February is almost over. My mood has started to lift though I still have some "meh" moments. Well, don't we all?
I've been trying to exercise regularly. That helps quite a bit. There's something about putting on your headphones, jamming out to some really great tunes, and walking. I know it's on a treadmill, but for some reason, I really enjoy it, and I think I get a better workout on the treadmill than I do just taking a walk outside. But once the weather cooperates, I'll continue taking walks on our city's trails.
I decided to start submitting my last novel to agents. That means writing the dreaded query letter. I think I came up with a pretty good one last night, but we'll see. I also have to finish writing a synopsis. Ugh. I hate them. I'd rather write an entire novel than one synopsis! After writing so many throughout the years, though, I've learned that you don't need to make them dazzling - you just need them to tell your story. I should be finished with the synopsis soon and then I'll go through my novel again to make sure that I've made all the little changes I notated. I often will put notes to myself - "check this" or "add detail here", etc., and I certainly don't want those things to squeak through to an agent's desk.
I've also been working on my jigsaw puzzle. I know I'm missing at least three pieces, so I'm going to do a thorough search of the house this week. I may have vacuumed up a few. But I love this puzzle so much (picture below) that I will probably buy another copy of it just to find the missing pieces. I always frame my puzzles, and I really want to frame this one. The calico cat reminds me of my beloved cat, Kathryn, and that's why I bought it in the first place. Plus, Mozart is my favorite composer. Win, win! Yes, it's going to be an absolute pain to go through the new puzzle for those three pieces, but it'll be worth it in the end.
All in all...things are better. I'll take it.
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Glad you're feeling better. In my various reading/analyst work, I read A LOT of synopses, and you're right, it's vital that they show how you can tell a complete story. But it's also important that it has the voice of the book, rather than a flat, book reportish style. The underlying energy of the book needs to come through in the synopsis. I can't tell you how many synospes I've read that are so dull I'm not interested in reading the sample, or where the synopsis reads like a different book than the sample pages. Or, even worse, when the author submits a marketing blurb and not a synopsis of the entire story.
ReplyDeleteARGH. Blogger ate my earlier comment. I managed to finish the synopsis tonight, and I agree with you that it needs to be written in the same voice as the book. I hope I managed to do that!
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