Meeting Notes for May 18th

WRITE A STRONG SYNOPSIS

The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package. Along with the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the agent or acquisitions editor on the manuscript.  If they don’t see anything they like in the synopsis, they won’t even glance at your chapter samples.

The synopsis is not just your sales pitch.  Editors like having this distillation as something to use when presenting your novel to the buying board. It might even be used to write the jacket copy.  It may also be used by the publisher’s art and advertising departments. It’s also something you can use, the next time someone asks you what your novel is about.

This is why the synopsis has to be developed and sweated over and polished with the same attention devoted to the novel itself.  Most writers hate composing a synopsis because it can be much more difficult to write than the novel ever was.  Distilling 100,000 words into a few pages is not easy.

PRELIMINARY EXERCISE
Before setting out to write a book synopsis, it helps tremendously if you can clearly and succinctly describe what your book is about in a sentence or two to clarify and distill it down in your own mind, like a movie description in the tv guide.  If you neglect this exercise, you miss opportunities to demonstrate the strength of your work.

This is called an elevator pitch.  Brevity is best in pitching your novel to an editor or agent at a writers conference, for example.  For press releases and publicity, you need to describe your work in a couple of sentences or a short paragraph.  You can use this same jewel as the hook in your query letter.  Or use it to start out strong in the opening sentence of your synopsis.

But most of all it will help you get a grasp in your own mind as to what your novel is about.  A strong synopsis conveys the spirit and theme of the book and gives a bigger sense of what makes the book unique and interesting. Grab them with a killer line, and then hook them with a tight synopsis that shows your novel has a great story arc.

(Good example:  “A rogue physicist goes back in time to kill the apostle Paul.” -  Transgression by Randall Ingermanson)

FORMAT
Unless the editor or agent specifies otherwise, shoot for 2 to 5 pages (single-spaced) .  A synopsis is similar to a cover letter in that it doesn’t need to be double-spaced for editing purposes, but if single-spacing looks too difficult to read, try using 1.5-spaced lines instead.  Of course, if the editor asks for something specific, follow guidelines to the letter.

Put the title of the book and your name at the top of the page, and remember that a synopsis is always written in the present tense.      (see attached example)

Tell the entire story in the synopsis.  Don’t send the first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four.  Don’t leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens.

Give a clear idea of your book’s core conflict.  Show what characters we’ll care about, including the ones we’ll hate.  Demonstrate what’s at stake for the main character(s).  Show how the conflict is resolved.

LEAVE A LOT OUT
A synopsis is very different from writing a summary or outline that details a chapter-by-chapter, scene-by-scene reduction or compression of the entire work.   A synopsis portrays the narrative arc of your novel.

Every word must earn its due, so hit only the high points and leave out the rest.  Start with the main character’s crisis. Don’t neglect to reveal the character’s emotions and motivations that explain why the character does something, but keep it brief.  If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into the synopsis.

Do not include every single character and every single plot point in some lengthy, methodical “and then this happened, and then that happened” fashion.  Select only those major events and motivations that moved the story forward. Talk about only the most important characters, the ones your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players, because here we are striving for bare-bones.

TONE 
To nail the tone and brevity of an effective synopsis, a good model to mimic is book cover copy found inside flap jackets or on the backs of paperbacks.  Just leave out the part about the author and be sure to include what happens in the end, as the editor wants to know more than anything how you plan to end the book.

The most powerful synopsis will have the narrative tension, drama and pacing of the novel itself.  Your description should sound enthusiastic and enticing.  The synopsis is a sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel will be like, so give it your all.

STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If you still are at a loss what to include and what to leave out, try working in reverse.  Start with the climax of the story, the apex of act three, then work backwards through the manuscript from there.

It’s like using MapQuest where you can enter the destination and ask for directions to your place of origin.  How you got there becomes clear.

Ask what major events needed to happen to set up or get to this culmination or pinnacle of your story.  Then write a sentence or paragraph about each vital point that got you there.  (This assumes that the final confrontation is really what the story had been headed to all along.)

