October Links

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Wow! Check out Why the Great Green Dragon Could Not Exist.I guess I knew this from speaking and reading English for sixty (yes, you read that right years). It makes a ton of sense once you see it spelled out.

I bet you didn't know that writers are masochist. Really. Ready the Seven Cruel Ways Writers Torture Themselves. You'll understand.

Now to that writer torture device--the Query. Here's Rachelle Gardener's take.

And writer torture device number two--the synopsis. Here's three takes on how to do it:

• Selling Synopsis Examples
• How to Write a Novel Synopsis
• Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up
• The Anatomy of a Short Synopsis
• A Few Winning Synopses

Check out this reminder of how to approach a workshop--Check Your Ego at the Door.

Backstory takes finessing. Here's Margie's Rule Number 17: Finessing the Backstory.

Here's why you must backup your work--One for the Books: Novelist Runs Into Burning Home for Laptop

And finally after all of that, Remember Why You Started.

We deserve flower after all that work!

Creative Commons

Next Week: A second harvest of mini book reviews--just in time for Christmas shopping. ;-)

IWSG: Fail Big

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Insecure Writers Support Group

 Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the the May 6 posting of the IWSG will be Eva Solar, Melanie Schulz, Lisa-Buie Collard, and Stephen Tremp!

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It's been said that Michael Jordan counseled his fellow players to play big and screw up big. If they played timidly for fear of the mess-ups, they'd stop playing. 

I think writing is the same way. If you don't try to go for the gold, you'll settle for sand. If you don't try to write a query or a synopsis, for fear that you'll fail, you will most assuredly fail. So instead of trying to protect ourselves from failure, we'll get nothing done, nothing finished.

I know I've looked all the things I need to do to get my MS ready for querying, and I get really discouraged. Look at all the ways I can Fail Big! But I'm going to Play Big. If I crash and burn, I'll have learned what not to do.

Source

• Finish the story
• Polish the story
• Get beta reader input
• Polish again and again if necessary
• Write synopses and queries
• Research agents who might be interested in the story
• Etc. 
 

There's a lot on this list that could be epic fails, but I'm going to Play Big.

So what are you going to do to Play Big? I promise I'm interested in what you have planned. ;-)

April Tip: 5 Links for conquering the Sinister Synopsis

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 http://www.gocomics.com/bignate/2015/03/08

Some of you may know that I've been tackling the Sinister Synopsis lately. Agents need them to prove we have a complete story. They then use synopses to sell our books to publishers. I know you've been told to tell your story in X number of pages. I've had to write a one-page synopsis for the first contest, and, believe me, it's a challenge to sum up a 79,000 word story in one page! Yikes! In order to do it, I've had to investigate a few links for helpful info. Like the Somebody Wanted something, But Something happened, So they did this in the cartoon above. I hope a few of these links help you, too.

Back to Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis Janet Friedman

How to Write a Synopsis--Nathan Bransford

Learning to Love the Synopsis Jael McHenry

The Anatomy of a Short Synopsis Christine Fonesca

How to Write a Synopsis of a Novel Glenn Strathy



Good luck, writers! Do you have a few suggestions to share?
Next Week: The latest of the Mini Book Reviews. 

A Writer's Wish List

Like everyone else, I have a wish list. Actually there's two--a personal one and a writing one.

Source

My personal one might sound a bit grandiose, but then, what are wishes for but the amazing, far-reaching dreams.

• World Peace--Yes, it's an old chestnut, but that doesn't make it any less true.
• Understanding for All--It's a corollary to the first. In fact, it made be the method to achieve the first. For when we truly understand the reality of each other, we can find common ground and common steps for achieving peace.
• Health and Well Being--Since I have some major chronic problems that get in the way of my writing, I'd love to solve them. Like I said in the intro, my wishes are a bit on the grandiose side and this one is no less hard to accomplish than the first two.

And now for the writing ones:

• A finished semi-polished manuscript--I'm nearing this wish and can see the finish line. 
• A query letter that shows my manuscript off to its best advantage--This is a bit of a wild wish. Queries are another type of writing that I'll have to learn from the ground up.
• A series of synopses in varying lengths--Like the query, writing a synopsis is a new step for me, one that is necessary, but daunting. How would you like to tell you book-length story in one, two, three, or five-pages? Let's just say, I'm not looking forward to it. My first attempt showed me that I was trying to cobble two stories into one. What dangers lurk in the next attempt? 
• An agent who gets my vision for MOTHER'S DAY, and sees the perfect market for it. I have to achieve the queries and synopses to get to this wish.

So, there you have it, my very own wish list. For some reason, I don't think Santa will be packing any of them on his sleigh.

