Book One:
By the Hand of the King

Welcome to the continent of Xen, a continent full of dark magic, evil and your worst nightmares. Fortunately they are all contained in a natural prison called the Black Hole, which is closed off from civilization by the Lock, a large stone wall that was built years before the times of the present. Outside of the Lock are four kingdoms, who are fighting for their lands from a large group of rebels, outcasts, exiles of men and women who are looking for their own place to call home. The noble Lynch family holds their lands with ease in the south and east, while the banners of Maven Casterly in the north call to arms against the largest force of rogues in Xen. The rogues mean to break the walls of the Lock and release the evil spirits and men that have been imprisoned to the Black Hole for eternity. Follow this tale of betrayal, love, adventure, war, myths, tragedy and honor as evil grows in the darkest of places, looking for find someone to follow out a game of revenge.

A query letter is different from a cover letter. A cover letter covers the poem, story, article that you’re submitting at that time. A query letter is sent before the piece is submitted and is most common for book publishers and many nonfiction magazines. In either case you’re asking the publisher, or an agent if they would be interested in seeing your work.

Because it’s cost prohibitive to send full book manuscripts to every publisher under the sun (and there are many) it is best to ask them first if they’re even publishing the stuff you write. For editors it is also time prohibitive. Some publishing houses get a hundred manuscripts a day and they will know in the first chapter, and in many cases the first page or paragraph, whether they want to buy the book.

Publishers have different rules as to what they’ll accept. Some will not look at an ungented manuscript, meaning you’re going to be sending your query letter to an agent who will then contact the publisher should that agent decide to take you on. Some publishers will say send a query first and others will ask for a query letter with synopsis, or the first three chapters. Of course if each of your chapters is a hundred pages long you’ll want to limit the pages. I’d say that no more than 50 and probably more around 30 is average.

Editors are a temperamental lot, and should you get through the first tasks you don’t want them irritated at you. Which means, don’t send them weird stuff, and under weird is the following: colored paper, odd or hard to read fonts (standard is Courier, Times New Roman, or similar), pictures and other memorabilia of your life, stapled or bound manuscripts, toys, CDs, candy or other bribes).

And of course most of all you want to be clear and concise in your query letter. You absolutely do not want to tell an editor what they will think or feel. “You will find this an extremely exciting story which you will love.” You can’t possibly know what an editor will like or feel and telling them so also indicates that your writing might follow suit in telling the reader what the character is feeling as opposed to showing. (There are instances where telling works but it means knowing how to write first.)

So your letter should say something like:

Dear Tom Jones,

I have written a mystery novel about Angel McCracken, a detective too much a party animal for her own good. Cabana Boy in the Trunk is 110,000 words and the first of five books. Book two is completed and I’m currently working on the third novel.

I have been published in X, Y, Z… After three years working at Club Med, the behind the scenes lifestyle has added a steamy layer to the mysteries that I place in various resorts.

Now I’m no expert on query letters and I recommend everyone go and look at a few different ones. Readers Digest has good pointers and I believe a book on writing query letters. If a publisher asks for an outline or a synopsis with the query letter, then that is where you outline the story. If not, you put it into the query letter but make it briefer.

The first paragraph should say why you’re writing: you have a book or books, it fits into X genre, runs at this many words and who the protagonist is. Mentioning that there are other books, whether written or just plotted also helps because publishers always like to sell a series. Subsequent paragraphs will describe the basic gist of the plot. A summary paragraph on your credentials also lets the editor know your background. If it’s nonfiction, say a book on physics, mentioning that you work at NASA or are a physicist is important. Saying you’re a mother of two is not unless it’s pertinent to the book. However, it is good to put a personal note about who you are, and if you can relate it to the topic of your book, all the better.

In all, a query letter should be one page, and no more than two max, but one is preferred. Like an ad, you want to draw the reader into it and have them say, “Yes, that sounds interesting. Send me more.” Professional is the best way to go, and suit the tone of your letter to the type of publisher you’re talking to. And again, never ever tell an agent or an editor what they will feel or think about the manuscript.You can say, “I hope you will find this a tension grabbing and entertain reading. I look forward to hearing from you.”

And most of all, research query letters because you don’t want to have your story rejected on the basis of a letter.

