Query vs Synopsis

Which is worse? Trying to spit out a query and convey the excitement of your book in a couple of paragraphs or taking a 280 page book down to a couple of pages? I'm attempting both right now.
The query isn't yet perfected, but I'm not sure what more to do with it. I'm going to wait till tomorrow morning when the house is quiet (I'm always up first) and I have a hot cup of coffee by my side to open it up and look again. Sometimes I look at my query and think....did I get it all in? Would a fresh pair of eyes look at this and really get the gist of what my story is about? Or am I reading something into it that isn't there?
I'm also working on my synopsis. I work on it when I need a break from query letter hell. Erica Orloff gave me some great coaching on what makes a synopsis great and I'm happy to say they have gotten easier since then. But its one of those things where I know my story so well, lets face it I've read this thing cover to cover about ten times now, sometimes I think I can't see the forest for the trees. This weekend I'm going to take my last printed draft and set it next to my puter and write two or three lines on each chapter and then try to piece it together from there. At least then I'll make sure I don't forget anything important.
Does anyone out there have a system for doing queries or synopsis? Care to share?

Just ordered...

The new Karin Slaughter book UNDONE. I can't wait to read ...er...listen to it. (Ordered book on CD so I can listen on my way to work) Her last book was great so I have high expectations.
In the last book she killed off a very important character...at least, I think the character is dead...I won't know till I get my hands on UDONE.
My question is this...You have a good series going with two main characters. Well actually one would be the supremo main but the first secondary character is sooo important that when Karin axed him I almost dropped the book. I had to go back two pages and reread everything. I was in shock, yes there it was in black and white on the page...dead semi-main, killed, kaput, gonzo.
I immediately ran to her website to send her a "I can't believe you did that!" email. But she beat me to it. There on her web was a place that explained why she did it. Smart writer.
But really, do you owe your readers anything? Or is this what makes a great writer? The ability to surprise and shock?
And keep us coming back.

CHERRY BOMB

Just finished reading Cherry Bomb by J.A.Konrath and it was a real page turner.
Bad girl Alex Kork is back with more of her twisted games to torture our hero, Jack Daniels. If you like Serial Killers, Cops and lots of action buy this book. The imagery is vivid and might keep you up at night. Konrath has a real talent for wretching emotions from the reader. This read is like a roller coaster ride of tears, fear and edge of the seat screams. His writing will paint you such a vivid picture that you can't help but keep turning the pages.

The opening of this book will answer the cliffhanger at the end of Fuzzy Navel. Thank you Joe! It was totally unexpected. Brought tears to my eyes. They didn't last long though as we were dragged into the non-stop action.

Good read! I give it five stars! *****

This man was a God

Amazing.
Bruce Lee played Ping Pong with his nunchuks. I wonder how long he had to practise to get that good in hitting the little ball with the chuks.
To liken this to writing I'd have to say it all comes down to practise. Every story we write, every novel we finish and shove under the bed to never see again is all part of the practise. If we didn't do it we'd never be able to hit the ball.

Now I'm imagining peeking under Stephen King's bed. I think it might be a little scary under there...

I may have to go dust off my nunchuks.

Draft # 5....

I'm on draft number five, no wait...four, no, it was five. Definitely draft number five. And I'm tired of reading and rereading the same old stuff. I want to move on! Its time for a new story, a new idea...but then I think I can read it once more and maybe find something else wrong in there. Maybe a missed word, misspelled word or a scene that just doesn't work so I plod along. Combing through the words I've just about memorized for any weird issues I didn't see in the last two million times I've read it. Is it ready to query? Can I improve anything before I send my baby out into the world?
How many drafts do you do? How do you know if you're done?
Is it ever really done?

Fear of the Jinx

How much do you tell about when you send your WIP in to the world? I mean, if you tell everyone about each query you send out are you jinxing it? I wonder if it's best to keep it on the QT and not share whats going where...but there are all these questions. I often bring chunks of my manuscript to work to play with on lunch or my breaks (okay sometimes when the boss isn't looking too--but hey! priorities!) so peeps there know I write and they are always asking questions about it.
It's kind of like being in a store with a newborn and all these strangers keep trying to put their germs on her...okay, not really exactly like that but you get the idea.
So how much do you tell? Do you believe in jinxes?

Sons of Maxwell & United Airlines

Since I hate airlines I had to post this video. (I found it on Janet Reid's site-Thanks Janet!)
I've long felt that the airline biz is the biggest extortionists in the world. I mean, come on! Two people sitting right next to each other could spend hundreds more than each other. How is this legal??? They've got the country by the gonads and nobody does anything about it! We give them our luggage to take care of and when things are missing or broken it's up to them to decide it they want to give us restitution? Sheesh! Is there no law in the air?
Whew! Rant over. Please watch the video it's hysterical.

