Month: October 2004

Drop your socks

Writer guy

A particularly choice email arrived for Master Buddhapuss today, and the cat needs more time to meditate through the possibilities. The answer – and the question – on Tuesday.

On other fronts, I’m digging this cut of Velocity. A lot of the lessons learned with The Ridge Runner – breaking chapters into tight scenes – starting the book where the story starts are paying off here. Although its only the second draft – so far this reads better than the first five drafts of The Ridge Runner.

All in all a good week out.

This means war!

Writer guy

I’ve waged a private war for over a year now, a messy and nasty conflict, like all wars. What is this war about? I’ve railed against an effective synopsis of The Ridge Runner. Sure, I had a synopsis ready. But it was, let’s say…a bit vague. Mostly, I blame my apprehension on the fact that the synopsis requires one to reveal not only key plot points, but the ending. OK, the plot points in the open I can deal with. But the ending? Oh man, this is a thriller! I give away the ending, why would anyone bother reading the rest?

Basically, I skirted the ending in the synopsis, shrouding it in vagaries. And then it hit me: I’m trying to get an agent to the altar and represent me. My synopsis isn’t working for me, it’s working against me.

To psyche myself up, I sold myself on three good reasons to break out of this thinking
1) Many months of crappy synopsis, no agent. Connection?
2) When agents make a see more, go away decision the synopsis is one of two things they request. Since the synopsis is only two pages odds are high they read it.
3) Successful authors usually don’t have to write them. In other words, this is another toll on the road. Either I pay it or argue with the toll taker.

And to smash the rest of the way through my issue, I wrote a synopsis for Velocity. Not only is it easier the second time, it may just help me out while writing the book.