Dot might be Mr. Schmu Schmu’s biggest fan, but she never expected him to show up in the mail! He’s on the run from Cheeftan Mews, a biotech company that recently patented his DNA. Together, along with two reluctant friends, Dot and Schmu evade discovery while solving the quirkiest of mysteries. Easier said than done.

“It is not the beginning of the end, merely the end of the beginning.” These words are particularly appropriate this week, as I finish out Nanowrimo. Tomorrow is the final day, at which time I will have my very first finished novel. Of course, I say finished, but as stated above, this is an illusion. My Novel will have been given shape, but it has not yet been given life. That will require several months of intensive editing, re-editing, reading, re-reading, and possibly some re-writing. However, the basic form which it has now will not change.

It will still be a story about a Dragon named Aurelia who collects books, and is a scholar. She will still set out on a a quest to locate an object with several human companions. And she will still narrate the Story for us. So, I thought this week it would be appropriate to give a synopsis of the Novel as it now stands.

The Story is set in an alternate history Europe, with both Medieval elements and Classical elements, as well as some purely fantastical elements. The Narrator, Aurelia, is a Bookewyrme, though throughout the story she, and other bookewyrmes are referred to as “Librarians” as that is usually their occupation. Aurelia’s library is housed in the castle of the Prince of Durham, the younger brother of the King of Brittania. The Prince has three children, a daughter who is the eldest, and two younger sons. Unfortunately, the daughter cannot inherit, though she is the most suited to do so, because the Law of the Kingdom forbids this. The Princess is on the verge of being married to a Prince of another Kingdom, thus separating her both from her Rightful Inheritance and her beloved Lady Marisa, when she comes up with a desperate plan. She decides to set out to find an artifact associated with the Helenic God Hermaphroditus which is said to be able to change the gender of whoever uses it. She is accompanied by several Guards, the Lady Marisa, our Narrator Aurelia, and Aurelia’s plucky maid, Elsie.

They travel through many lands, and encounter many different people and beings, including an ordinary (and very bad-tempered) dragon, a woman who is one quarter Valkyrie, and a Dwarf. One of the places they visit is the Land of the Elves, which is based rather heavily on Ancient Egypt. Here they encounter the oldest living Bookewyrme, and several Elven Gods. At last, they finish their Journey to the Temple of Hermaphroditus in Eastern Helas, returning the Artifact to its proper place, and gaining the God’s gratitude. The Novel ends with the Princess returning to her own Kingdom to claim her proper place as her Father’s Heir.

Of course, there are a few twists and turns, but as I hope to publish this story some day, I will not spoil them for anybody. The novel is actually the first in a trilogy featuring Aurelia, called The Librarian Chronicles. Currently, the title of this work is “Princess” but it is possible this will change over time.

Many apologies for the short post today. I still have about 3,000 more words to chase around the page before Midnight tomorrow, and if I leave them for too long, they start to Escape.

Until next week, Dear Reader!

Thought for the Day: “You can’t wait for Inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London

Currently Reading: Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

Read at onemanga.com or mangafox.com

the story gets more interesting….. I already read until Chap 51 and 52… hwahaha…. the things is getting complicated

Genre :Horror / Action

A cowardly shut-in named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is forced to join up with a seasoned zombie slayer named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. As Tallahassee sets out on a mission to find the last Twinkie on Earth, the duo meets up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), two young girls who have resorted to some rather unorthodox methods to survive amidst the chaos. Reluctant partners in the battle against the undead, all four soon begin to wonder if it might be better to simply take their chances alone.

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I’ve been hearing a lot of moaning and groaning about writing the ”dreaded” synopsis lately.  It doesn’t have to be the writing assignment from hell.  If a new story is kicking around in your brain, but you haven’t started to write it yet, then begin with building your characters’ personality charts (hero, heroine, villain, and anyone else you believe will play a significant role in your story).  It doesn’t have to be anything complex–a single scribbled page will do.  Decide what their strengths, flaws, beliefs, values, and secrets will be.  What incidents in their pasts have made them who they are?  How will your heroine grow from her flaw into a better person by the end?  What will the hero do to help her grow to a better understanding of herself, him, or the world?  What inciting incident leads the h/h on their journeys?  What is his black moment?  Hers?   How do you foresee the h/h resolve their conflicts, fall in love, and complete their arcs?Once you have the answers to the above questions, writing the synopsis becomes less daunting.  The story may change somewhat as you write.  Twists and turns present themselves in ways you never imagined in the beginning.  At least you’ll already have the basics of your synopsis written and any necessary changes will be more manageable.  

