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December - January 2002-3
Subscribers: 406 |
Published by Su Kopil
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First Mate Available through www.bookfinder.com Read an excerpt from FIRST MATE at www.romanceweb.com /dketcham/excerpt.cfm Inspirational Quote "Infinite riches are all around you if you will open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you." Joseph Murphy |
Yet another rejection letter arrived in my mailbox from Mills and Boon. They publish Harlequin Romance and Presents, a market I've been trying to crack for four years now. Okay, considering the turnaround time, that's only three submissions--but still, to me the plain envelope from Surrey, England translates as, "The rejection you've been expecting." This time it wasn't what I was expecting. A rejection, yes--including those semi-comforting, yada-yada words "well written ..obviously researched the genre. However--" [because there's always a however] "--this particular story is not right for any of our series." Soft sigh. Okay, fine. Back to the drawing board. But wait. Before the "We wish you every success..." there was another paragraph. It read: On a more positive note, I would like to see more examples of your writing. Could you send me synopses of all your completed manuscripts and any stories you are currently working on?" Gulp. All my synopses....? PLEASE, JUST SHOOT ME NOW! The dreaded synopsis. So that would be the weapon of my destruction. Scouring my archives, I selected ten stories as possible submissions. But before attempting that "one last revision" on each, I pulled out every article I could find on synopsis writing and decided to make myself a fail-proof checklist. A Synopsis 101 so to speak, much like Martha Stewart's celebrated Macaroni and Cheese 101 -- as if we all don't know how to add a can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup to a box of macaroni! First, I realized I needed an attitude adjustment. This was an opportunity to sell my stories to a Mills and Boon editor, not a noose with my name on it. Then I needed a simple, painless approach to putting a synopsis on paper, something that guaranteed each presented the necessary story components. Breaking it down into a three-act-play structure of 1) Set up the action or the inciting incident, 2) the turning points that send the action and characters in different directions, and 3) the climax and resolution, made it easy to lay down each story's foundation. Simple enough. After all, without these plot points there is no story. The synopsis should open with the "hook" or saleable element of the story. Not just the hook, but "the hook to buy the book," much like a back-cover blurb. That sentence or a paragraph is often easier to write last rather than first. Now to flesh out the story with those necessary components. 1) How hero and heroine meet (the gut responses of both). 2) Introduce the motivations and goals--and the conflicts, internal and external, as they arise. 3) The first kiss and their reactions to it. 4) The first turning point. Now how do they feel about each other. How do they stand with their goals? 5) What scenes hold the middle of the book together? Show each character's growth and how the pivotal scenes move the plot forward. 6) Their first lovemaking (and, as they occur, any other sensual/sexual encounter that develops their relationship). Present their emotional responses. 7) Is there another turning point before meadow muffins hit the fan? If so, what's changed between them? How does it affect their relationship, their goals? 8) The climax or black moment. Again, deal with the emotional impact. (It's all about emotion. Don't short change on the "satisfaction factor.") 9) The happy ending. How is the situation resolved? Show their final commitment to each other. Phew! Done, you say? No, not yet. Give it a once, twice, thrice over, and check for these factors. Keep it short and to the points. No rambling. Just the facts--AND the emotions. A crisp pace that tells the story through emotional and plot highpoints. Don't drag down the synopsis with details. (Don't lose the editor's interest in your synopsis! It doesn't fare well for your story.) Subplots and secondary characters. Most agree you should keep secondary characters, subplots and anything else that detracts from the romance to a minimum. A minimum--but don't left them out. If you're marketing to an 80,000-word line that requires a subplot, include it. A half-dozen sentences, placed in their proper sequence, will convince the editor you have one. Secondary characters often act as catalysts in the story, but to avoid confusion by naming them, it's sometimes better referring to them as the role they play--neighbor, business partner, confidante, ferret. Description, narrative and dialogue. We often hear that we shouldn't include these in a synopsis. If a line of dialogue or description shows the flavor of your storytelling, I'm for throwing it in. Try as you may to avoid it, sometimes it's punchier with it than without it. Example: When Jackson overhears a jealous ex-boyfriend say to Sandra, 'Are you going to have his baby, too?', Jackson realizes little Billy must be her son. And another: After chasing down leaks in a thunderstorm, Sarah and Drew make love in the attic listening to the pinging music of rain dripping into various pots. Conflict. Just as conflict plays a vital role in your manuscript, it should run like pantyhose through your synopsis. Make sure you show the progression of emotional conflicts. Touch upon what each character has to sacrifice so they both can win. Show they progress through