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:
Stephanie says
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????
Jenn Marie says
But WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!?
Charlee Vale says
I'm working on revisions….I wish I was more motivated. 😛 plus I have about a thousand books to read!
CV
Jaimie says
I proclaim this… THE SUMMER OF GEORGE.
sex scenes at starbucks, says
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.
Carrie Dair says
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. 🙂
ryan field says
Stephanie…I'm working on back cover copy and cover briefs today. I know how you feel!!
Lee Ann says
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?
Jaimie says
Wow… that guy in that video. Is so high.
JohnO says
@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. https://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.
WhisperingWriter says
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….
Daryl Sedore says
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.
Samuel Saint Thomas says
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?
Anonymous says
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?
Nick says
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.
Shelby, The Script Activist says
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.
Taffy says
I.Need.To.Write.
Nick says
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.
buildingalife says
"It's so bright! It's so bright and big!"
Going in my next ms somewhere.
Andrea says
@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.
Reena Jacobs says
One day I hope to find an agent who's as enthusiastic about my manuscript as that guy was in the video.
nicbeast says
@Jaimie Seriously…
candycana says
Thanks for the video. You should have warned us that it would be better watched with the sound off. My teen son in the other room was appalled that I was watching such videos! Yeah. Beautiful rainbow. But please tell us that wasn't you. 😉
Francis says
After a few requests and too many rejections I wrote a brand new query (with some feedback from the good folks of our favorite orange forum) and the new query got me 2 requests for a partial in three days! yay for the forums!
Also, I think it's disappointing that so many agents don't even provide feedback when rejecting a FULL ms… I understand a no feedback policy on queries, even perhaps a partial.. but a full? I'm a sad puppy.
Yes, I concur… synopses are totally evil!
Marycycle says
Are so called "publishing coaches" or "book doctors" worthwhile? My book of my "adventure gal" sport tales will inspire others, like "Halfway to Heaven" mountain climbing author in CO. But a publishing coach says she can make me a "celebrity", build my platform, etc. before pitching book to agents. Too good to be true?
Claire says
Pardon my random reflection:
I was supposed to devote today to my writing, but thus far, I've come up with nothing.
*sigh*
Motivation isn't enough to garner success. Only action will do.
The Oat Project says
So does publishing really, still slow down in the summer? Does the "everyone leaves in August" still apply? Has the downturn in the economy and industry affected this? Thanks for your blog, by the way! I've recommended you to scads of fellow writers.
Becca says
I'm trying to clean, even though I'm supposed to be editing and writing. Of course my motivation to write doesn't come until 1am, and by then, I'm too tired to concentrate.
Today is my day of doing things I've been putting off.
Livia says
Is the rainbow guy on drugs?
Today my blog is exploding. Who would have thought that an article called "Will Self Publishing Make you Die?" would generate such strong reactions on either side? Okay, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but still, as someone who usually writes calm, objective articles and gets calm, objective replies, this experience is rather new…
aspiring_x says
ok, am i the only one who cried along with that guy? sure, my tears were from laughing so hard… but still!
was a pretty rainbow, but WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
slytherclawchica says
I am completely stuck in the middle of my Flash Fiction Thursday post… ughh. But I just finished Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead yesterday and I'm in love with the series. Can't wait to get home and dig into Tuck! (oh yeah, and books for my Atlantic History class).
This summer has been really great, though. Made better by the Vienna Mocha Chunk ice cream sitting in the freezer. 😀
Phyllis says
Did anyone catch this? I Write Like is a software that compares your writing to a database of famous writers.
I couldn't resist and entered an SF story. Apparently I write like James Joyce. That really made my day. 😉
Kathryn Paterson says
Ha, Jaimie, I think I'm going to proclaim next summer the summer of George.
I finally had a breakthrough on a chapter I've been revising (well, two chapters I'm combining). But I keep wondering when I should start querying. Everyone says "send your best work," but if I did that, I'd NEVER query, because there's always something to change.
I'm also despairing at my slow drafting rate. Most people say I write pretty fast, but then I hear about someone publishing three books in fourteen months, or someone writing 4 pages in 45 minutes and I get very discouraged.
Must not compare myself to others. 🙁
Candyland says
I just wanted to thank you (publicly) for replying to my email so quickly. You keep getting cooler by the second:)
Debi says
@Reena Jacobs (1:03p) you crack me up.
That guy was having some kind of double-rainbow orgasm. There's living in the moment, loving the magic and then there's an experience that shouldn't see the light of YouTube day. (Hope he had a glove and a velvet cloth.)
Anonymous says
Is that a soundtrack to a different video? He's having a better time at Yosemite than most.
Vincent Kale says
Trying to push through the last third of my WIP (while at work!)
I'm getting to some very exciting scenes I've been dying to see on paper for a while, but my hand never seems to write fast enough.
