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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you had a good weekend.
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mary rosenblum
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I was sorry to miss our casual
Sunday chat, but I got a dinner invitation from an editor who was in town
for the evening...
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mary rosenblum
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and who has published quite a
few of my stories, so I went. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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He brought me a set of bound
galley proofs of the upcoming Best SF of the Year collection he's
editing...a story of mine is in it.
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mary rosenblum
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I was very pleased...bound
galleys are collector's items!
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mary rosenblum
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If you can, get your hands on
your bound galleys when you publish and hang onto 'em!
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tory
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Sounds like a good choice Mary!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it was sort of 'no
choice' actually. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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He's working on TEN
anthologies right now and I want to sell him more stories!
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wingedwarrior24
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What are bound galleys?
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes called 'uncorrected
proofs' they are the actual book pages before the final copyedit run. Usually
the publisher binds them in either...
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mary rosenblum
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a facsimile of the actual
cover or a very plain cover with simply the title and author on it...
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mary rosenblum
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and distributes them to
reviewers. The reviews will be printed on the back of the cover or inside
the book...assuming they are wonderful! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Only a very small number of
these bound galleys are printed, and you can only get them if your editor
snags one or a few for you.
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mary rosenblum
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They are INSTANTLY valuable to
the book collectors.
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mary rosenblum
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Ooops...deleted a comment by
accident...apologies...Yes it WAS a good evening...
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mary rosenblum
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and I found out some
interesting news in the publishing world... Gardner Dozois, the editor is
VERY up on what is going on.
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mary rosenblum
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The book clubs can no longer
compete with Amazon.com's discounting...
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mary rosenblum
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so they are going to
anthologies of original work instead of reprinted 'book club editions' of
published novels.
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mary rosenblum
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They figure by offering
original work, they can compete with the discounted books.
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mary rosenblum
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So....they will be an
increasing market for short fiction...assuming this ploy succeeds.
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mary rosenblum
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If it does not, they will
probably disappear shortly.
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mary rosenblum
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The anthology market is
another very good reason to spend the time and money to attend conferences
that features your genre of choice.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors tend to invite
authors...they need committments before they can sell the anthology to a
publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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And usually they fill about
3/4 of the anthology with well established names...the rest of the slots
are open to new writers...
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mary rosenblum
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and if you have met and
chatted with these folk, they may well let you know about those slots.
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mary rosenblum
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Often, they are never actually
advertised as 'open'...they fill by word of mouth.
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tory
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How are authors usually paid for
anthologies. A total percentage. One time. Or are submissions from newbiew
"gifts"?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness no, if the
anthology is published by a NY house, the pay is decent for reprints and
very good for original work (I'm getting about 10 cents per word for
novelettes/novellas...which is very good fiction pay).
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mary rosenblum
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Small press of course pays
less...
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mary rosenblum
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but usually you get a
percentage of the profits of the anthology, plus an upfront fee.
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mary rosenblum
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And many anthologies do stay
in print. I get royalties on several every year...maybe only 80 or 90
bucks, but hey, I didn't have to do anything to earn it!
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mary rosenblum
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It is the payoff for
networking. Often I hear about an anthology from another writer...
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mary rosenblum
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who is friends with the editor
and has been either invited or tipped off that it's open...
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mary rosenblum
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and that writer passes the
info on to me.
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mary rosenblum
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As a very new and unpublished
writer years ago, those tips got me into a couple of anthologies...
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mary rosenblum
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that I never would have even
heard about otherwise.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and today
we're talking about the synopsis. If you're new here, remember that you
need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to
the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question
icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me!
You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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So on to the subject at hand...synopses.
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mary rosenblum
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This is kind of a fun topic
because those of you working on novels of course need to be thinking about
this...
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mary rosenblum
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and those of you taking the LR
course are facing the 'summary assignments' which for some reason throw a
LOT of students for a loop.
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mary rosenblum
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And actually, the summary you
send in for say, Assignment Five, is very similar to what you will write
for a novel if you submit one to publishers eventually.
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mary rosenblum
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And they're actually much
easier in some respects than an outline and in other respects they are VERY
tough to do.
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neo
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k Don't you find writing a
synopsis first helps enormously? It helps me plot and keeps me on track.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, I go WAY beyond a simple
synopsis, neo. I hate first drafts and I don't want to do a lot of major
rewriting on my second draft...
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mary rosenblum
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so I do a very detailed
outline of the novel, nearly chapter by chapter...that is my first draft.
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mary rosenblum
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And yes, most writers have
written at least a rough synopsis of where they mean to go when they begin.