Working backward you will see the point where all the elements fell into place that led to the showdown, and further back through the heart of the story to various points where the conflict has been increased or the stakes have been made brutally clear.  Include these too.  Eventually, you will get to the opening premise that introduced the main characters and the hook that introduced the conflict facing them.

This exercise can have additional benefits.  It is your last opportunity to discover any remaining weaknesses in your story before you submit it to an agent or editor.  A synopsis will reveal plot flaws, serious gaps in character motivation, or a lack of structure.  It will show whether you have created a sound plot that makes sense and that your events build tension and lead to a satisfactory conclusion.

May 18th Saturday Meeting – Write a Strong Synopsis

Jeff Sherwood has requested help in writing a good synopsis for his novel.   So I resurrected an old session we did a couple years ago about that very subject and am updating it a bit.   Jeff is also going to read some of his work in the second hour.

This is an excellent topic, because, along with the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the manuscript.   If they don’t see anything they like in the synopsis, they won’t even glance at your chapter samples.

So,  join us at our third-Saturday meeting next weekend.   If you want to sign up to read, or to lead a session in coming months, click on the Agenda tab at top of this page and leave a message in the reply section for the admin.

Seeking Meeting Topics

Please leave your ideas for meeting topics in the “reply” section  of the AGENDA on above menu.   Seeking volunteers to present as well  as ideas.   Talk on any topic about writing.   Each of us has some bit of wisdom to share, and it doesn’t need to fill the entire first hour.  Or suggest a guest speaker if you can.

April 20th Meeting Notes

We had a very enjoyable meeting with a dozen writers attending.  Our planned presenter was ill, so we went through a list of Grammar Bugbears & Tips instead.   Thanks to both of our excellent readers.   Ralph Norton read us a poignant treatise on childhood trauma that he plans to enter in a writing contest.  Debu Majumdar, our guest down from Idaho Falls, read a story from his children’s book series about Viku and his elephant friend Hautee.  We ran out of time before Jeff Sherwood could share some of his Sci Fi/Fantasy writing.  Jeff, please bring some of your work again next time, and I’ll put you at the top of the reading list.  — Sherrie

April 20th Meeting Handout

GRAMMAR  BUGBEARS

Here are a few writing tips to keep in mind, gleaned from Ragan’s PR Daily News Feed and from Anne Stillman’s Grammatically Correct pocketbook.

1.  Numbers/numerals.  The rule is to write out numbers one through nine, and use figures for 10 and above.  However, ages of people are always specified in numerals.  Spell out a number if it starts a sentence, unless it’s a year such as 2012.

2.  Titles.  Capitalize formal titles only when they precede an individual’s name. If the title falls after the name, then it’s lowercase.   President Barack Obama is running against Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

3.  Web site or website.  If your Associated Press AP Stylebook is dated 2009 or earlier, you may not be aware of this change: In 2010, the AP made “website” one word. As some of us may remember, it used to be “web site.”

4.  Email.  Another recent change: Drop the hyphen in email.  Before 2011, AP style said to write “e-mail.”

5.  Toward/towards.  AP style follows the American English form, toward.  In British English, towards is preferred. The same goes for forward, backward, upward, downward, etc.

6.  Seasons.   Seasons are never capitalized. It’s almost fall. Notice that “fall” is lowercase. Also, omit of: “In summer 2009 …”

7.  Like versus Such As.   If you can substitute “for example” into a sentence, then use “such as.”  The following sentence is incorrect: “He writes for a variety of publications like Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Time.” Instead, it should say: “He writes for a variety of publications such as Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Time.”

8.  Affect or Effect.   Generally, affect is a verb and effect is a noun.  Your attitude will not affect my decision.  The only effect of the medication was to make me drowsy.
(However, to complicate things, effect can sometimes be used as a verb meaning to accomplish or bring about, as in The committee tried to effect a change.)