If you’ve already written your story, write one sentence for each major event in the story. What happened first?  After you answer that, then simply ask this question over and over until you reach the end:  What happens next?  Don’t neglect the romance in the line-by-line answers.  From this rough draft you should be able to see if all of the important story elements have made it into your synopsis.  Do NOT fill the synopsis with inconsequential drivel.  Don’t mention any secondary characters unless they play a major role.  If you clutter up the synopsis with too many names and long-winded explanations of events it becomes confusing/boring for the reader.

Once you have the synopsis, take the most exciting elements of the story to use for your killer blurb.  Hook the reader into wanting to know more.  Don’t make the mistake of asking silly questions in the synopsis or the blurb.  It’s been done so many times now, it looks like a cheesy gimmick.

The logline can be quite simple if you start with a list of the most compelling attributes of your heroine.  Do the same for your hero.  You may want to reverse this and list their flaws.  Use one or two of these words to create a 1-2 sentence logline that packs a punch. 

You get 3 chances to compel a reader to turn the book over to read the back blurb.  The picture catches my eye before the title, the title next, then the logline.  You only get 1 chance to snag the attention of an agent or editor:  A killer logline.

If you still need more help, these sites are filled with lessons and examples:

http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html

http://www.kathycarmichael.com/fasteasy.html

http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/synopsis.htm

Happy writing!

Lis’Anne

Har ändrat lite i layouten här. Hittar inga riktigt fina layouter vilket är lite tråkigt eftersom jag inte kan ändra sånt där css eller vad det heter.

Men bebisen verkar pepp inför måndagen vilket känns jävligt skönt. Ska försöka styra upp en träff med skådisarna inför sista helgens inspelning (13,14 dec) eftersom mamman och pappan är med då.

Är det nån som vet nåt bra ställe att sitta och redigera på? Jag har kontakt med ett företag men får inget riktigt svar om hur mycket jag kan sitta.

Mat och alkoholfritt vin till helgen behöver fixas. Annars verkar det mesta fit for fight.

Kanske ska berätta lite om filmen. Synopsis:

Tove och Tobias har under två års tid försökt få barn, men inte lyckats. En natt träffar Tove Fredrik. De ligger med varandra och Tove blir gravid. När hon berättar detta för Tobias så föreslår han att de behåller barnet. Det får bli deras lilla hemlighet.

Så i helgen spelar vi in Hotellscenen som slutar med att Tove och Fredrik ligger med varandra, samt sista dagen på BB när Tove och Tobias ska åka hem.

وَمَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِهِ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray, for such you will find no Auliya’ (helpers and protectors), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.

[Al Isra : 97]

A rare and most comprehensive documentary on Abdul Rasheed Ghazi and massacre in Lal [Red] Masjid including all relevant events.

Part 1 of 7

Part 2 of 7

Part 3 of 7

Part 4 of 7

Part 5 of 7

Part 6 of 7

Part 7 of 7

وَمَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِهِ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray, for such you will find no Auliya’ (helpers and protectors), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.

[Al Isra : 97]

A rare and most comprehensive documentary on Abdul Rasheed Ghazi and massacre in Lal [Red] Masjid including all relevant events.

Part 1 of 7

Part 2 of 7

Part 3 of 7

Part 4 of 7

Part 5 of 7

Part 6 of 7

Part 7 of 7

Summary:

Nothing original, and nothing we haven’t seen before in the “Fast and the Furious” series.

Review:

The film brings back the two main stars of the first film, Paul Walker (marginal actor) and Vin Diesel (bald marginal actor).  The two actors then run around flip-flopping between good and bad, racing cars, getting in fights, and yelling cliche one-liners.  In all actuality, there is nothing original about this movie.  It’s as if writers were told you could only use bits and pieces from the previous three films.  Teams of drivers using modded street racing cars who normally hijack goods on the highway (“The Fast & the Furious”), must prove their driving skills to a drug dealer for the right to help transport illegal goods (“2 Fast 2 Furious”), which culminates in a final showdown of driving wits (“The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”).

Quick question: how come criminals in this series continue to rely on extremely rare, bright, flashy, easy to spot cars for pulling off crimes?  This is Similar to why no one seemed to catch on that Tom Selleck drove around in a Ferrari on Magnum PI.  Cool?  Yes.  Practical?  Not at all.