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mary rosenblum
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Just don't be afraid to change
course as your plot and characters evolve!
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neo
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Of course I do an outline. A
synopsis is a different animal.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, it is. But a lot of
people don't realize that. :-)
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geezer
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My instructor said my synopsis
sounded like one for a novel. What's the difference?
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mary rosenblum
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I would assume it was the size
of your plot, geezer...
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mary rosenblum
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That's the only difference I
can think of.
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wingedwarrior24
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Can you describe the differences
of a outline and synopsis?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, winged. An outline is
the step by step, event by event summary of your story...
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mary rosenblum
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either scene by scene for a
short story or chapter by chapter for a novel length work.
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mary rosenblum
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A synopsis simply picks one
POV character and follows the high points of the main plot...
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mary rosenblum
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touching on the subplots
lightly or ignoring them altogether.
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mary rosenblum
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It does not include NEARLY the
information contained in a detailed outline and it is much shorter.
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wingedwarrior24
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How long will a synopsis for a
novel be?
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mary rosenblum
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If you're writing one for
yourself...perhaps summarizing your story to post on your website, or
before you begin to really plot the details...
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mary rosenblum
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just getting as sense of the
story's shape, then it can be any length you want...usually less than ten
pages.
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mary rosenblum
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If you are writing a synopsis
for a publisher or an agent it depends on what that publisher or agent
wants...and it will be from less than three pages to ten...
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mary rosenblum
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but rarely more than ten.
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mary rosenblum
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For a LR summary assignment,
you're simply telling your instructor what happens in each scene and unless
your plot is HUGE, which it shouldn't be...
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mary rosenblum
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your summary may not be more
than a couple of double spaced pages.
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frazz
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Are we talking single or double
spaced pages?
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good idea to ALWAYS
send ds pages to editors and agents unless you are sending in a VERY brief
synopsis...like under 500 words.
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mary rosenblum
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Editors/agents read all day
and I can tell you, double space is MUCH easier to read than single space.
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wingedwarrior24
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You once said a publisher wants
the complete MS for a newbie, does that mean no synopsis is needed?
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mary rosenblum
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Nope, winged. It means that a
publisher will not BUY your novel until you have a complete ms in hand. Not
so for me, who can sell a novel with only three chapters and a synopsis
written. But the publisher or agent...
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mary rosenblum
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will probably only want to
READ the synopsis and maybe three chapters, or maybe just the synopsis.
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mary rosenblum
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If that publisher likes what
he/she reads, THEN they'll ask you to send the whole ms...
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mary rosenblum
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but if your ms is accurately
reflected by your synopsis you'll probably sell it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and today
we're talking about the synopsis. If you're new here, remember that you
need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to
the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question
icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me!
You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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marly
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I always thought novel synopsis
were longer than those for short stories. I assumed wrong?
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mary rosenblum
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They are, marly.
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mary rosenblum
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I have an exercise that I use
with workshop students...
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mary rosenblum
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I ask them to write a synopsis
of their short story or novel.
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mary rosenblum
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As a class exercise, I give
them one paragraph for the SS and one page for the novel. :-) (that's 250
words)
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mary rosenblum
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In real life, a novel
synopsis, as I said, is normally longer, but you CAN end up needing a 250
word synopsis...
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mary rosenblum
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so practice it!
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neo
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How is a synopsis simple? Why is
it so difficult?
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mary rosenblum
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This is why I use it as a
class exercise, Neo.
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mary rosenblum
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It is simple because you are
merely answering the question 'what is your story about?'
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mary rosenblum
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And you know that, right?
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mary rosenblum
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But that is also the HARD
part...in that most new writers...
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mary rosenblum
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do not really know what their
book is about...not in 250 words or less anyway!
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mary rosenblum
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And usually not even in three
or four pages, which is the average length for synopses these days!
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mary rosenblum
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And what it forces the writer
to do is to identify what IS important in the book and what is
extraneous...subplot, supporting action, etc.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is HARD.
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mary rosenblum
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It's also very very good for
you as a writer, since once you have identified the 'heart and soul' of
your novel, so to speak...
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mary rosenblum
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you can spend more words on
that, and trim the 'supporting' parts.
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mary rosenblum
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The more you write, the more
you'll know what is important...what your book is about...before you begin.
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mary rosenblum
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But even if you know your
plot, you may not really know what your book is ABOUT.
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mary rosenblum
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Which makes it hard to state
briefly, without detailing your entire plot.
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mary rosenblum
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To summarize a short
story...which you have to do occasionally, but not very often outside of
LR, you simply do the same thing.
