Nicole and Jackie's Plane Forum Randomness

Hooray! Good gawd, her covers are always a thing of beauty. <3

I'm reading a nonfiction book called "Population: 485" and wanted to share a quote. "...art is not to be awaited; it is to be chased down, cornered, and beaten into submission with a stick." - Michael Perry

haha - that's fantastic, and so very true. Thanks for sharing.  The next time my muse pays me a visit I'm going to try this approach, and then lock them in the closet :)

All right. So I wanted to share a story and a synopsis for Things that go boom that I had to write on the fly for this writers retreat thing at the beginning of August. There was a miscommunication, and the guy who invited me didn't let me know I needed to turn in a synopsis along with the first 7 pages of my story UNTIL the day of, so that the editor would have plenty of time to read it beforehand. 

This stressed Nicole the F out. I can still feel the dull pains of the monster headache I had yesterday as I wrote and rewrote the thing that I'm still not happy with (not even close).  I've heard that synopsis' are just as important as query letters. They are the things that convince agents and publishers to read or not read your manuscript. Did I mention that I haven't written many synopsis' before? Now... I shouldn't have been so stressed because this woman, Lorin, is actually an editor and the retreat itself is going to be pretty low key, but still. STILL. I wanted this synopsis to be as solid as possible. Anyway, here's what I ended up with:


Things That Go Boom is a Tall Tale about a girl from Nowhere who longs to go Somewhere.  The only problem for the main character, Pepper Piper McGolly, is that it’s hard to go Somewhere when she wants to go Everywhere.  Pepper Piper McGolly’s quandary is solved when she unearths an heirloom of the Old West called the Peacemaker Revolver.  But after accidentally firing its last magical bullet, she is left with no choice but to chase after it into the wild blue yonder. From there Pepper Piper McGolly embarks on a great adventure chasing the bullet as it ricochets and blazes its way through twistin’ tornadoes, twinklin’ stars, parched deserts, bottomless canyons, and finally to the place she’s always dreamt of, Somewhere.
Okay. So you're an agent/publisher/editor/reader, whatever. What do you think? Does this make you want to read the story? I'm especially interested in your thoughts because you haven't actually read the whole story. 
Also: have you ever written a synopsis before?

p.s. Here is the website in case you want to check it out:
I'm going to be working with Lorin Oberweger

And the Randomness continues:

I have to admit I have never actually written a synopsis, but I know that I will soon.  I've written dozens of query letters, but never a synopsis.  I'm not sure how long they're supposed to be.  I'm sure that varies on the length of the work.  For Things That Go Boom, I think you've a decent synopsis.  I know I've heard that they want to know the whole story, not just a book jacket version.  So you may want to include a little more about the second half of the story if it's not too late.  But don't take my solemn advice on that one because I've never actually written one.  If I still have time, I know I have an article somewhere in a Writer's Market book that tells all about synopsis's that I can dig out for you.  My eyes are a little heavy from the weekend events and long hours on the road, but I'll look tomorrow.  Overall, though, I like your synopsis.  It's compelling and yet to the point.

So, a surprise check arrived in the mail over the weekend and I am doing cartwheels about magically having enough money to go to the writer's conference in Anchorage you told me about.  Right?  So I'm reading the details... The only one I could remember was the one about after July 31st the price goes up another $25.  I'm reading about the manuscript review--where you send in your manuscript ahead of time and have someone sit with you one-on-one for 20 minutes to go over 15 precious pages of your best work.  Then, Saturday night there's an awards banquet, and one of the awards if for "Most Promising Manuscript" which doesn't just sound cool, it adds to your credential list when you're seeking an agent or publisher.  I'm all giddy and excited about this opportunity just trying to figure out how I take advantage of it when I come across the dooming words "Manuscript Review Sold Out - Submissions due July 20th" - I about cry.  My heart sinks and suddenly I see myself sitting at that awards banquet watching pitifully as someone else wins an award I can't even take a stab at.  But there's an email address, so I figure what the hell?  Maybe there's a spot or two, or maybe someone backed out or got disqualified.  I email them at like 6pm and within 20 minutes have a response.  Apparently a bunch of people that registered haven't turned in their manuscripts yet.  She told me to send mine in and we'll figure out payment later.  Not a guaranteed spot, but a promising possibility and a reason to live again!  The Secrets Below is about to be sent off for hopefully a $50 manuscript review (well the first 13 pages).  I feel like I'm robbing a bank.  Wish me luck!

I GOT IN FOR A MANUSCRIPT CRITQUE - GOT THE LAST SPOT!!!

I've learned as a writer I'm worthless if my writing space is cluttered.  I think I'm a claustrophobic writer...

Up for a road trip? This has ghost story written all over it...

A friend of mine sent me this last week! And it got me on three of them. That means it's a pretty good f*****g list. Really glad they put CONVERSATE in there. Dear god, I cringe every time I hear someone say that! Fascinating stuff though. Words change meaning. Being understood is foremost.

Thought of YOU...

Thank you Love for sharing :)  Turns out I wasn't reading the manuscript thing completely ... nominees (for the Anchorage conference) will be selected at the awards banquet.  Nominees go in front of a panel of judges and one lucky winner (I'm thinking from all the conferences) gets to go to New York to meet agents and publishers.  HOLY CRAP!!!