Anyways, there were two slight moments of originality in the movie though.  The first came during a scene where they were attempting to cross the US-Mexican border, coordinated against the security of satellites, camera sweeps and border patrols.  However, once they entered the secret tunnel this scene was killed by extremely cheesy CGI.  It immediately reminded me of those lame 3D ride you see at malls, where all it does is tilt you back and forth, and the video is crappy computer graphics as you travel through a giant cave on a mine cart.  Later in the movie they reuse this scene, so in fact not only does the director steal from all the previous movies, he also steals scenes directly from the same movie.  The second slightly original sequence is towards the end, when they attempt to break Toretto (Vin Diesel) out of the prison bus.  This too is cut short as they immediately cut to the credits as soon as they catch up to the bus.

It would appear there isn’t much juice left in the Fast/Furious franchise.  However, the films continue to make money, this film being the most successful overall at the box office so far.  I honestly enjoyed the first movie, and would like to see the series survive.  To do this however, they’re going to have to bring in some new writer/director who has never seen the series before.

If you’re looking for an adrenaline fueld car racing flick, go check out Ronin or Bullitt instead.

Rating:        2/5

See Also:

Ronin (1998)
Bullitt (1968)

Links:

IMDB.com
Box Office Mojo
Wikipedia
Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis_Logo the idea girl says

Yes, I’ve reached another goal!

I copy and pasted my notes from ONE NOTE into WORD and created a 5 Page Synopsis from a 20 page/chapter Synopsis and then condensed all that into 1 page for the NaNoWriMo site. They only wish to have a short synopsis and this will be my FIRST one that I’ve ever written in my life.

Should be interesting to see what happens with it.
I didn’t give my characters any description at all in my Synopsis, even though I’ve seen that in others.

I just give the names, type of job and what they do in my story.

The first time I mention the name it’s put in CAPS AND BOLD I read somewhere that is what you’re supposed to do.

I’ve watched lots of videos and have been reading how to do a Synopsis books for the past year.

So I think I’ve got it.

I gave an Intro about my main character and some of the surrounding characters in the story.

What their relationship is to Rachel Tornquist (main character).

A short outline of what happens in the story, how it begins, the conflicts, the resolution then the ending.

I think that’s all I’m supposed to do for a Synopsis.

Then I’ll have to work on a Query letter.

Now that will be a challenge, how do you condense 25 lines of type into a 5 line paragraph that describes the heart of your book.

How do I promote my ability to be a writer with no formal education or degree?

I’ll have to present myself as a long time internet blogger, whose spent the past 20 years making websites as a hobby.

I’ve got hundreds of websites out there and don’t even remember half of the addresses for them.

I just started back in 2008, on a new project and started writing novels then blogging about it on wordpress and building hobby websites on Squidoo.

I’ve integrated my writing skills with my imagination and created a kind of tourist type website that evolves around a fictional story.

I figured I’d bring visitors to the areas mentioned, and have fun using my imagination of what I’d be like if I were a millionaire, travelling and sight seeing.

That’s how I’ve started two of my novels.

The Munroe Mansion – The Beginning, is a mystery, paranormal romance.

The Calamity Girl – The Promotion is a chic lit, romance with a hint of mystery in it. I’m building a website about the plots and settings for the book. I use this tool for future reference, a way to showcase my novel notes and give other writers ideas on how to keep their stories moving.

I plan to do a detective series in the future and more chic lit.

I’ve already started up to 20,000 words for about 15 books (The Munroe Series), and built websites about them on Squidoo. (a late night, when I can’t sleep hobby – making websites for fun.)

I’m even doing research now for book two of The Calamity Girl.

Not sure how many books will be about Rachel Tornquist, but with my imagination I’ve developed several key characters and I’ve got book ideas for every one of them.

For more funny how to videos visit EElumir on youtube.