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mary rosenblum
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A young boy is chosen for the
local elite ball team. He is thrilled, but he finds out that it's hard to
hang out with his old friends...
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mary rosenblum
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now that he has been accepted
by the 'in crowd'. Then he finds out by accident...
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mary rosenblum
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that he was chosen in order to
influence his father, who owns some land coveted by the coach. And he is
faced with a tough choice...
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mary rosenblum
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stay on the team and enjoy all
the adulation of envious kids, or walk away and go back to his old friends
and their sandlot games.
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mary rosenblum
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He chooses to quit the team.
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mary rosenblum
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And notice that I added the
end there?
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mary rosenblum
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Whether you are sending a
synopsis to an agent or editor or sending a summary to your instructor...
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mary rosenblum
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you MUST (one of those RARE
absolutes) MUST include the end.
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mary rosenblum
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Many writers flub ends.
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mary rosenblum
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The editor and your instructor
want to know if you have a solid end on that story or if it needs help.
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jackie7777
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Waht's the difference between a
synopsis and a proposal?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, in fiction, jackie, they
terms are used interchangeably...and they mean the same thing.
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mary rosenblum
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A nonfiction book proposal is
very different in form from a fiction synopsis and query.
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mary rosenblum
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It includes the index, usually
a chapter by chapter outline...it's much more detailed as to content.
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pliz
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so your synopsis could be on the
inside of the cover?
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mary rosenblum
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Well it won't be because there
are better blurb writers for hire than the average writer! It's quite a
valuable skill...
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mary rosenblum
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but the blurb...which is what
you are talking about...is very much like the synopsis.
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mary rosenblum
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The synopsis for a publisher
is written in the same form... present tense, using dramatic and highly
engaging language.
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mary rosenblum
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Actually blurbs are a great
example for that publisher synopsis...BUT...remember that blurbs don't give
away the end!
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mary rosenblum
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You MUST give away the end.
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mary rosenblum
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If the publishers guidelines
ask for a synopsis and don't specify length, I'd send three to four pages,
and you'll include a bit more detail about characters and story than a book
jacket blurb.
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mary rosenblum
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BUt...
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mary rosenblum
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and this is an important but
that you need to remember...
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mary rosenblum
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don't be afraid to 'break the
rules' if the guidelines ask ONLY for a query.
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mary rosenblum
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And nowadays, many agents and
publishers tell you in the guidelines to send ONLY a query letter.
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mary rosenblum
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To be honest, very very few
writers can write a selling query letter to save their lives.
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mary rosenblum
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It is a skill that you learn
as a pro nonfiction writer, but not otherwise.
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mary rosenblum
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Soooo..you bend the rules.
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mary rosenblum
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Your 'query' letter is that
250 word synopsis.
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eptom
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Is tech writing addressed in
this room?
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mary rosenblum
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No, eptom. Tech writing is an
entirely different arena, just as journalism is. It has its own
archetecture, rules, and vocabularly.
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mary rosenblum
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Can't help you out there...it
is VERY different from either popular nonfiction or fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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There are books on it, though.
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eptom
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are there rooms for that?
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mary rosenblum
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Not here. This website
reflects what Long Ridge teaches, and I don't believe they offer any tech
writing courses at the moment.
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mary rosenblum
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Sorry.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu may find people who visit
the site regularly who are tech writers and talk with them.
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mary rosenblum
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Many SF writers I know are
tech writers as their 'day job'.
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wingedwarrior24
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What is tech writing?
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mary rosenblum
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Technical writing is doing the
computer manuals and the like...writing technical instruction for
companies.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of the tech writers I
know are employees of Intel, Xeros, what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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Some are freelance, but I don't
know how the tech market works.
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tory
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Re: the 250-word synopsis query
letter-We've also been told that most editors want a one-page query. Do we
just go "a little" over and do a long letter?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I would suggest that you
send a very brief letter and a very brief synopsis, but not together.
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mary rosenblum
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The reality is this...the
editor DOES want to buy new books that will be the next Harry Potter.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason for the 'query
only' is to keep from drowning in a half ton of very bad synopses that are
50 pages long no matter what limit they set!
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mary rosenblum
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BUT if that editor opens your
letter and finds a couple of paragraphs politely saying this is my story
(in a couple of sentences), and I though a brief synopsis tells it best...
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mary rosenblum
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and that editor is holding a 1
page double spaced synopsis...she'll read it.
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mary rosenblum
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If she finds ten pages in
there, maybe not.
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mary rosenblum
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Use the letter for your 'why
your readers will like this' statement, any experience or publishing
credits you have, and 'here's my synopsis' plus the usual 'SASE sentence.
