Friday, April 30, 2010

In the land of Synopsis Delirium

Why are synopses so hard to write? I mean, it's just a book condensed down to a few paragraphs. A few paragraphs . . . right. Ninety-thousand words of action, drama, romance, and dialogue on one page. No wonder I'm ripping my hair out.

Here's what I'm going to do instead of writing myself into circles, I am going to ask myself the following questions. What is the overall theme of this book? Who are the main characters? What is the main event of each chapter? What is the ending? There. Synopsis.

On the lighter side of things, here is a picture of my beautiful little Julia. Her hair is a bit messy, but that's only because she was running around all night taking pictures of her ponies and dolls. That's serious work, folks!

Anyone else out there writing their synopsis or query right now? What tips do you have? Also, do you have a certain song that could be used in a filmed version of your book? Happy Friday!

15 comments:

  1. Is it true that in the US, dolls are being replaced by plastic bottles? Or is this just more conspiracy theory!

    She's a very pretty girl, Amy. You must be very proud.

    Bisou, Cro.

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  2. Oh, you're funny! Not sure why she was holding the bottle, other than she was trying to at like a model selling a product. What a goof!

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  3. I'm trying to get my synopsis done, as well. After four months of working on the query, now it's this. And my song...Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve.

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  4. I hate writing the synopsis! HATE IT!

    My advice is to sit down in the chair and not get up until at least the first draft is done.

    Good luck!

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  5. That's good advice Talli. I might do an all-nighter tonight. Thank you!

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  6. I cannot decide who is cuter - your doggie or your daughter!

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  7. Thank you Tom. I feel only a slight betrayal in my heart when I say she is cuter than Henry.

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  8. I know. Is that Smiley Face on her hand an ID stamp from the previous night's visit to a nightclub????

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  9. Smiley face from school. I kind of hate this little tattle-tale system though. Earlier this year when she was going through a bad phase, she came home and I asked her if she had a stamp, and she looked at her hand then back at me with horror. "Where's my stamp???!!!" That made me giggle, though I was supposed to be mad or something parental like that.

    I have learned with Julia that the usual tactics do not work. She needs gentle discipline and lots of positive reinforcement. So making a big deal out of a stamp just isn't a good idea. If she has one, good, if not . . . OH WELL.

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  10. So is the stamp a mark of 'good behaviour' or something, to show your parents when you get home? We don't have that here (I think).

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  11. Yes. One stamp for being good all day. Two for going out of the way to help someone. No stamp is usually accompanied by a note explaining the bad behavior- didn't share, would not follow orders, etc. I think the last time she had a no stamp day was back in January.

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  12. I don't mind writing the synopsis. It's a summary trying to pull in all the different story lines. Not easy, but easier than the query. Queries are the flavor of the book with a hook and quick nod to the plot and that's it. There's so much unsaid. What to focus on?

    Good luck with your synopsis.

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  13. Thank you Theresa. Hey, I'll trade you some Sour Gummie Bears for a Synopsis. Nope? Darnitt!

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