Synopsis

The episode begins with Seishu winning their first game of the season. Since it is a day off from baseball practice, Aoba is busy doing a thorough cleaning of her room. Ichiyo says she wouldn’t have to do this if she’d only clean her room regularly. Kou, like Aoba, is busy cleaning his room too when Akane notices Azuma and Kou from her window. She asks if Aoba is available, because she made a pink cushion for her as thanks for saving her last time. Azuma, as sharp and as observant as ever, remarks that the situation

What'cha talkin' 'bout Willis?

is getting complicated. Akane and Kou head out to meet Aoba. Seiji (Aoba’s father) drops his pail upon seeing Akane and the two head up to Aoba’s room. Aoba and Kou tell Akane about Wakaba, and Akane says sorry for asking. Aoba tells Akane she doesn’t need to keep apologizing. Kou, not knowing they are Wakaba’s, offers to throw away her old Tanabata plants/decorations. Aoba gets mad and tells him he can throw away what’s hers but not Wakaba’s. Aoba accepts Akane’s gift, and they leave her alone to continue her cleanage.

Akaishi is asked to deliver a complimentary gift to the Soba Restaurant. Akane appears saying she’s headed for the library which causes Akaishi to drop the glass gift. He cuts himself while picking it up, and Akane puts a band aid on his cut. Did Akaishi just blush? Senda exposes to Akane that she just looks like Wakaba and that Akaishi had a big crush on Wakaba. Back at the Kitamura household, Akaishi finds out Kou went to the library. Akaishi mentions the red string of fate only for us to find out seconds later that Aoba and Kou were the ones that meet up in the library! Kou and Aoba are both surprised and end up yelling at each other (lol typical).

Later that night before the big game, Azuma orders a Napolitan from Aoba, and says the taste was interesting. He is sick in the morning and goes to the hospital (lmao) to miss the game. Akane goes with Ichiyo and Momiji to watch the baseball game, learning about Kou and Aoba’s passion for baseball. Unfortunately in the 9^th inning, the opponents score via base stealing and Seishu’s defensive fumbling. Akaishi with his chance to impress Akane and tie the game, hits one high and far, but gets an out. This causes him to fall on his knees embarrassed, and the episode ends with Aoba genuinely ticked off at their first loss of the season in just their second game.

Review

This week’s episode is another excellent one. The Kou and Aoba, and Akane and Akaishi developments were quite pleasing and done exceptionally well as expected, especially the library scene surprise. Azuma has turned into a very likeable comic relief character, as he is an outsider viewing in at the Tsukishima-Kitamura situations. Akane finally knows she looks like Wakaba and looks like she will fit right in the thick of things (kind of scary how perfect the story is going). I definitely like the introduction of Akane so far. I was expecting more baseball judging from the opening part, but it turns out to be a great character development episode. Once again Cross Game meets expectations as the anime of the year.

***½ stars (Excellent)

I just finished reading the twelfth book in the Wheel of Time series last night. Overall, it was an incredible story, but it’s sad to see how noticeable a change in writer can be to a series. I’ve spent years upon years reading Jordan’s words, and becoming familiar with his style. I had finished doing my re-read of the series about a week and a half ago (November 9th to be precise), so that might be why the shift felt more jarring than usual for me. Sanderson is a talented writer for sure, he did a great job of picking up the reins and continuing the tale of Jordan’s world, but it will never be quite the same. Good but different.

I think the most jarring moment for me was when Mat first appeared in the book. His personality and actions just seemed so much rougher and abrupt than normal. I actually thought to myself, “This is not how Mat would speak.” The intent was to make him seem off-kilter and imbalanced by recent events, and experiencing emotions and situations that he never even thought he would be up against, but it just went a tad far. He was still true to ideals and outlooks that Mat has developed over the series, it was just the expression of them that seemed odd. Other than that one moment though, the book adhered amazingly well to each and every character.

The focus seemed to be upon Rand, and how he in particular was progressing as the story rushes to the end. By far, this was one of the most action-filled of all the books, plots were drawing to conclusions, or reaching finalization all over. Revelations were being sprung upon me left and right. Towards the end, at one point, I was completely flabbergasted and stunned by the story line for one character (Verin Sedai). But it fit. It all clicked together for me and it made so much sense, and was possible one of the best moments of the book.

I miss the descriptiveness of Jordan, and his way of pulling me into a world fully fleshed out and real, but I’ve spent so much time there, that I don’t need the pulling anymore. I just dive right in, and see it clear as day.

That’s how much my Golden Heart entry weighs. It’s 36 pages of 6-page synopsis and 210 pages of the first 42 pages of my MS.

How do I know how much it weighs? Easy — I put it on my trusty kitchen scale. (I knew there had to be a use for it besides weighing food!)