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mary rosenblum
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And don't forget the 'thank
you for your time and attention, I know you're busy' sentence!
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mary rosenblum
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Do realize that publishers and
agents DROWN in tons of VERY badly written work that does NOT obey any of
the published guidelines and is TOTALLY inappropriate for that publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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I have looked at some of these
and they'll make you shake your head. Whatever possessed these people to
send this off????
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mary rosenblum
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None of you...not ONE of you
here belongs to this category.
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mary rosenblum
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I am not talking about someone
whose work isn't quite up to this house's publishing standard, I am talking
about...
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mary rosenblum
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people who send in whole ms
when a synopsis is asked for...
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mary rosenblum
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with a letter saying "I
didn't send a SASE because this book is so good you won't refuse it'.
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mary rosenblum
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And the stuff is written at
about a first grade level of grammar and spelling and thumbprinted,
wrinkled...typed on a typewriter with a bad ribbon...
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mary rosenblum
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And THAT is why these tough
rules about query and agent and so forth exist.
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mary rosenblum
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If you even show UP at the
website, you are not in this group! LOL
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mary rosenblum
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So if you do send the editor
something professional and you've only bent the rules, not flagrantly
ignored them, you'll get read.
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subversified
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just fyi - I have some freelance
tech writing experience
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mary rosenblum
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Oh cool, sub...too bad we lost
our person who had questions.
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mary rosenblum
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I know nothing about it...not
a career path I've ever been interested in.
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pliz
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What if you have never published
before?
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mary rosenblum
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Many novels are written by
unpublished writers, pliz.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have a story that
catches the editor's eye, your publishing history isn't all that important.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have any name
recognition, but neither did Rowling.
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mary rosenblum
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And besides (grin) that means
they can pay you a pittance as a first time writer. And they will.
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wingedwarrior24
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is pittance an advance?
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mary rosenblum
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'Pittance' is a slang term for
'almost nothing', winged! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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What it means is that they
will pay you a very small advance, since you have no publishing 'track
record' and your sales determine the size of your next advance.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...you do get royalties on
every book sold...
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mary rosenblum
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so if you sell a LOT of books
you'll still make a lot of money...
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mary rosenblum
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but after the fact, not before
the book is published.
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speckledorf
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How close to the original
synopsis does the finished novel need to be?
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mary rosenblum
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Fairly close...at least your
dramatic arc should be similar, but you can change subplots, etc...
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mary rosenblum
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On your first novel, you'll be
writing the synopsis for the publisher AFTER you have written the novel, so
it will be the same.
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mary rosenblum
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I would not write the synopsis
and send it in. If the editor asks to see it, he/she has a slot for it NOW
and if you take a year to write the novel, that slot may be filled.
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tory
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re: synopses: A lot of color or
humor in a story may related to sub-plots. It's hard to cut that when doing
a synopsis. Should we assume that editors expect that a lot of richness is
lost in the synopsis?
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mary rosenblum
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Yep...and YOU have to decide
what gives the book power.
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mary rosenblum
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If a humorous subplot is a
large part of this book's power, then it bears mentioning...
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mary rosenblum
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'While taking Miawar's
'shortcut' through the mountains, Elos and Miawar get themselves captured
by subterranean mole-people and suffer many hilarious misadventures before
they are finally rescued by an irate Eagle King.
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mary rosenblum
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No, the editor can't
appreciate those 'hilarious misadventures'...
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mary rosenblum
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but it is simply showing the
editor what the important infrastructure of your book is like.
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mary rosenblum
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If it seems interesting, the
editor will ask to read it and expect to decide whether those misadventures
are hilarious and just how hilarious, then.
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geezer
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Can you define dramatic arc?
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mary rosenblum
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That is the main plot shape,
geezer. It takes the form of an arc in most fiction...the story rises to
the climax, then falls off with the resolution to the end.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of a mountain peak.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer and today
we're talking about the synopsis. If you're new here, remember that you
need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to
the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question
icon in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me!
You can also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
|
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tolkienlvr
|
In a book Query: Do you or do
you not note articles you hve published on related topics?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, mention anything that will
portray you as a pro, tolkien.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you have only
published in nonfic, say, mention significant publications. That tells the
editor you can write to deadline and to task.
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mary rosenblum
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Doesn't mean you can write
fiction, but if the story suits, the editor won't have to worry about
working with you. YOu know what your're doing.
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mary rosenblum
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And mention any life experience
that contributes.
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mary rosenblum
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A woman at a workshop some
years ago had written a murder mystery set in a zoo.
