Writing a novel synopsis

I'm working on my novel synopsis this weekend. I have to admit, I'm a little stressed about it.

I've never written one before and, since I haven't finished the manuscript yet, it's the uncertainty about the scenes I haven't yet written that concerns me. I've introduced characters I'm not sure will survive later drafts of the novel and, although I have a general sense of the novel's ending, I'm still up in the air about some sub-plots, their development and resolution.

I'm preparing to send the first 100 pages to a developmental editor. I'm in desperate need of feedback on the draft so far. She's asked for a synopsis, as well.

Yet, I'm convinced this exercise is a good thing. It'll force me to 1) decide the sequence of events in the second half of the book, 2) address nagging questions I have about some sub-plots, and 3) provide motivation to pull me through the remainder of the first draft process. If you've read my recent posts, I'm in need of motivation. Or, maybe, its feedback and validation I need. Whichever, I'm excited to have the opportunity to have someone whose opinion I value read my work.

Blueprint for The Writing Life

Over my morning coffee, I'm admiring writing coach Jessica Page Morrell's use of the word "blueprint" to describe the writing life and wishing I'd thought of it. If you engage in the writing life and aren't familiar with Jessica's work, do yourself a favor and correct the oversight. She helps keep me inspired to write.

I describe my love/hate affair with writing, my engagment with the writing life, as "doom-eager." For me, writing is a compulsion, an act of joy and misery, a pleasure and a constant banging of my head against a beautiful brick wall. Those of us who feel the compulsion deeply, feel it continually, often when we'd rather shut it off. Burton Rascoe wrote:

What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out of the window.

We construct, destruct, write and revise whether on the page or in our heads wherever we are, whatever we're doing. We have to remember sometimes, it's okay to shut it off, let the story go, be present in the world around us. Part of our "blueprint" as writers must include time released from the "doom-eager" hold the writing life has over us.

Motivation Returning

My motivation has been returning. After my last post, I worked my way through half the scene in which I had found myself stuck and planned out the rest of the scene and the next few. Later tonight, I plan to glue my behind to my office chair and push myself through to the end of the scene.

Looking back on the work I've done so far, I realized I do need to give myself a bit of credit for getting this far. I ran across a quote by Steve Martin that made me feel better:

I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.

As writers, we need to be a bit easier on ourselves when we get stuck or run up against writer's block. Writing is hard work. Writer and film editor Gene Fowler satirically stated:

Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.

I hear you, Gene.

Stuck in the Middle: My Motivation Dilemma

I've been concerned about motivation lately: how we get ourselves motivated and how we keep ourselves motivated to complete a task or achieve a goal.

In my case the goal is to finish writing my novel. I've been suffering from middleitis, or half-way syndrome. Whatever you'd like to call it, I haven't finished the scene I've been stuck on for two weeks. Of course, I have plenty of excuses: a bad cold, worries about finances, too little sleep, too much sleep, too busy, you name it...but, the truth is I've lost motivation and I haven't been able to determine why. Today, I might have come across the reason and it lies within the psychology behind motivation and the stage I'm in, which is "the middle" or "during" stage.

I stumbled across an article originally printed in the Los Angeles Business Journal, March 14, 2005 by Matthew Weller, "General principles of motivation."

Weller details general motivational factors one should consider at each stage of learning (beginning, during, and ending) and strategies one can utilize to motivate the learner during each stage.

What interested me was the "during" stage. Often, when I begin a project, I'm full of ideas and energy and the desire to bang out the pages. Then, a few chapters in, I lose my motivation. I think this must be the same for other writers or other goals we set for ourselves, which is why so many of us make New Year's resolutions we care deeply about and work conscientiously on during January and February, maybe into March, but by April forget we even made, until next January, when we start all gung ho again.

Weller states the chief motivational factor is stimulation, keeping the learner interested and engaged. One strategy he suggests is "use a group cooperation goal to maximize learner involvement and sharing."

Herein lies my dilemma, I don't have a "group." I have folks, family and friends, that support me in my efforts but no "group" with which to cooperate or set goals.