Crayons!

There is a blog called Crayons and it's awesome. Check it out.
There is another artist called Don Marco who does amazing stuff with Crayola Crayons. You can see his artwork here. I think I've blogged about him before.
So, I just had to buy a box of crayons and on this lazy day at work I did this:

Cheerio's and Writers

Cheerio's is looking for people who write children's books. Wow, I don't write kid's books but if I did I never would have thought to query Cheerios.
http://www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com/registration_form/

Oy! the Query Letter!

Remember back in school when you had that big test and no matter how much you studied you never felt ready? Or when you had to write an essay and every page you wrote ended up in the trash because it just didn't express what you wanted to say quite good enough?
There it is; The Query Letter.
I've got about six written, three that might be good enough and none that I actually want to send out. I've read lots of stuff on queries, had query classes at critique groups and all that stuff but still....I worry.
I've stared at my manuscript for months, I know every nuance, every little quirk and plot line but am I conveying that in the query? Am I forgetting something important because I can't see the plot for the words? Hmmmm, not sure.
I'm tempted to send it to the Query Shark and let her hack it to pieces. But then you can never be sure if she'll pick your letter.
One of the problems I have is with my bio....I'm boring, no writing credits to speak of. (too bad blogging and twittering don't count!) and my real life job has nothing to do with writing. My platform is; I like to write stories...

Investigating Agents

Since I'm taking a break from writing for this week. (Okay, I've written a little bit but basically I'm off) I'm researching agents. I started with Agent Query which links me to their websites where I read the bio on the agent and their "wants". If they are accepting new clients and cover the genre of my work then I book on over to Predator's and Editors and see how they fair there. Then I make a page for them in my book. I save this for later when the query letter is perfected.
Which brings us to the dreaded Query. Some agencies have specific forms on their website to put your Query into. How do you feel about that? I'm not sure, still thinking on it. I mean if they have a square for Bio and you have none...what do you do? What if they ask for my platform? (I hate that word...platform? It's just a story with some romance.) Can anyone give me a clear definition of "platform?"
So if you find an agent who covers your genre and see on their website lots of really big writers who write in your genre...do you think its a waste to query them? I mean, maybe they have enough of that kind of writer? Or would you have a better chance there because they really, really like that kind of story?

139,750 words...too much?

So while waiting for my editing buddy to finish my latest WIP I'm looking at a story I wrote last year but shelved. I like my story, characters and all that but the ending was flat. I absolutely hate cop-out endings in books. Like when you read a great book, a real page turner and then the ending is a WTF moment. Like what were they thinking? Where's the climax? The promised drama? The OMG ending?
So in that other story I hated that I didn't have a better ending so I shelved it.
For a year.
And now I have it! I'm real excited about my ending now and I open up the old story and realize it's over 500 pages. Ayyaakk! Could any newbie possibly interest an agent in a 500 page book?
Ugh! Now I'm going back through this story that I love with some mental scissors.
This ever happen to you?

Finding an Agent

Ok, the Wip is whipped and turned over to wonderful person who catches all my crap to give a last look. I've got another Wip in the works but right now i don't feel like working on it. I think I need a brief respite from living in that other world.
So I've been agent surfing.
:)
I visit quite a few agent blogs and thought I had a "Dream Agent" list in my head but now as I start to reread their wants and guidelines I'm beginning to waver.
This particular Wip is a little different from what I've written in the past. It's a paranormal romance involving angels. Very hard to find that on an agent's wish list so I'm looking for those who handle both paranormal and romance. I've got a list of six so far. I want to query seven at a time because that's my lucky number. The number three has also been lucky so maybe I'll do seven agents and three pub houses?
(I'm thinking Wild Rose Press might bite on this one)
Now I've come to the point where I'm building my dream agent in my head and here's what I've come up with:
1. Must represent paranormal romance but also thrillers.
2. Must be on east coast, preferably NYC area. (so we can meet one day!)
3. Must have experience. Some kind of decent track record.
4. I think I'd work better with a woman. I think they'd understand romance books better. Are there any men agents who sell a lot of romance. They also have a better chance of understanding my sometimes weird sense of humor.
5. Must at least slip me an email every now and then letting me know whats going on. I don't need love notes but a quicky will do.
6. Can tell me up front of how they will sell my book. I'm a newbie, I need details!
I think that's it so far...any other suggestions?
If you're agented, how did you find them and are they your dream agent?