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mary rosenblum
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She was a zoo keeper.
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mary rosenblum
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I told her to really lean on
that in her cover letter.
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mary rosenblum
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It tells the publisher that
she brings reality to her zoo setting.
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mary rosenblum
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And insider details.
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mary rosenblum
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The main purpose of the
synopsis is to convey the story to the editor and at the same time, to
convey it as a COMPELLING story.
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mary rosenblum
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Do not ever every (wow, TWO
absolutes in one Forum) be diffident!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, here's my story and I
don't know if it's any good, but I hope you'll think so. It's my very first
story I've ever written and I really hope you publish it.
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mary rosenblum
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Not gonna even get read.
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mary rosenblum
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Not when there are fifty other
synopses or queries on the desk for today!
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wingedwarrior24
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when the novel course is set,
will there be a seperate forum or will it merge with this one?
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mary rosenblum
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There's only one forum,
winged. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The topics vary according to
what people ask me to talk about, or waht I decide I haven't covered
lately...
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mary rosenblum
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That's the only criteria.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there are TWO..one now
and one on Friday...
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mary rosenblum
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To be specific. :-)
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wingedwarrior24
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but the child lit course is a
different forum, no?
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mary rosenblum
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It's a different website,
winged.
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mary rosenblum
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Although I do bring up the
occasional YA topic here, because that is a blurry line between 'children'
and 'adult' publishing...
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mary rosenblum
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But publishing for the picture
book and beginning reader market is very different than publishing for
adult readers.
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tolkienlvr
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Mary, what do you see right now
as the main differences between the YA and adult markets?
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mary rosenblum
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The markets are very
synchronous, tolkein, because a lot of the YA publishers are simply
imprints of the adult markets and the editors work closely.
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mary rosenblum
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We're talking HS readers and
some middle grade publishers here.
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mary rosenblum
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But the MAIN thing that adult
writers run into when they write for kids...
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mary rosenblum
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is that they don't really
write FOR KIDS. They write with an adult POV.
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mary rosenblum
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If your MC is thirteen, your
MC need to have the concerns of a 13 year old, not of a 43 year old!
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jackie7777
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So true. I listen to my 6 yr old
to get the voice I need.
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mary rosenblum
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There you go. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Tamora Piece, one of the '500
lb gorillas' in the YA universe (to quote my editor friend) hangs out on
teen chat rooms.
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mary rosenblum
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She talks the talk.
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mary rosenblum
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And she does it on purpose to
keep current with what her readers talk about, think about.
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mary rosenblum
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You can read the transcript of
my chat with her, earlier this year.
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mary rosenblum
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I get a lot of 'kids stories'
from students, where the world view and concerns of the MC are very much
those of an adult.
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mary rosenblum
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To summarize our talk about
synopses...
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mary rosenblum
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it's simply a matter of
answering the question' what is your story about'...
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mary rosenblum
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and making it sound as
interesting and dramatic as you can if you're sending it off to a
publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're sending it off to
your LR instructor, simply tell the story clear through to the end in
chronological order. This happens, then this happens, then my MC does this
and then the climax happens. She does this and the story ends.
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mary rosenblum
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The whole point of the LR
exercise is to let your instructor take a look at your plot structure to
see if you have a good dramatic arc...
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mary rosenblum
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if the climax comes where it
should, or if you're missing it entirely, have a weak end, what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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For a publisher, you are
showing that reader that you have a strong story, well plotted, and
interesting characters.
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mary rosenblum
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And a good end!
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mary rosenblum
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And it's a GREAT exercise to
force you to identify what the main story is all about. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And to distill that story to a
very few (relatively speaking) words.
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mary rosenblum
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I recommend that you write the
two paragraph summary for any story you write, and a three page synopsis
for every novel you work on.
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mary rosenblum
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It will improve your plotting
and sense of story!
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speckledorf
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Another fun thing to do is write
the back cover blurb for your book. I did that yesterday and it was very
enlightning.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes indeed! And it's a VERY
good skill to cultivate since you can then post it on your website or blog!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts of
this forum...speaking of posting...in the usual place. Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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WE won't have a Friday Forum
this week...I'll be on the train to Seattle...I'm appearing on a literary
panel on Saturday.
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mary rosenblum
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Since we have a guest on
Thursday, our next Forum will be next Tuesday.
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mary rosenblum
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But I'll see you all for our
casual chat tomorrow morning.
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mary rosenblum
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Same time, same place, drop in
for some casual talk about...whatever!
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mary rosenblum
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see you all then!
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mary rosenblum
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Have a good week!
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