9.  Quotation Marks & Punctuation.   Periods and commas fall within quotation marks. “No further explanation needed,” she said. “Just do it.”
Question marks and exclamation points go outside the quotation mark if they apply to the entire sentence, or inside if they apply to just the quoted part. Perhaps it would be better in this case to just “live and let live”? (outside, because the entire sentence is a question.)   I have a problem with his attitude of “What’s in it for me?”  (inside, because the question applies to just the quoted phrase. Note that no period follows the sentence, as it is implied.)

10.  Who versus Whom / Whoever versus Whomever.   Who is used for the subject of a sentence; whom is used for the object of a sentence.  Here’s the trick: Replace who/whom with he/him to see which works best in the sentence.

Whoever borrowed my pencil may keep it.  (he borrowed it, not him borrowed it.)      I want to know who sent this email.  (he sent it, not him sent it).

Whom did you visit?”  (I visited him, not I visited he.)
For whom the bell tolls.  (for him, not for he).

11.  That versus Who.   Generally use “who” for human beings and “that” for everything else.
The boy who fell from the sky.  Anybody who wants dessert may come in.
The mouse that roared.  The TV channel that has prime time family shows is best.

12.  That versus Which.   See whether the clause that the word introduces can be deleted without changing the sentence’s meaning.  If the clause can be cut use the non-restrictive which, if the clause can not be cut use the restrictive that.

Roosevelt Elementary School, which is nearby my house, is the only one that offers school lunches.
The spider that lives underground does not spin a web.

13.  Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers.    An entire phrase or dependent clause can be used as a modifier.  The rule is that the first thing following the comma must be the thing that the phrase is modifying.

Two years after finishing graduate school, Gladys’ career took off.
(This means that her career finished graduate school.)
Two years after finishing graduate school, Gladys saw her career take off.

Upon opening the pantry door, a stack of cans flew out at her.
(This means that the stack of cans opened the pantry door.)
Upon opening the pantry door, she was hit by a stack of flying cans.

Misplaced modifiers can confuse meaning as well.  The coach said on Thursday we’d have to start working harder.  Does that mean, on Thursday the coach told us that?  Or does it mean that we’d have to start working harder come Thursday?

14.  Split Infinitives.   We all learn that it is taboo to split the infinitive of a verb (to bellow, to whine, to love, to work, to go) by inserting an adverb between the words (to loudly bellow, to piteously whine, to freely love, etc.). Move the adverb to another spot (to bellow loudly, to whine piteously, to love freely).
Generally this is a good rule to follow, except when it interferes with the meaning of the sentence.  It actually is okay to split an infinitive if the alternative would introduce awkwardness, stiffness, or misunderstanding.

It is difficult for us to adequately express our gratitude.
We managed to just miss the tree.

15.  Never End a Sentence with a Preposition.  Winston Churchill debunked that rule once and for all when he said, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”  If it makes the sentence sound awkward, definitely leave the preposition at the end.

April 20th Third Saturday Meeting – Editing

January 20, 2013  4pm-6pm
Marshall Public Library

At our April Meeting, Cynthia Johnson will lead us in a discussion about EDITING.    Also, we have a guest coming down from Idaho Falls to visit our group.  His name is  Debu Majumdar, and he is  the author of a series of children’s books about Viku the elephant.    I talked him into reading a bit of his recent work for us, and he welcomes our critique/feedback.   Ralph Norton is also signed up to read.   So we have room for at least one more reader, maybe two depending on length.
Visit the Portneuf Valley Environmental Fair (11am -3pm) in the ball park across from city hall earlier in the day, then pop on over for our meeting.
Hope to see you all there.   – Sher

Directory of Writers’ Groups

I just put our group out on the  THE WRITER’s  online directory at writermag.com/groups.aspx?page=list  I noticed some other Idaho groups listed as well.  Don’t know if it’ll draw any new members or not.  But you may find other groups on the list of interest to you. -Sher