|
|
Tuesday, August 09, 2005Challenge of the WeekAnd the challenge is: to write and perfect a less-than-ten-page synopsis of my more-than-450-page novel. I've done the writing part. Now I'm working on the "perfecting" part. Trust me, this isn't easy. In fact, it's probably one of the most challenging bits of writing that I've done. Unfortunately, every novelist needs to pen a synopsis for various reasons; sometimes agents want them, sometimes publishers want them. Distilling an entire fantasy novel into a brief yet intriguing "this is what happens" is a stretch, to be sure. Nothing is supposed to be left out of a synopsis, either. It's got to include every twist of plot, every secret, and the ending. That's a toughie! What author in her right (write?) mind wants to reveal the ending of the novel before someone's actually read the whole thing? So this synopsis thing really goes against the grain. I was awake in the middle of the night, too, coughing bits of my lungs out. Okay, not really -- I think my lungs are still intact. I've had a nasty, dry cough for three days, though, and I'm starting to get sore chest muscles. So the likelihood that I'll actually do a good job on my synopsis today is fairly low. Unless, of course, the large quantity of Starbucks Sumatra I've consumed this morning stays in my system long enough. And it goes without saying that I happen to have a slightly congested and extremely bored thirteen-year-old on my hands who doesn't seem to know what to do with himself today. Yesterday he spent the entire morning creating a cardboard airplane for his younger brother's "little people" to ride in. It's a remarkable creation, truly. Not that I really needed another cardboard creation to add to our collection (he's also made a three-story cardboard house and a two-tom cardboard drumset). I don't mind, though, because the creative process for each one affords me a several-hour respite from BOY NOISE. I grew up without brothers, you see. I never knew what BOY NOISE was until I gave birth to a couple of males. So I'm off to work on my synopsis, hoping that something -- ANYTHING -- catches Jonathan's attention in the meantime. Well, as long as it's not something flammable. Or rabid. Or dead. Oy. |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
|
5of my readers are feeling chatty:
Hey, I got an idea! Let us read your book and we'll help with the synopsis! :-)
I didn't know it was a fantasy novel. A question, who do you read in the fantasy genre? Your favorites?
Ken
Ahhhh, my favorites! You sure know how to get a gal's attention!
I spent my teen years reading Katherine Kurtz, Terry Brooks, Patricia McKillip. I actually didn't read Tolkien until college, but I love him, too. I'm currently re-reading Brooks' "Shannara" trilogy, and I'm finding him OH so wordy!! I love the guy's stories, but he's somewhat like a modern-day Dickens when it comes to sheer volume of words.
My novel is YA fantasy -- same audience as Harry Potter but very, very different story. Mine is Classic Fantasy, but you won't find a single elf or gnome in it. Nary a dragon's egg, either! Lots of swords and strange powers, though. ;)
So, are you a fantasy buff, too? Who are your favorite authors?
You are such the perfectionist, that even a PERFECT synopsis will be doubted by you! So send it this way and we'll read it for you!!!
You can do it You can do it You can do it! :-)
Maybe its best left for tomorrow though when you are feeling better and Jonathan is off fishing?
Ahhhh BOY NOISE! It has become the soundtrack to my life! Believe it or not, once you're on to number three, it almost becomes white noise......
Keep at it Jill! You can do it!
Post a Comment
<< Home