ve discussed this query with the agent/editor beforehand. If you have, you should thank them for speaking with you and mention the specific event when it occurred:
- Thank you so much for meeting with me at the 2007 ACFW Conference in Dallas, and for extending the invitation to submit Happy Endings Inc.
If you have not spoken with this particular editor/agent, just start off with a bang—and with exactly what it is you’re querying. This is the second paragraph if you have spoken with them previously.
- Wedding bells are ringing! Happy Endings Inc. is a complete, 90,000-word contemporary inspirational romance with a Cajun flavor that will leave readers hungry for more.
This is when your research into the publishing houses becomes vital. For example, if I sent this query letter to HeartSong Presents, they would know by the second sentence that they’re not interested—because they’re looking for stories half the length of the one I’ve just mentioned.
Story summary: Try to keep this to one paragraph—and this is where you use that one-paragraph summary I mentioned before (see 2b). This is a quick overview of the plot, introduction to the characters, and a hint at the internal and external (and spiritual) conflicts. Obviously in one paragraph, you don’t want to go into too much detail. Remember, unlike the dreaded synopsis, this is a marketing piece—more like back cover copy than just a dry recap of the story.
Marketing info: Is this the first book in a series? If so, what’s the series about? Give a little more info here on the mass-appeal of your book. Who is the target audience? What’s the tone/theme? Does it deal with any serious social issues? In this short paragraph, give a little more information on the book and what its broader message is.
About the author: Who are you and what qualifications do you have for writing this novel? If this is a nonfiction query letter (for a freelance article, for example), you would use this paragraph to explain your background with the subject matter. This is not where you share your life story. Unless your story deals with a mom raising a family with five kids, the editor/agent doesn’t need to know you have a passel of little ones underfoot (in fact, it’s probably better not to tell them that). What is your writing background? What other things have you written for publication (even unpaid markets, such as in-house newsletters at work or the quarterly for your RWA chapter)? If you have published titles with other traditional publishers or e-publishers (not self-published), give the title and name of the publisher. Be prepared to provide sales figures if asked, but do not include them in the query letter. What kind of education in writing have you pursued (conferences count)? Are you a member of any professional writing organizations (national groups such as ACFW, ACW, RWA MWA; and local chapters/groups too). Make sure everything in this paragraph relates to (a) your experience as a writer and/or (b) specific elements of the story.
In closing: Just like the opening paragraph, there are two ways to close the query:
- If you are interested, I can send you a full proposal along with synopsis and three sample chapters. I look forward to hearing from you.
Or
- Keep the query letter down to one page in length
- 1″ margins, 11–12 point font (11 if you are using a “large” font like Arial or Georgia, 12 if you are using Times New Roman)
- Be professional. Just in case I haven’t gotten the point across yet, this is a business letter, even if it’s an e-mail.
- Don’t call an editor/agent to ask if they’ve received your query the week after you send it. If you have not heard back from them in three to four months, then follow up with them.
- Be confident but not pompous. Talk only about your story—not about the fact you feel it’s going to be the next runaway best-selling title with the possibility of multi-million dollar movie rights looming on the horizon.
- DO NOT apologize for being an unpublished author. Calling attention to your lack of publishing experience will not encourage an editor/agent to want to work with you.
- Don’t say anything along the lines of: “If there’s anything in the manuscript you see that you don’t like, I’ll be happy to revise.” This smacks of lack of confidence in the strength of your story.
- Simultaneous submissions are typically frowned upon, especially by agents. If you’re submitting to multiple agents/houses, don’t mention it in the letter.
- “I think you’re the most wonderful editor ever, and I really want to work with you.” Flattery will get you nowhere. Again, it comes across as more of a lack of confidence in your own ability/story.
- EDIT, EDIT, EDIT, EDIT, EDIT, EDIT. Then when you’re finished editing it, get your crit partners, English professor, or a freelance copy editor to read it for any mistakes (you can find freelance copy editors at The Christian Editor).
- Most important of all—GET IT WRITTEN AND GET IT OUT THERE!
- Enclosed is the proposal, synopsis, and first three chapters of Happy Endings Inc. I appreciate your time in reviewing my submission and look forward to hearing from you.</ul
A FEW TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND
SAMPLE QUERY LETTER:
Happy Endings Inc. Query Letter
Beyond the First Draft–The Dreaded Synopsis
I hate writing synopses. And I don’t think I’m unique amongst writers (just Google “dreaded synopsis”). And writing about writing the dreaded synopsis may turn out to be just as difficult. But I’m going to give it a shot.
First and foremost—familiarize yourself with the kind of synopsis your targeted publishing house requests. Most will want a “normal” synopsis (about one double-spaced synopsis page per 10,000 words of your novel). Some may have a page limit (no more than five to seven pages). A few want a chapter-by-chapter synopsis, and even fewer may request an outline instead of a synopsis.
What are some of the most important things to know about writing a synopsis?