Also, if you liked the Double Rainbow guy, you'll love him autotuned and put to music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX0D4oZwCsA
So intense!
Kate says
Today, I'm reflecting on the greatness of John Doe's 'A Year in the Wilderness.'
Can't. Stop. Listening.
Some awesome writing inspiration!
Kristin Laughtin says
Awww, Vincent just beat me to the punch posting the autotuned version. I was scrolling through the comments and couldn't believe it hadn't made an appearance yet…and then there it was in the last comment visible at the time. HIGHLY recommended, although it will be stuck in your head all day.
Phyllis: I love I Write Like! Different passages from various works have gotten me compared to Edgar Allen Poe, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Chandler, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and *shudder* Dan Brown. I could see the Poe, Atwood, and Chandler likenesses in the passages I posted, but otherwise I was laughing or scratching my head.
Outlining is on my mind. Specifically, how to reveal the bad guys' motivations without an Evil Monologue or Evil Lab Scene or The Protagonist Just Knowing.
slytherclawchica says
@Phyllis: So cool! Apparently I write like Robert Louis Stevenson. Guess I should read Treasure Island. ^^
Amorena says
On my mind: Reading and Writing. Oh, and a long car ride and a long weekend with limited internet.
I see a double rainbow like that at least every few months. The Willamette Valley is gorgeous.
amethyst says
Doing minor revisions to Book 1 of my series before printing it out for my 2nd Beta Reader (gasp!) and then back to Book 2 which is, in terms of length, halfway done, but needs A LOT of work during revisions.
For now, just the bones. Just the bones.
I love the Writing Life 🙂
Kathy says
the Stieg Larsson books and their tremendous misogyny…worried it's going to set a trend in publishing (because they SELL!) and the violence will just get darker and more horrible….gotta keep pushing the envelope, you know…
Ishta Mercurio says
Lee Ann, if you're ever going to pursue publication, then it will probably be worth joining a critique group at some stage. I've learned SO MUCH from my experience with my crit group about writing craft, and also about identifying what works and what doesn't in a manuscript. It trains your eyes and ears to recognize quality writing.
On the other hand, they take up a lot of time, which is a good thing to bear in mind.
Marycycle, the idea of a "publishing coach" curdles my wame a little. Your book sounds like it already has a fairly well-defined potential market, so if it's any good, then you shouldn't need to be a "celebrity" already before you pitch it to agents. And if it isn't that great, why not focus on making it better, rather than hiring someone to cover up your not-so-great book by making you seem like an amazing author? (I don't mean to imply that you're not a great writer, because if you're here your writing is probably fine; just that I don't understand what a self-respecting author would be doing with a "book doctor".)
I'd like to reframe The Oat Project's question: is there a slow time for the publishing industry? I have two more PB's that I've polished up and am ready to send out, and if most people's desks are currently more overfull with slush than usual, it would be good to know.
Stephanie: synopses can be tough. But at least you have a book that needs a synopsis. A good problem to have, no? I'm struggling to find time to write, with both my kids home all day and creating even MORE housework for me to do. I'm going to try actually writing out a daily schedule for my free time – hour by hour, when I do dishes, when I work on staining the window frames, when I water the flowers, when I write, etc. The hardest things are getting off my butt when I'm dog-tired (like now), and stopping writing when I'm in the groove because I know that if I don't, I'll be dead on my feet the next day. Anyone else have these problems?
Phyllis: I Write Like looks neat! I'm going to do that now, just for fun. Thanks for the link.
de la O says
Actually hanging out with one of my besties, grateful that you responded to my question yesterday in your forum, and wondering how I can obtain the exhilaration like the rainbow guy without ingesting a foreign substance.
Stu Pitt says
What kind of advance could Mel Gibson get today for an autobiography? I'm saying 2 million bucks.
J. R. McLemore says
I'm working on a new novel about a young man who stumbles into working as a hit man for the mob.
While I'm working on this, I'm allowing my previous southern gothic novel to mellow in the drawer before I pull it out to edit.
Writing is non-stop.
Ted says
oh my god!! Double rainbow!! WHAT DOES IT MEAN???
Dude, it means it's time to put away the bag of mushrooms.
Stacy and Carol says
It's time to send another query letter for my children's ABC book. It teaches children at a very young age how important they are, self love, respect for the earth, connecting to others and so much more. I Dream of the day I receive a personalized response from an agent saying Heck yeah! I can see and feel your vision with your children's book series and the time is now!I've already been working on my writers platform and planning my super sized character costumes. Metaphysical/Spiritual children's books are booming.
Namaste everyone, Carol
J.J. Bennett says
Yeah… Open thread. It's too hot to write. (110 degrees today in Saint George, Utah) Listening to an audio book in the A/C.