The synopsis. Why must that be the hardest part? As I sit here and write this, I'm listening to Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," which is hauntingly beautiful and conveys a certain level of emotional pain not too unlike the pain of writing a synopsis. Author, take the manuscript you've spent aching hours sculpting into the perfect work of art and break it down until nothing remains but its skeleton. As a person who loves words - and I love words - that was rather difficult to do. While I consider it "done," my synopsis is still 10-pages, which seems long to me, but that's really only something like one page for every 50 in the MS. In the end, it reads well, I cover the major players, the main plot, and it makes sense out of a very complex story where even the subplots tie into the main plot. In a story where nothing is gratuitous and everything exists for a reason, it was difficult in some places to determine what to cut and how to make that one small detail stand out. I hope it's good enough, because the synopsis has to be just as good as the manuscript.
Now I have edits for Confessions that I made on a hard copy months upon months ago and the joy of changing all of Microsoft Word's indents into tabs. I thought I had turned that feature off (and one would probably think I would have caught that while writing...but no....) - so for any writer out there who hasn't done that yet - DO IT! It is a pain in the rear to fix after the fact, trust me. At the very least, I love Confessions the best of the three, so I truly enjoy working on it.
COMS has been coming to me in bits and pieces. That's an odd one, I must admit, but fun, too, and has some scenes that I read over and over just because I enjoy the imagery. I've blogged about how the story and characters have taken me in unexpected directions, but I'm even more surprised at how this one is being written. I wrote The Arrival in 3 months. Confessions took longer, but it's also a longer MS and I researched as needed for specific scenes. COMS, on the other hand, is throwing itself at me in no particular order. So I write what comes to me and plug it in where I think it should go and reorganize along the way. That said, the first four chapters are segued and flow, but the rest is a mess filled with notes to myself about where I anticipate things will go or what I think will fill the gaps, and the one person who has read what I have so far loves it (sans notes, of course - can't give away my secrets!). I know where the story will end, but it hasn't told me how it's getting there yet, and that is utterly fascinating to me. The way things are going, the ending itself has actually changed a little, because I've added a new character who never existed and who will become a major player. BUT - the way the story ends for my trio of main characters will remain the same as I have planned from the very beginning. This just opens it up even more for the possibility of a continuation - something I had also planned for all along in case I wasn't ready to let go of my characters. After all, I already have the title for book four - In the Shadow of the Cross - and the opening sequence written. ^_-
As stated in previous blogs, religion is key in my stories, and I realize that shows in the titles. Not so much in The Arrival, I suppose, until after it's been read, but the other three definitely infer religious connotations. I want to reiterate that these are not religious or preachy books. I have blended faiths and texts to mold my story the way I want to tell it and, in doing so, have created scenes and tales that do not fit within the scope of mainstream Christianity. I intend for them to be entertaining pieces of fiction, but I had one reader become disturbed by the direction I went toward the end of The Arrival. I wasn't aiming for that result, but being told that I had written something capable of drawing readers in and affecting them on an emotional/spiritual level was actually a compliment.
And of course I continue the agent hunt. I haven't submitted any other queries at this time, so I still only have the one out. I'm not naive, but I'm also not in a hurry and didn't feel the need to fire off a bunch of letters at once. I liked this particular agent, so I chose to stick with one letter. The very first agent I ever queried requested a partial based on the premise, but that was also way back when - back in the first year when I wrote The Arrival and it had no business being seen by anyone. I was naive back then and that MS was in no shape for the eyes of my mother, let alone an agent. So....I'm researching and compiling a list. I know my next move and have plenty to keep me busy.
Oh - in other news, my favorite B & B is closing. :-( I like to go there to write. Not that I compare myself to Stephen King in ANY regard, but I always think of him and the Stanley Hotel when I go down there. So Tim and I are going down to the manor one last time in about a month. Oakridge Manor - Bob and Anna - you have treated us well, and I've enjoyed writing at your manor. I will miss being able to spend time there and visiting with you over breakfast. Thank you so much for having us over the years.
And finally, I'll openly admit to being a huge So You Think You Can Dance fan. I hope Eliana wins for the girls, but I'm totally torn between Cyrus and Chehon on the guy's side. Cyrus is just amazing at what he does and his ability to pick up the choreography without any formal training. But Chehon...Chehon is AMAZING - the level of emotion and skill he brings...I love his solos, especially. Well, I love both of their solos, because they get to do their styles, but Chehon's recent choreographed dances have been fantastic, too - that tango and the one with park bench...I just can't decide!! I've been voting for Cyrus, Chehon, and Cole (and Eliana) the whole time, and all three guys made it to the top six, so I had to pick my top two. If Cyrus and Chehon make it to the top four...I don't know who I'm going to vote for...I thought for sure I would vote for Cyrus, but I think Chehon is winning me over.
1 comment:
I'm glad to see that you are back to blogging. I'm so sorry to hear that the B & B is closing. I know that you loved that place.
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