I have decided it’s time to let my entry go. I can’t read through it one more time without going absolutely bonkers. Besides, If I hang onto it much longer, I’ll be paying extra for express shipping — and since the Boyfriend is fronting me the money to pay for the mailing, he’d appreciate it if I didn’t have to do that.

I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment after printing out those six copies. I called one of my NARWA friends and told her that it was done. She’s still working on her entry (in a different category).

As an aside, my Brother laser printer works great. I bought it a couple of years ago, fairly cheap. At the time, I had an iMac still running on OS9, and it was one of the few printers that was OS9 compatible. I’m glad, because my pages look beautiful — much better than they would on an inkjet printer.

I plan to head to the Post Office either Thursday or Friday, depending on when the Boyfriend gets me that money. My next NARWA meeting is Saturday, and I have the weekend off.

Now, instead of devoting it to finishing the GH entry, I can concentrate on upping my NaNo word count. I managed to break 14.5K today, but that’s still low compared to everyone else.

rachel-tornquist - the calamity girl - the promotion

Now all I have to do is take my six part manuscript and copy and paste it all into one document.

Then I’ll use the find option for “Chapter.”

I have to number each Chapter now.

I’m debating should I do it as Chapter 1 or Chapter One?

I took a look in my personal library of chic lit books.

It seems that Numbers are only used in print.

But does that mean it’s done the same in a manuscript?

Also should I create an index of Chapters?

In The Munroe Series each of my Chapters had a sub-title.

I started it with this manuscript then decided not to after looking at some of the best-sellers, that didn’t have “sub-titles” I decided to follow suit.

I’ve managed to update my NaNoWriMo word count.

I’m unable to load up my picture for some reason.

And I was going to submit it today.

It’s in test phase, so now I have to wait on pins and needles till November 25th!

I also noticed they want a short synopsis and a write up about the book.

Great, I wasn’t planning to have to do that too!

So …. sigh… I’m not finished.

I’ve got the manuscript portion completed with a beginning, middle and ending to my rough draft.

Now I’ve got to finish all the “little” things, then re-save it, scramble it and upload to the site on November 25th.

I couldn’t even log in today.

It always makes me reset my password and start over again.

I hope it doesn’t do anything like that on November 25th, or I’ll be freaking out.

I will be rewarding myself though.

I’m going to go out for lunch and enjoy a few hours off.

Then I plan to make another Squidoo site about Rachel Tornquist’s travels.

She goes to California.

The problem is trying to find the correct spelling for the place she’s going to.

I’ve Googled it and I keep getting different spellings for it!

Annoying when looking at maps and real estate three realtors have the area listed differently?

So confusing, but hey! I’m writing fiction so it shouldn’t really matter.

Only I’m a stickler for facts.

And last of all, do I publish this Chic Lit under a pseudonym name?

Should I put Rachel Tornquist as my writer’s name?

She is the main character and I’ve written the book in first person.

After doing the first person writing, I really prefer using third person.

I’ve also done enough research to write a second book.

I’ve got the ideas for the first portion but not the last.

It only took me the equivalent of two days to write this book.

The other two days was spent on researching stuff.

Well I missed my lunch hour links deadline last week, I simply had one of those “perfect storms” where there was more to be done than hours in the day could accommodate, and the manuscript came first. When evaluating whether to add one more stressor to my list or skip a week, the blog took the hit. Fortunately, Alex Bledsoe had been kind enough to drop by with a lovely interview, so I did leave you in good hands last week.

For the record, not a lot went on last week, even Nathan Bransford bemoaned the lack of publishing news, and his links wrapped things up nicely.

The Google Book Settlement

Apparently, it was all the quiet before the storm, because YES! You guessed it, the Google Book Settlement is back in the news [insert evil Google laughter here]! Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware Blogs has a great summary with must read links on The Revised Google Book Search Settlement. If you really want the low-down, head over to Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SWFA) blog where you can download a podcast of the panel on the Google Book Settlement with Russell Davis, Karen Wester Newton, Charles Petit, Jay Lake, Christopher Kastensmidt, and Dan Gamber.

Now that I’ve had my Google Book Settlement fix for the week, let’s move on to the fun side of writing with NaNoWriMo (still in progress). It’s day 18 and I tweeted (and tweeted and tweeted and tweeted) for writers who were blogging about their NaNoWriMo experience to send me a link to their site. One did!