Her Sanctuary: A review

I was wandering around over at Wild Rose Press a couple of weeks ago and came across this book by Toni Anderson.
One of the things I like about Wild Rose Press is the way they set up their lines. Each genre is a different kind of Rose. Her Sanctuary is from the Crimson Rose Line which means its Romantic Suspense...my favorite read!
Her Sanctuary looks like its the first book from this author and I'm very impressed. A lot of times I read books and my hands itch to edit but with this book I wanted a highlighter so I could go back and read the wonderful way this author put her words together. The word "poetic" came to mind in her beautiful descriptions and turn of phrase.
The book blurb from Wild Rose Press: Running for her life, ex-FBI agent Elizabeth Ward escapes to Montana with a new identity. She craves peace and solitude, but instead finds handsome rancher, Nat Sullivan. Nat is trying to hold his ailing family together, while struggling to keep the ranch from bankruptcy. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger reminding him there is more to life than work. But Elizabeth isn't what she seems. And when a murderer and rapist track her down to the remote ranch, they all find out about the power of revenge. Revenge or Redemption. Which would you choose?
This book was so good I carried it around with me so I could read every spare minute! Elizabeth's back story was carefully woven in and my heart went out to her. The handsome rancher was just as real and I think I'm in love with him. :)
Definately a great read!

Guitar Mama?

Our house has lots of instruments. Piano, French Horn, Trumpet, Sax, Violin, Banjo, two electric Guitars, one Classical and three other Guitars (but I'm not sure what they're called.)
I can't play any of them. However, I suddenly have the urge to learn.
My daughter is teaching me the basics but the one thing I'm not liking is the fact that I have to generate callouses on my finger tips. Can anyone tell me why they haven't invented something to put on your finger tips so you can play without pain???
That's the hardest part. And you have to cut your nails.
I don't want to do that but ... I will. I keep looking at them, thinking how nice they look, even, long enough, and I have to chop them off. :(
I also keep looking at the Guitars scattered around the family room. The one I play is on the coffee table. It's black and shiny. I love picking it up and running through the few cords I've been shown. (My nails still get in the way but ... soon...)
Anyone out there starting an instrument? How's it going?
Do you think there's hope at my age?
Also any help with the callous issue would be appreciated.

60,000...YAY!

Whew! Sixty thousand words-done!
This was for the Mayke It Happen challenge by Liberty State Fiction Writers. The challenge was to write 60K by May 31st.
For awhile I wasn't sure I was going to finish. The usual issues were there, family time, work responsibilities, that little devil who sits on my shoulder telling me to goof off....
A friend at Liberty State Writers told me that she sets aside 20 minutes to write. I asked what she could accomplish in just 20 minutes? She said it gets her going. So I thought about this for awhile and decided to give it a try. There were plenty of times I'd think that I didn't have enough time to write anything but 20 minutes? I have that. Before work 20 minutes is 20 minutes, no more, no less. But after work those 20 minutes could morph into hours. It was like a kick start with no commitment.
Anyway, it's done. Yippieee!
Now I have to reread, rewrite and get it out somewhere.
Ahhhhhh,,,,it feels so good to finish.

Going Crazy Trying to Mayke it Happen!

I'm up to 54500 words. I have to make 60,000 by the end of the month. I had a bit of a sludge time, semi-stalled, but pushed through it. Now I have to finish so there's not much in my life but writing. And it's all in my head now just itching to get it down on paper.
One thing I need right now is a desk. There are notes all over the place, index cards, printed pages and scribbles that I keep refering back to. I do have that desk, its a big desk/workbench. I love it but it's also the catch-all for paperwork in this house. Do I take the time to clean it off, which will lead to filing, organizing and finding a home for all the left over crap....or just push on. After all cleaning off that pile of stuff will use up precious writing time. And my writing time is precious, I value every moment I get to sit at the keyboard.
Today I hid in my bedroom with Edgar, my laptop, and it was a constant stream of interuptions. Now I have a dinner date with old friends so I'm about to pull my self together and head out...more writing time lost.
Do you ever go crazy trying to find precious time to write?
Ever accept a challenge to make a word count?

Finding Your Rhythm

I joined the Mayke It Happen challenge through Liberty Writers and pushed off about 20,000 works quick and easy then...stalled.
I saw Anna DeStefano speak and one of the things she said was that she pushes right through a new story to the end. I tried, really tried, but it's just not doing it for me.
So Caridad Pinero said she nails the first two or three chapters first and then moves on. I went back and did that and it helped alot.
One of the other things I took from Anna was that she prints it all out and puts it in a binder. Then uses postit notes to mark POV and things she wants to work on. This idea I love! Aside from the editing feature it also give me the ability to go back and look things up. Thanks Anna!
I have another writer friend, and soon to be published author, who is also in law school. How she finds the time to write I'll never know! However if she can do it do I have any chance at a valid excuse? She says she writes in twenty minute clips. So I've been doing that. Of course, those 20 mins often stretch into more but it gets me going.
Even after years of writing I'm still finding my rhythm. In all this searching I think what's helped me most is other writers. I've never met a group of people like this before. They go out of their way to help other writers. I find this amazing.
What about you? How did you find your writing rhythm?

