We’re smack dab in the middle of summer and I have loads of reading to catch up on (who says publishing slows down in the summer??), so I thought I would stand aside for the day and let the discussion go where it may.
Open thread!
What’s on your mind?
Oh, also, this video is a gift from me to you:
Today I'm working on a synopsis for my upcoming release from Lyrical Press. God these things are so awful! Is there anyone out there who actually likes doing them????
But WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!?
I'm working on revisions….I wish I was more motivated. 😛 plus I have about a thousand books to read!
CV
I proclaim this… THE SUMMER OF GEORGE.
Good luck, Stephanie. And no, none of us like them. I was SO relieved when my publisher said they didn't need a synopsis. Whew!
Good luck with your release though!
Wow, I really have nothing to discuss.
I'm beginning to appreciate "required reading" more and more each day. There are some fantastic books out there that are not getting their due credit. 🙂
Stephanie…I'm working on back cover copy and cover briefs today. I know how you feel!!
Thanks to your blog – which I love – I've decided that I'm OK if I only succeed in finishing my manuscript and not publish.
I've decided I like the process of writing and the work that goes into it. I don't need publishing to validate my work.
I came to this conclusion after reading of how people respond to rejections and criticism. I read with horror of the responses towards agents, editors, and publishers.
I will pursue publishing – when the time comes – but before I can do that. I first need to create goals that are far more realistic.
So here's my question: besides just reading and writing, what activities should I participate in to make my writing experience richer?
Wow… that guy in that video. Is so high.
@Stephanie – No one likes doing synopses, but there are lots of good resources. On the Guide to Literary Agents blog, Chuck Sambuchino posts sample synopses to help. http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/.
My two bits of advice. Most agent comments on synopses are that they want to know what happens, and if it's fun to read, that's a plus. But a ho-hum synopsis probably isn't a deal-killer.
That said, if it's really hard to write one, it might be a sign that the plotting of your book needs some help. Synopses and even query letters are, strangely, good ways to find this out.
I'm revising my novel. Or trying to, at least. Right when I get into a groove, someone in this house wants something. Whether it be my husband ("where are the pans again?") to my kids, ("can you transform this Transformer for me?" [no]) to even the cat, who likes to hock a hairball right near my feet out of spite.
Now I know why some writers retreat to a log cabin out in the middle of no where….
I've just wrapped up three different submissions (short stories) which all got accepted for publication in Anthologies. I'm now going to re-write a slow section of the novel to add tension on every page.
Words are your paint. Use all the colors.
damn.. i'm working on final revisions before a send-off.. but it's a beautiful summer day.. is there any way for a writer to work effectively out of doors? say, on the beach.. at the pool? ideas?
Given the amount of time and resources most writers are expected to put into marketing their own book (events, blogging, tweeting, contacting bookstores, etc.) and given that most writers still earn below the poverty line in their writing career, are most of them even making the equivalent of minimum wage?
Today I'm just sort of cursing the air. I did think of a lot of good stuff, which is good, but I can't put them to words right now. Still, I've got the ideas in my head, so there's about a year to go before they're ejected.
Also I have been looping the same song for the past three and a half hours and I have no idea why.
Thank you for the double rainbow! He gets very emotional about nature and allows himself to experience it. It reminds me of a quote by the late Kyle Lake: "Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done-a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all… because soon he'll be wiping his own. If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift." –Kyle Lake Sermon.
I.Need.To.Write.
re:Anon
Assuming one worked 49 weeks a year, 40 hours a week, making current US minimum wage ($7.25), that's $14210/year. Advance rates vary but if I recall correctly the average for a lot of genres is in the $8000 to $12000 ballpark. So, yeah, most probably are making below minimum wage, assuming they worked full-time and for a good chunk of the year. Could be making minimum wage if we shaved some weeks off the employee.
Make of my atrocious maths what you will.
"It's so bright! It's so bright and big!"
Going in my next ms somewhere.
@Lee Ann
Writing workshops or writer's groups. I have a lot of writer friends, some are professors, some just write. We get together and critique one another's work. This usually involves wine, so it's good no matter what.
Other things I do to work on my writing (aside from writing stories) is blogging, writing long letters to my friends around the US, journaling and reading a lot.
On a separate note,
I just moved back to southern California from Seattle a month ago and today is HOT.
& I'm getting depressed about the probability of finding an agent for my book, so I'm editing today. But, I'm not sure if the obsessive tweaking is a move in the right direction? Meh.
One day I hope to find an agent who's as enthusiastic about my manuscript as that guy was in the video.