Writing is, in most cases, a solo act. I know writer's groups exist in larger cities, but living in northern Florida, I don't have much to choose from. I won't name the groups, but I've been to a few. What I find are writing enthusiasts with a cursory knowledge of the craft. I've always understood that if you want to get better at something you need to play above your level, not so high that you can't learn and keep up but not so low you're the best player. Okay, that sounds conceited, I know. Likely, I was not the best writer in the room, but from the samples I saw, I wasn't playing with the right group for me and at the level I needed.

I need a writing group and a writing mentor. Showing the novel to a friend who can do little more than say they like or don't like it isn't going to help me much. Anyone out there know any strong writer's group in the southeast? I'll travel. Maybe I need to hire a writing coach. I had a mentor of sorts, a professor, back in the early years of my MA degree in English, Dr. Kathleen Hassell. I have no idea where she is now or if she's still teaching.

I know there are online writing communities but I like the intimate nature and the immediacy of a face-to-face group, and I'm not sure I want to post chapters of a draft online at this point.

As of now, I don't have an solution to my dilemma of finding a writer's group/mentor, but I think I'm on the right track, knowing that I need to find one. Maybe that's enough to push me forward again. I hope.

Indie Press Tries Minimum Advertised Pricing

Indie Press Tries Minimum Advertised Pricing: ""There's such rampant discounting. The idea is really to keep the ..."

I applaud Schiffer Publishing's efforts to impose Minimum Advertised Pricing with new releases. I was disappointed to find out the three titles Schiffer was attaching MAP restrictions to were not fiction titles, but their efforts, nonetheless, should not go unnoticed by the bookselling and writing communities.

As a former independent bookseller and someone working to break into fiction writing, it is important to press for fairness in pricing, especially in regard to the big retailers. Publishers and authors, don't let yourselves be pushed around. People don't buy books solely on the the price of the product, but they will buy the title they want at a retailer who will sell it for less, regardless of how those prices effect other retailers, publishers, and authors. Support local bookstores and indie publishers and authors.

Riggio: Barnes & Noble to Become E-Commerce Retailer

Riggio: Barnes & Noble to Become E-Commerce Retailer: "Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio gave the most detailedaccount of how ..."

I'm not against progress. I'm not a technophobe. Yet, it bothers me that Barnes & Noble is projecting that e-books will soon become the dominate form of sale on new books and that their profit margin is greater with e-books than with print books.

Publishing and book-selling are businesses and the bottomline drives businesses. This is a concern to me both as someone working to break into the business as a writer and as a reader. As a writer, I worry that authors are getting squeezed in terms of contracts and royalities. As retailers scramble to grab market share, the push to offer e-books at lower and lower prics (the Wal-mart model) becomes greater. Consider the recent fight between Macmillan and Amazon over e-book pricing. As a reader, I don't want print books to go away. I want to hold books in my hand, flip through the pages, turn the book over to look at the author's picture. I want to go into a bookstore and circle the "new release" table like a shark circles prey. Which book shall I devour next?

In truth, I'm hoping e-books will end up a trendy fad and go the way of the Jay Leno Prime Time Show, a bad idea no matter the cost savings, no matter the bottomline.

showing others your work

Raymond Chandler said about showing others your work:

I have made three rules of writing for myself that are absolutes: Never take advice. Never show or discuss work in progress. Never answer a critic.

I've never been good at following rules. I like them, but for everyone else. Not, for me. Yet, I think I should adopt Chandler's three absolutes. My stomach has been in knots for days. I sent off the manuscript so far to a good friend, one of my closest.

She was eager to receive it, but had some crappy events happen just as I sent it. I don't think she's had a chance or the energy to look at it yet, so I've been holding my breath. What kind of friend says, sorry things suck for you right now but have you read my draft?

I missed a call from her last night and, though of course I'll call her back today, I'm anxious about talking to her. What if she read it and thinks it's rot? What if she didn't, and I eventually break and beg her to read it, even while she's trying to deal with more important concerns? Worse, what if it is rot and she does the nice friend thing and just tells me it's great?

To make matters more stressful, this friend is a former creative writing student of mine, so where does that leave me as her teacher that once inspired her who needs to go back to teaching English and leave the writing for those who can? Those who can, do. Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, teach English.

I've gotten myself in a pickle. I guess the only thing I can do is wait, not bring it up, and hope she feels she can be honest with me. If she doesn't like it, I guess I'll follow Chandler's rules, not answer her, not take her advice, and not show a work in progress to anyone else.