NaNoWriMo News and Links

Over at the Pop Syndicate, you can read Book Addict with Angela Wilson, where Angela gives a great run-down of what NaNoWriMo is and isn’t. She’s also blogging about the whole NaNoWriMo experience so read her other great posts. Good information and a fun read. Thanks for sending your link, Angela.

I did find out why no NaNoWriMo writers were answering my tweets when I read Lanetta J. Sprott’s post on Reaching the NaNo Goal. It seems that Twitter was one of the first things to go in order to make more time for novel writing.

Annlee Ellingson at Mots Justes (@motsjustes) tweeted this NaNo link that works for everyone no matter what kind of novel you’re writing! If you’re moving into the climax of your novel, you need to read NaNoWriMo Prep Elements of Act Three at The Dark Salon blog.

The Craft of Writing and Writing Techniques

While all that was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed my friend Peter Cooper’s experience. He’s not participating in NaNoWriMo, but he is using some NaNo philosophy in writing his second novel, The Weight of Souls. In his post, he talks about Driving Without Headlights. I love the title of his new novel and how Peter is always experimenting with new writing methods.

Of course, if you’re like me and found the seat of the pants writing style to be insufficient for your needs, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@inkyelbows) tweeted this link for Ten Tips – Outline Your Way to a Better Novel.

Dry for story ideas? Build a novel from a fairy tale. Writer Unboxed gives you all the tips you need for Old Bones, New Flesh: Building a Novel from a Fairy Tale Concept by Juliet Marillier.

Jonathan Danz tweeted a link to this great piece of shareware, yWriter. So far, Jonathan is enjoying it, I haven’t tried it yet but will probably experiment as time allows.

While we’re talking about Jonathan, go visit his blog, Words and Coffee, and read his article on Writer Identity, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Process. A great post on the joy of writing.

Head over and visit my good friend Kelly Bryson at her new blog Book Readress where Kelly is reviewing books on writing. See her reviews where she shares what she’s learned from Stephen King On Writing and Steering the Craft by Ursula K. LeGuinn.

Looking for more of those tips to deal with pesky dialogue issues in your novels? Head over and visit Jessica Rosen’s Girl Meets Word blog for a super post on her Friday Forum: Dynamic Dialogue.

Author Lilith Saint Crow sent out this tweet about the Clockwork Storybook blog’s post on the five stages of decline for writers entitled Hard to Fly, Easy to Fall . . . It’s got some wonderful advice for both published and unpublished writers.

Author Michael Stackpole gives an interesting technique to help you become a better writer with his post Analyzing Writing.

Well, I’m feverishly working on my query synopsis, dreading the day when I have to start working on my actual synopsis for my query package when along comes this great tweet from Writer’s Digest on synopsis help with Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

If you’re interested in publishing news and the transitions currently inspired by ebooks and other changes in the book industry, Colleen Lindsay tweeted this link to the Idea Logical blog where you can find this informative post on Literary Agents and the Changing World of Trade Publishing.

Angie Ledbetter was the Rachelle Gardner’s guest blogger and she wrote the funniest post on Writerly Ailments and Hazards (WAAH). If you think you’re immune to the stressors of family life while writing, Angie will show you where you are wrong. She handles her subject with wit and grace, and also offers tips on combating these writerly ills.

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

The Rose and Thorn e-zine is open to submissions and you can go to their spiffy new web site and click on submissions to see how to submit both prose and poetry.

MORE NIBBLES AND LINKS

Jane Friedman at Writers’ Digest is back with the Writers’ Digest Best Tweets for Writers.

While I was off slacking, Andy Shackcloth was busy gathering some great links for his Sunday Wash-up. Bookmark Andy’s page where you can find great articles and the best links that he can find on the Internet.

More great links can be had at Pimp My Novel every Friday. For those who missed it, here is last week’s post entitled Friday Plugs, Er, Round Up.

That’s it for this week, and I certainly hope I haven’t forgotten anyone, but just in case roll through the sidebar and visit a few of the folks there. I’ve added a few new links you might find interesting, and I will continue to update and add links as I wander across the Internet in search of next week’s lunch hour links for writers . . .

Have a great week!

Sending work to a publisher or a literary agent should be the culmination of hours of work polishing, and lovingly tending to your manuscript to make sure that it’s well-edited, and reading it is like gliding a hot knife through butter.

This is the theory.

Here is the reality.