their attraction and falling in love. Emphasis on romance. Tell of the emotional foundation for the romance, not just their physical attraction. How the couple grows together despite their reasons for not wanting to become romantically involved, how the relationship develops, and how each step changes the characters. Okay now. If it's the best you can do, let it go. Send it out there. Remember, no synopsis is carved in stone. (You haven't carved it in stone, have you?) All the elements are moldable. With the framework built, the walls can still be moved, the color scheme changed, windows added. If the editor is already convinced you can write and wants to buy your work, a synopsis is simply a tool that works toward that sale. She just needs the right story. Together you can create one that not only has a voice and style distinctive to you as an author, but also fits the line she's buying for. So get crackin'! Dale Ketcham still avoids writing synopses! She needed a break from preparing hers so she wrote this article. When the process seems too daunting, she cleans the toilet. The rubber gloves, scrub brush and on-bended-knees position put her back in the right frame of mind to tackle the beast again. |
Careless Whispers Available at New Concepts Publishing |
Likes to Read: I'm probably really strange. On one hand, I adore romantic comedies. On the other, I like Christian fiction or what I've heard described as Christian horror such as the Left Behind Series and The Stand by Stephen King. My ideal stories are a combination of romance, action, adventure, suspense, and humor. Favorite Authors: Stephen King - I LOVE his characterization and description. He has awesome plots, too. Barri Bryan - They're also great at characterization and have fast moving, page turning plots, and richly textured description. Sheryl Woods - Her category contemporary romances have very sexy heroes that I just want to cuddle up to and claim for my own. Reading Now: I'm reading a couple of books now. Bonnie Vanak's THE FALCON AND THE DOVE published by Leisure. It's her first book and it's wonderful. It's similar to the movie THE MUMMY, which I love. Bonnie's in my local RWA group and she's also one of my co-workers at my day job. I'm also reading TWILIGHT CROSSINGS which is a fantasy/paranormal anthology by Sheri McGathy, Shannah Biondine, Jeanne Allen, and Jeanine Berry and published by Double Dragon. Website: www.elainehopper.com Latest Release: Careless Whispers in paperback at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/carelesswhispers.htm ISBN is 1-58608-023-7 |
 Harkening
"Peridot is a clear, pale green stone. This visionary stone is said to help us connect us to our destinies and to an understanding of the purpose of existence." - The Crystal Handbook |
JWC: First before I begin the interview, let me congratulate you on your new book Harkening: A Collection Of Stories Remembered. Thank you for agreeing to this interview.
CHJ: Thank YOU, Judith. It is always a pleasure chatting with a fellow writer. JWC: How long have you been writing, and when did you decide to be a writer? CHJ: I remember my mother teaching me to begin each paragraph a little differently from the one that went before when I was about eight. She taught me this construction (which is still rarely used!): That Skylar was young was self-evident; that she was beginning to feel the seeds of wisdom sprouting within her was not. Actually, you can see that my mother was teaching me two little grammatical tidbits--using a clause that begins with "that" as a subject and the use of a semicolon. I don't think I ever decided to be a writer. I just was. JWC: Tell us a little about yourself. Did you have another career before you began to write full time? CHJ: I'm going to be giving an indication of my age here! Oops! I wrote when I was young but then I got married, had a family, founded a small chain of gift stores and operated them for 28 years. That also tells you how I let other pursuits stifle my urge to write for way, way too long. JWC: What are your writing and publishing credits prior to your novel This Is The Place? CHJ: I started my writing career as a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune and Good Housekeeping magazine. I was also a fashion publicist for Eleanor Lambert Agency in New York. In recent years I have been writing a fashion column for The Pasadena Star News, write an occasional movie review for The Glendale News-Press, write a column called "Inside Retailing" for Home Decor Buyer and do book reviews for MyShelf.com and Book Crazy Radio. JWC: After reading your new book Harkening, I can see where you got the material for your novel, This Is The Place. However, what came first? Did you begin to record these family tales then get the idea for a novel, or did you write the novel first and then decide to record the stories on which it was built? CHJ: A couple of the stories from Harkening were written when I was a teen-ager. They had started to grow mold. As I was writing This is the Place there were many stories that rose full-blown in my head that did not fit into that novel. That is probably why you noticed a novel-like thread in Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered. JWC: Besides being a beautiful collection of stories, Harkening is very intimate. Did you experience moments of regret about exposing so much of your family history to the public? CHJ: Oh, yes! I'm still worried. But I think that is part of what writing is about. That until you expose the most intimate part of yourself, you haven't reached your full potential as an author. When I teach, I tell my students that their writing must be