Of queries and circuses

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(photo credit: Wikipedia)
Again with the synopsis. That dirty, dirty nightmare of a word. No one really gets excited when you say synopsis—not fiction writers, college students or, I'm guessing, agents and publishers, since they have to muddle through myriad half-hearted, but well-meaning attempts at boiling a 100,000-word manuscript down to a few pages.

But as annoying as they may be, synopses are important for a few reasons:
  • They help writers focus their plot lines.
  • They are an effective way for the agent/publisher to see if aforementioned writer knows how to tell a story without having to slosh through hundreds of pages to find out.
  • They are great practice for concise writing.
Every writer should want to write a synopsis for every manuscript. And they should do it before they send out their first query letter. Many writers get ahead of themselves and dash off a query letter while they're still editing. This is like auditioning for X Factor after your third voice lesson. If you want to be taken seriously, you won't waste your time and the agent's/editor's. This is how your query checklist should look.
  1. Write manuscript--it seems obvious, but sometimes people try to skip over this step.
  2. Edit manuscript at least twice--no matter how awesome you think it is on the first try.
  3. Let a dozen beta readers read the manuscript and consider their suggestions/comments--you don't have to use all of them, but if five people are telling  you the same thing, maybe you should listen.
  4. Edit manuscript again--until everything flows.
  5. Write query letter--one page to really sell your story.
  6. Edit query letter at least twice--no matter how awesome you think it is on the first try.
  7. Let at least one beta reader read the query letter and consider his/her suggestions/comments--are they dying to read your manuscript based on the query?
  8. Edit query letter again--until everything flows.
  9. Write synopsis--summarize each chapter and condense and hone.
  10. Edit synopsis at least twice--no matter how awesome you think it is on the first try.
  11. Let at least one beta reader read the synopsis and consider his/her suggestions/comments--but only choose the people you don't mind spoiling your story for. The synopsis should include the ending.
  12. Edit synopsis again--until everything flows.
  13. Research agent/publisher--what genres do they represent? What books/authors do they represent?
  14. Make sure your manuscript fits agent/publisher criteria/book list--you're wasting your time and theirs if it doesn't.
  15. Send query letter according to agent/publisher guidelines--they love it when you do this. It's like candy in a rainstorm.
That's right. There are (at least) 15 steps you should take before you send out a query letter. Most importantly, your manuscript should be finished, unless you are pitching a concept, and by the agent's/publisher's guidelines it is okay to do so.Only slightly less important, is the targeted query. It's important for the prospective agent/editor to know they are more than a whim or afterthought. You should know who they are, what kinds of books they represent and which books, specifically, they represent.

I was recently involved in the hiring process for a job that opened up in my company. I got cover letters that were obviously not intended for the job we were looking to fill, and one very unprofessional phone message, during which, the caller forgot a) who she was calling b) which job she was calling about. There was a long, awkward pause while she searched through a pile of papers for the information and ultimately, she named the wrong job. I immediately shredded her resume, and agents and editors will do the same if you send a half-assed query letter. It's about quality, not quantity. It's not how many agents/editors you can annoy, it's about finding the one who's a fit for you and your story.

That's my rant. In other exciting news, I finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern last night. It was one of the most beautifully-written books I've ever read. You should read it. Everyone should read it. When they make it into a movie, I'll watch the hell out of it, but it won't be as good as the book.

Blog off.

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Nano Update

This is just a quick update to let you know where I am with NaNoWriMo. I'm 14,000+ words in so far and still moving along at a pace of about 2,000 words a day. If you want to creep on me, there is a NaNo counter on my blog now so you can see my progress as I update it.

I have enjoyed watching my protagonist grow as the story progresses. He's a confused, somewhat angry and sullen teenage boy. Writing the world through his eyes is a lot of fun. He's awkward and anti-social. And I like him.

To those of you who are also NaNoWriMoing, I wish you the best of luck!

Blog off!

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All work and no play makes Cynthia a dull girl


You Forget 90% of your Dreams
Dreamscape
(Source: Stupid Station)
I am a writer, which means I spend months putting words on paper so I can spend months editing and rearranging them so I can spend months submitting them and getting rejected. When I don't get rejected, I rejoice for years, just to balance everything out.

I first discovered that I have skewed perceptions of reality when I was eight. I had a really good idea for a book, but I didn't feel comfortable telling my siblings that it was my idea in case they thought it was weird, so I called it a "dream." When I was done with my amazing tale, they told me that something was probably wrong with me.

 Side note: I believed the "dream" gig was such a good red herring that I tried it again the next year. Except this time, I peeked at my birthday gifts and told my sibling about this "dream" I had that coincided with every gift I was about to get. Said sibling ratted me out and I didn't get birthday gifts that year. Dream fail!

Groceries
Shopping cart
(Source: Saving Sanity)
They were right. There's something wrong with me, but I prefer to say I'm "creative." Also, I can do shit in my writing that I would never be allowed to do in real life, which is really cool and therapeutic, and the reason I don't drink too much or hit people. But there are two sides to every coin. My writing affects my real life in unhealthy ways too.
  • When I grocery shop, I think about my totals in the terms of word count:
    • "That cost me almost a whole page."
    • "That wasn't much more than a paragraph."
    • "I can get two of these, they're only a clause apiece."
  • When I watch the news, I find myself thinking, "that would make a great story."
  • At least once a year, I sequester myself away from the world for a month to write 50,000 words. On the weekends, I might not even comb my hair.
  • When I read a really good book, instead of thinking "That was a really great book," I think, "Damn, I should have thought of that."
  • I have a crush on some of my characters. I'm not saying which ones.
  • I eavesdrop in public places to get character dialogue ideas.
  • I delight in being of part of, or seeing awkward situations, because I know I will eventually use them in a story.
rorschach10
Ink blot
(Source: zaynabdenaziari.com)
Most of all, writing something and putting it out there is baring your soul to the world. You're opening yourself up to criticism and psychological evaluation. That includes blogs. After reading two or more of a writer's works, I know who has daddy issues, a broken heart or a boring love life. I can also pretty much guess who felt nurtured as a child, who feels loved now and who has an unhealthy obsession with masturbation.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
The Shining
(Source: Be the Ink)
That being said, I'm set to lock myself in my room at the end of each work day for a month in an attempt to pound out another 50,000 words that (should) make sense when read sequentially. I'm supposed to write 1,667 words a day, but generally I write 500-750 a day during the week and then 15,000 on the weekends. The last day I'll probably write 5,000 but look back and  find the page covered with: "All work and no play makes Cynthia a dull girl" over and over again. Ooh. That could be a cool plot point.

Blog off.

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