1. Spelling. In the query letter itself, I’ve borne witness to some of the worst spelling gaffes imaginable. “Exiting story”, “expect mirikles” and “flare for writing”. The problem with a spelling error is once I’ve spotted one, I tend to dwell on it. It’s as if my eyes scan the remaining text, but my attention is firmly focused on the spelling error. Second or third language English speakers aside, poor spelling in the query letter, sample chapters or synopsis is a no-no of epic proportions.

2. Grammar. I’m the first to admit that my own writing tends to need an editor to check for grammatical inconsistencies. Although I’m able to pick up other’s grammar faux pas, I’m not as adept at my own. Don’t be proud. Send your work to an editor. Someone who gets paid, in actual cash, to edit work. And to all those who wish to break the conventional grammatical mould by doing something avant-garde, do so at your peril. Only attempt if your knowledge of the English language and its intracacies rival that of Shakespeare himself. Otherwise stick to convention.

3. The pitch. Yes you have to sell your book to a certain extent. Tell me why it’s different. Show me how your writing is original, unique, a literary voice that is in need of publishing on a grand scale. Refrain from telling me how fabulous your sister/aunt/mother/best friend from way back thought the book was. And that they’d be happy to recommend it. Please do not refer to your book in hyperbole – the best book ever written, the most exciting. Hype is just that.

4. Read the instructions. I ask for 3 sample chapters. Instead, from one aspirant non-fiction writer, I got a paragraph from the introduction. I ask for a brief bio on the author, and I get school day accolades. Publishers don’t put in instructions for fun. They’re there so we can make the best possible decision about your manuscript. Providing half the information, or the wrong information shows me you can’t even be bothered to read properly.

5. Learn to accept no. Publishers might well pass on your work. That is life. We don’t get every job we are interviewed for, we don’t get marriage proposals from everyone we date. Publishing is no different. It’s an alchemic, magical blend of timing, passion and best fit. If you’re a writer you’ll keep persisting. Take a note out of Stephen King’s book ‘On Writing’. He got hundreds of rejection slips. Did he throw a hissy fit or chuck away his typewriter? No, he learnt how to make his writing better.

All of that aside, I’m enjoying working through some potential scripts. Publishers need writers. Remember that.

Most publishers and agents ask for a synopsis when you submit. If you need a proposal, the synopsis is almost always a part of that proposal. I recommend you write a three page synopsis and one page synopsis. The requirements for submissions vary, so if you have both lengths on hand you should be all right. The thing to remember about a synopsis is it will be the worst writing you’ve ever done.

Here’s some things that might help you write your synopsis.

A synopsis is the summary of a full length novel. This means you have to tell the story in as few words as possible. This is the time for you to tell, not show.

The first paragraph of your synopsis should be a short blurp about the novel. Think about the paragraph you would write for the back cover of your book to catch people’s attention.

Single space a synopsis, and have one inch margins and size 12 font.

Write the synopsis in present tense.

Tell the main plot and introduce the main characters. Don’t worry about subplots or minor characters here.\

Tell your ending. You don’t want to hide your surprise ending here. You want to show it off and let the people your submitting to know the novel reaches a satisfactory ending. If you don’t convince them of that, they might not be interested in reading the whole manuscript.

Here’s some links that will help you write your synopsis.

 For the Synopsis Writing Challenged

Writing a Novel Synopsis

The Synopsis Project

Writing the Fiction Synopsis

Today I thought I was ready to print my full MS for the GH entry.  Unfortunately, it was the first time I’d noticed that all my pages were 1.5-spaced instead of double-spaced.

That’s ALL the pages — in the full MS and what I thought was getting close to a perfect GH entry.

When I put my 45 pages into double-spaced format, they suddenly grew to 57 pages — and that’s much too long. (With a six-page synopsis, I can only have 49 pages in my entry — and I can’t cut down the synopsis any more.)

Of course, I now have to find a new hook to end my entry on. I think it’s on the new Page 47, but I’m not sure. I don’t like it nearly as much as the old hook, but I don’t want to end on Page 49, because that’s even less of a hook … and I can’t end it much before Page 47 without cutting out a crucial scene.

This is a problem I can overcome. And I’m glad I noticed now instead of AFTER I sent it off. That would be a crappy way to get disqualified!

On the NaNo front, I wrote about a thousand more words today. That gives me 64 more pages than I had last month. Not too shabby!