true. I always told my children that most secrets are destructive. Harkening is truly an excercise in following my own advice. JWC: Did any member of your family object to you writing and publishing these stories? CHJ: Not yet. We'll see. There were some, though, who were unhappy with This is the Place. I guess we can get through anything if we've examined our own ethics well enough beforehand. JWC: Why did you decide to share these stories with us? CHJ: Judith, the more I write, the more I have to share. I think I was a born teacher/writer. If I follow my own passion, I really don't have a choice. JWC: I know that many unpublished writers are curious about the publishing process so if you could share some information with them that would be great. Can you explain how you went about publishing your first book? Did you get an agent or did you seek out only publishers? CHJ: I had a few nibbles from agents but I was a woman in a hurry. At my age, one could die tomorrow! That, of course, is true at any age but I am starting to feel the twilight and I spent fewer years writing that I might have. Anyway, I was on a time schedule for this reason and because I felt that to market This is the Place it should be done before the Winter Olympics in Utah.(TITP is set in Utah in the 50s). So one day I just sent queries, synopses and sample chapters to every publisher of literary novels in Writers Market that didn't require an agent. I had two "takers" and chose one. My approach was not exactly scientific, was it? Or even particularly professional, though I did write a great query letter if I do say so myself! Ha! JWC: Was AmErica House the first publisher you sent the novel to? CHJ: It was one of about 65 I sent my query to. All 65 went out on the same day. They were one of the first to answer. JWC: Your publisher is a POD press. Would you recommend this way of publishing for other writers? CHJ: There are advantages and disadvantages. I find one of the major disadvantages is the people (reviewers, etc.) confuse "POD Press" with "Subsidy" or "Vanity Publishers." AmErica House is a traditional publisher in that the author gets an advance and does not pay them anything to publish her book. All the money flows from the publisher to the author, not the other way around. POD is really only the kind of press the books are produced on. The only reason that I regret that association of POD with my book is that, unfortunately, there are still many people who subsidy publish books that are not really ready yet--the writing and editing are not polished. That tarnishes subsidy publishing for the many, many who turn out superb material. JWC: Any advise for aspiring writers? CHJ: Tons. Remember, I have this natural urge to share and to teach. Maybe my next book will be full of the advice for other writers I turn out on a feelance basis. In fact, watch for a FREE promotional book I am doing on my website. It is called "Musings" and is the work of several authors ruminating on writing and the writing life. By October it should be up on my website at: http://www.TLT.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm. JWC: Are you working on a third book and if so can you tell us a little about it? CHJ: My next book is called "Skyscapes." It is sort of a memoir in poetry, about 60 individual poems. I call them "accessible" poems. I think they are beautiful but noone will have to wonder what they mean. That book is nearly done and I would like to find a publisher familiar with promoting poetry. Carolyn's novel This is The Place can be purchased from: www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and most of the other online bookstores. It can also be ordered from the local bookstore. You can also preorder Harkening from www.publishamerica.com . Find out more about Carolyn at: http://www.TLT.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm. Judith Woolcock Colombo: Author of The Fablesinger, a fantasy set in the Caribbean & Night Crimes a tale of mystery and suspense. Visit my web site at http://odin.prohosting.com~night01 Or email judithcolombo@hotmail.com for info & sample chapters. |
The Virgin's Proposal Silhouette Romance January 2003 |
The Where? It was 3:33 p.m. and I was rushing between my office and the kitchen because it was Advent Wednesday (Dec. 12, 2001) and I had to finish working, feed the kids and get to church. My phone rings and I see from the Caller ID that it's my agent. My heart started racing before I even picked up the phone. She didn't tell me right away Most Memorable Moment? The day after When I wake up, I've got a killer headache from my margarita celebration this morning. Stumble downstairs, not really paying attention and let the dog out. She comes back in (it's rained) and tracks mud everywhere. Clean that up, get DS up. He has PAINTED his crib with poop. That's how I spent my first morning as a published fiction author, LOL. Glamour all over the place -- in with the broken glass and mud, LOL. How Long? All my life Visit this up and coming author at: www.shirleyjump.com |
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entered in the bi-monthly drawings. Next drawing you can win... ............the contemporary romance After Twilight by Dee Davis along with a few promotional goodies Visit the contest page to see last month's winners! Copyright (c) 2002-3, Su Kopil. All Rights Reserved. All articles and contents are used with permission from the authors. Do not reprint without written permission. Please respect all copyright laws. Thank you. For Writer's Guidelines or Advertising Rates Email: Su Kopil at sukopil@aol.com |
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