Format:
Double-spaced (a one-page synopsis should be single-spaced)
1-inch to 1.25-inch margins (same as your manuscript)
Same font as your manuscript
Header on every page: Last Name/Book Title in upper left corner — page number in upper right corner)
Present tense. The synopsis is always written in present tense. (He goes, she realizes, he understands, she screams.)
Third person. The synopsis is also always written in third-person POV—even if the novel itself is written in first person.
Start with a bang. Just like you want to hook readers with the opening line/paragraph of your story, you want to do the same with your synopsis. This can be done by using your one-sentence pitch line.
Introduce the characters. Make sure you establish your POV characters at the very beginning of the synopsis. You can set the names in ALL CAPS or in Small Caps to make them stand out. Then, establish motives.
Cover all important plot points. You need to make sure you cover all of the important events that drive the forward progress of your plot from the inciting incident to the building conflicts to the climax to the resolution.
Emotions and change. Think about how you tell someone about a movie you’ve just seen or an exciting event you just went through. It’s more than just a blow-by-blow of the plot-points—it’s about the emotion behind the actions, the change that takes place in the characters.
Try to eliminate all backstory. Just like you want to limit the amount of backstory in your actual novel, you want to eliminate it as much as possible in your synopsis. Include only what’s important to the actual forward progress of the story. For example, in the synopsis for Stand-In Groom, I do include the fact that Anne survived a plane crash when she was eight years old—because it’s why she’s terrified of flying, which becomes vitally important at the end of the novel when she has to face this fear.
No questions. The synopsis is not the place for lines such as, “Can Jim ever overcome his past and learn to love again?” The synopsis is the place to explain everything in straightforward, SHOWING language.
Explain the full resolution/ending. Do not leave anything hanging at the end of the synopsis. You must give the complete ending.
Incorporate your writing style. Even though the synopsis isn’t going to be the best writing you’ll ever do, try to make sure your unique writing voice shines through. If you aren’t sure yours does, this is where your crit partners can really come in handy.
Examples:
Stand-In Groom (nee Happy Endings, Inc.) short-synopsis.pdf
Stand-In Groom long-synopsis.pdf
Beyond the First Draft–The Cutting Room Floor
After the release of the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I was involved in quite a few discussions about things that left us confused or loose ends we felt didn’t get wrapped up in a satisfactory manner. Part of it goes back to the discussion we had here several months ago about what an ending is supposed to accomplish, whether the book/movie is a stand-alone or series. Well, come to find out, the editors of the movie cut out a scene where it is explained that when Davy Jones came back after his first ten years ferrying the dead and his true love wasn’t there waiting for him, he was cursed forever. Which means that when Will comes back after his first ten years, since Elizabeth was standing there waiting for him, it let him off the hook—he would be able to return to the land of the living. Kind of an important thing to leave out, huh?
Have you ever read a book where you felt like something was missing? Like a vital piece of information had been left out? Well, one of two things happened–either the author never wrote it (an oversight) or it got cut out in the editing process.
When it comes to my own work, I am horrible at figuring out what should be cut. I LOVE explanations. I love adjectives. I love to describe things down to the last detail. And since I’ve done so much research and I love the era so much, I have a lot of details that may not be important to the story—like all of the dishes served at the Witheringtons’ formal dinner. Since I want my book to appeal to the largest possible audience, it’s these types of details that probably need to go. Which is why I have critique partners.
The weird thing is that I found it easier to cut, cut, cut in my contemporary. Maybe it’s because I had hardly any research that went into the setting, the clothing, the food, the context of where/when the story is set. One of the things that drew me to writing something set in 1814 is because I love all of the trappings of the Georgian/Regency/Napoleonic era. I want the story to come across on the page as much of a visual feast as the BBC costume dramas do on screen. But again, that narrows my audience. Most general romance readers don’t want to focus on all the descriptions of the visual stuff—they want characters and interactions.
When I’m reading/editing someone else’s work, it’s so easy for me to see where cuts should be made. Since I’m not emotionally involved in the process of what went into composing the story, I can be objective about what’s important and what’s not.
I enjoy watching the behind-the-scenes documentaries included in the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with listening to Peter Jackson’s, Phillipa Boyens’, and Fran Walsh’s commentary track under the expanded film itself—listening especially to them talking about why they decided to cut certain scenes for the theatrical releases and how they decided which scenes to include in the extended versions (because there are still tons of scenes they shot that stayed on the cutting room floor).
When we write, we want our story to include everything we imagine happening—whether it’s a conversation, a vivid description, an event, backstory, flashbacks, or the words of the song on the radio the hero is singing along with. As we move beyond being “freshmen” writers and start becoming more seasoned, more professional, we have to start learning how to let go of those scenes we may absolutely love but really aren’t that important to the story. The more polished our manuscripts are when they go out to a potential editor, the more likely we are to catch their attention—because they won’t have as much work to do on their end in the editorial process. Which is why working with a critique group is so extremely important—because our crit partners can help bring that objectivity to our work and let us know what should stay and what should be left on the cutting room floor.