Have a good think

Sometimes when I'm in the middle of one story something else pops into my head and I desperately want to start it. Ideas can be illusive creatures that slip away when you're not looking. Poof! That great thing bouncing around in your head suddenly blends back into the muddy recesses of your brain and it's gone...at least for now....at least you hope it's just for now.
So when one of these great ideas pops into my brain I blurb it. Pop open the Word doc and start scribbling ideas at the speed of light. Punctuation and spelling be damned. The idea doesn't care,it's not your 10th grade English teacher who's going to harp on every little comma, it has a life of its own. The idea splashes itself across the page seeking it's bliss.
Then I have to sigh, take a deep breath and close it up to hide away for a rainy day while I go back to the real world of my WIP.
So where do you keep your great ideas? How do you not forget?

Happy Easter!

This is from a train station in Belgium. Wouldn't real life be nicer if we burst into song at random times? Think how much better your day would be if people would sing at you instead of yelling?
:)
Hope your day is full of grins and giggles.

Drought

I'm at that middle part of the story that is in danger of dragging and I'm struggling. I feel like I need...something...here. This is the time in the story where I sometimes abandon the piece and write something different. And maybe taking a break isn't a bad thing but with this story I joined the Mayke it Happen challenge. I have to finish this by May 30th.
Usually not a hard thing to do but, and probably because I have a deadline, I'm stumped.
So how do you push past the drought?

Back!

Wow, I just realized I haven't blogged in a month...A WHOLE MONTH! Where have I been? It seems the time just slipped past...
I've been busy at work, non stop busy! Then at home I'm trying to do 60,000 words for the Liberty State Writers Mayke it Happen challenge. (I'm up to 27,000 so far) I'm using every spare minute to finish that story. It's about an angel.
Then there's my other creepy serial killer story I've been working on for the last few months.
From serial killers to angels....maybe I have a problem sticking to one subject? I think that's why I wanted to do this challenge. I'm hoping it gives me the sticktoitiveness (is that a real word??? lol) to finish something to submission status. I have lots written. A few completed books, some too long, one too short and some just right. Some I have no idea where to send it. (Know anyone looking for a refreshing story about a woman who makes a deal with God to be reincarnated as a petite blond but comes back as a long haired chihuahua? (well, she is a petite blond, isn't she?) I really like this story and wish I could find a home for it. Last year at the NJRWA convention I heard an editor speak and thought she might go for it...then I forgot her name...oops!
During the past month I've stopped by some blogs, read how peeps were doing and then just couldn't think of anything to say here. I try to keep this blog about writing and the pursuit of publication but sometimes I feel I'm repeating myself. And I don't want to say when I'm sending out cause I think I might jinx it. Ever feel like that?
So how's everyone else out there in blogland?

The Hero's Journey & Family Time

So I've been working on a story and trying to outline it by using the Hero's Journey. It's my mission now to understand the HJ inside and out. So I found an outline of the Hero's Journey for Star Wars and printed it out. Then I made a basic Hero's outline with blank spaces. Last night as the family sat down to watch Star Wars I passed out the papers and told them this movie was an assignment.
After they stopped laughing and making sarcastic comments they actually read the papers and started filling them in. We only had a few minor stumbling points.
Did the HJ have to go in the order it was outlined? Does the supernatural aid have to come BEFORE crossing the first threshold? In Star Wars was the supernatural aid the lightsaver or the force?
Who is Luke's soul mate? Leia? Obi-wan? Hans?
Is the "Over coming temptation" the fight in the bar?
We're still not in agreement.
Any answers out there?
How does the Hero's Journey fit your work?

There's a new magazine for Gluten Free Peoples!

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2003 and in those few short years there's been an explosion in the availability of Gluten Free foods but this is the first magazine I've heard of that is dedicated to living gluten free. I'm soooo excited! Check out this amazing new magazine! "Delight gluten free" is a fun food & lifestyle magazine for people with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and food allergies. It hosts delicious gourmet recipes and easy semihomemade as well. Don't miss the Gluten-Free Meals on a Budget either. (And boy! Do we need that! Gluten free food can be sooo expensive!) Whatever your food allergy you should be able to find something that fits your household, in their February issue they offer gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free and even some rice-free recipes. Not only that, this magazine has a travel section coming in May that will host lots of fun ideas and good advice for when you venture out on the road. Personal stories, inspiring articles on Autism, Q & A with the Doc are among the other features of this magazine. Subscribe to Delight Magazine!

What a Wonderful World....