What about you? Do you have a few wild and wonderful wishes? Care to share? ;-)

Next Week: A Merry Christmas Poem! 
  

Bonus Tuesday: Snip, An Update, and Input Request

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 It's been an earthquake month in my writing world. My WIP is six and a half years old. Wouldn't you think it's about time I really understood the story? ;-) It started with a working title of MOTHER'S DAY. The basic story was of a recently widowed, retired teacher who was still aching over the fact that she is childless. When she meets an abused foster child, she begins a journey that leads her to become a foster and adoptive parent. Slowly it evolved into a story about abuse in all its various guises and the working title changed to FRIENDLY FIRE.

This month I attempted writing a synopsis and ran into to a huge problem--I had too much story for one book. ;-) And so, with the help of some friends, I revamped and rejuvenated the original theme and MOTHER'S DAY is on again. Now my Cherry Hill series has grown to a potential list of five books centering on the Chandler and Talley families.

I thought I'd get your input on the one paragraph "back cover" version of MOTHER'S DAY:

 Newly widowed retired teacher, Laura Grace Chandler's long-buried ache of childlessness is becoming an open sore. But after meeting Samantha Smith, an abused foster child, she finds that abuse is rampant in her hometown. And she’s at ground zero.  Though Laura Grace isn’t a mother, she knows the look of a child whose parents are missing in action; she’s seen hundreds of children in this position during her thirty years of teaching. Samantha has all the signs. As she gets to know the girl, Laura Grace is drawn to be the mother this child needs.  But to dive into the breach and become this child’s shield, she must open herself to heartache—again.

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I'd love some more input from you, my loyal readers. Since I've been doing the new topic rotation at The Shade (June, July, August, and September) I've noticed that author interviews get the most page views. Mini book reviews and snips weeks come in second. The tips week is lagging behind. 

Comments on the actual blog have been lagging. Though, comments on Facebook and Twitter have been growing. I've been working on promotion through those two outlets and Google + as well. Though, now that I've found the answer to "How do you add share buttons to the bottom of each post?" I'm hoping traffic picks up.

So, what do you think? Is the new schedule working? Do you have any suggestions? Please give me some feedback either here In The Shade, on Facebook, on Twitter (#InTheShade), or at Google +. I can't wait to see what you think?

Speaking of blog posts, check out Rachelle Gardner's post on "13 Simple Tips for a Better Blog"

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Next week: Snips!

Peek-a-Boo!

Blurbing, and how to do it...

Many readers think that writers just tell stories. Writing books takes a lot of time, effort, diligence, and craft to get the story down on paper so that readers can enjoy it.

But writing doesn't stop there. Once a book is written and polished, a writer has to sell it to agents and publishers, not to mention to readers. ;-) Doing all that requires many hours of painstaking work writing in very different forms. Query letters must be constructed to catch agents' attention. Synopses are written to show the scope of the story to publishers. And if all those obstacles are overcome, writers must construct blurbs or back-cover copy to catch a reader's eye.

Ruth Harris says it's never too early to start on a blurb. Check her 8 Tips for Writing That Killer Blurb. for more on her methods. Harris describes good blurbs as a "...little bit act, a little bit craft, a little bit commercial poetry.

Joanna Penn's How to Write a Back Blurbs for Your Book  uses examples to help explain what blurbs must do.

Mark Edwards explains that a well-written blurb/product description helped his book rise to #2 at Amazon.co.uk. Check out his five steps here: Product Description: AKA The Blurb

And Marilynn Bylery's Writing the Back Cover Blurb for genre-specific hints.

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So, now for my turn. Here is a first try at a blurb for FRIENDLY FIRE.

Our deepest wounds  come from those who should be our greatest protection.

At least that's what Laura Grace Chandler wishes were true, but she knows the look of a child whose parents are MIA from her many years of teaching. And though she thinks her time binding up the wounds is over, she finds herself caught at ground zero when she looks into Samantha Smith's eyes. 

And now, Laura Grace must act, do whatever it takes to heal the abuse Samantha has suffered. Just when she has finally won her battle to adopt Samantha, she finds her biggest and most devastating battle is yet to come. 

Let me know what you think. Does this hook you? Of is it too wordy?   Come on, be brutal. I can take it... ;-)

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Be sure to check out award-nominated author Lori Benton's latest book--The Pursuit of Tamsen Little John  that goes on sale today. Lori is a finalist in The Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Book Awards for 2013 in Inspirational Romance for her debut book--Burning Sky--and a finalist in the ECPA's 2014 Christian Book Awards for Burning Sky. Be sure and check out this up and coming author. I interviewed her August 20, 2013.