If we were always objective about our own work, it wouldn’t be very good. It’s good to be passionate about what we’ve written, to feel a pang of loss when we cut something. But I’ve mentioned before: edits aren’t like losing an arm or leg. Edits are like getting a manicure, pedicure, and haircut. Sure, you’re going to lose bits and pieces, but the final product is going to look so much better!
Fun Friday–Six (Weird) Writing Habits
I can’t believe it’s already Friday! Of course, the last two weeks have gone by in somewhat of a blur as I’ve laid low, trying to recover from a herniated disc/pinched sciatic nerve which has kept me from doing much more than sitting in my recliner or sleeping (when I’m not at work, that is). But each day is a little better, and today I’m starting to truly believe I’ll recover from it sooner rather than later!
Anyway, enough about that!
I thought for Fun Friday, we could share some of our weirder habits when it comes to writing. Like athletes warming up for their sport go through the same routine, I’m sure that most writers have little things we do to prep ourselves to take up the pen or put fingers to keyboard.
1. I have to put my hair up before I can write. My hair is currently longer than shoulder-length. For some reason, it annoys me when I’m trying to concentrate, so I have to put it up either with a clip or in a pony-tail.
2. I have to have music playing. If I’m working on my historical, I listen to classical music/music from movie soundtracks set in the era. If I’m working on a contemporary, I listen to my mix of Standards/Legends that I have ripped on my computer (Sinatra, Dean Martin, Steve Tyrell, Harry Connick Jr., Nat King Cole, etc.).
3. I keep tons of different colors and sizes of Post-it Notes near my computer. I have several of them with important notes written on them stuck around the edges of the monitor. I can’t work if I don’t have a Post-it pad within easy reaching distance, just in case I need to write something down.
4. If I get stuck, I play at least one round of Spider Solitaire to mull things over. Usually after a couple of games, I’ve come up with a solution or a better way to write something and can go back to writing.
5. When I get into the zone, I will forget to eat and drink. Seriously! If I really get into what I’m writing, if the words are flowing—or if my revisions are moving swimmingly along—I can sit at the computer for hours on end without taking a break, even if my stomach was growling when I sat down.
6. There are two times of day when I write best: after ten p.m. and whenever I’m supposed to be doing something else (like when I’m at work). I’m a night person, so the ten p.m. thing is understandable. But instead of the creative juices flowing after I get home from work, it seems that most often, my best lightbulb moments come between the hours of eight and five—when I’m at work and really shouldn’t stop to write them down.
Your turn!
Beyond the First Draft: One Revision or Multiple Passes?
It’s no secret—I’m currently working on the second draft of Ransome’s Honor. There are three major issues that needed to be addressed: POV characters (as in, how many and when they’re introduced), better development of the romance between William and Julia, and word count.
In reading my crit partners’ wonderful comments on the last round of chapters (still early chapters), I realized—my second draft will not be a final manuscript. Because I need to focus so much on the structure of introducing one POV character ten chapters earlier, making another POV character into a secondary character in this one (and changing her relationship to two of the remaining POV characters), cutting one event at which a few important things happened/were said, etc., I’ve come to the decision that I can’t worry about word count right now—especially since I’m still writing new scenes to weave the story and characters together better.
This is also the first time I’ve had it critiqued. In the earliest version of the story (when I thought it was going to be a single novel), I did have a few chapters critiqued by school crit partners. But since I moved away from that direction, I wrote the entire thing without submitting it to anyone for review (though many did read it as I wrote it). Starting the second draft, I went through several versions of the first three chapters, writing a couple of new scenes, and then moving things around until characters were introduced in a way that really worked. In doing this, though, I’ve managed to add almost a full chapter—I’m pulling in elements from the old chapter eight into the new chapter nine. Granted, I know I’m getting rid of an event, so that will cut down on word count some, but I think one of the reasons I’ve been having so much trouble gearing up to work on revisions is because I knew I was failing in one of the areas I was supposed to be working on.
Finally, last night, I got it. I can’t worry about word count on this round. I have to focus on structure and story. I have to make sure that the right scenes are in the right place, told from the right POV, and I have to make sure that the romance storyline works and resonates with readers.
So, I’ve asked my critique partners to get out their highlighters—well, to use the highlight feature in Word when they crit my chapters going forward. I’ve asked them to highlight words/phrases/backstory, etc., that they feel can be eliminated to tighten the narrative without losing the tone or any information that is important for setting up what comes in books two and three. That way, when I finish the second draft, I’ll have a much easier time focusing on what needs to be done in the third draft: tightening, polishing, finalizing.
What about you? How many drafts do you need before you feel like you’ve arrived at a “polished” stage? (Notice, I didn’t say “final”—are they ever “final”?)
KayeDacus.com 
