Party Game: Synopsis

Alright party guests, ready for day two? If you haven't commented in yesterday's blog, be sure to do so.

I'm going to say Ivy (from Croatia) won yesterday's book. She commented she has visited each guest writer's site. That's impressive. (Ivy, I'll email to work out the details.)

Okay...here we go!

Most writers find writing easy. That's what we do. Writers write. The first nightmarish moment comes when we learn we have to write a synopsis before we start querying literary agents.

This is the American version of how that goes: Synopsis tells the whole story, including the big twist we have told no one about AND the surprise ending - in one page. Yes, ONE page. A synopsis is one single spaced page with one inch margins all around, font size 10 or 11, in third person past tense. The trick is to only introduce the main characters, or like in my stories, group the nuns into THE NUNS, and only tell the key points of the story. This is a good way to learn to cut out flowery goobly-goop.

Finally when that is done, the next illuminating realization is that the story has to be told in one, maybe two, paragraphs in the query letter - and it had better be breath taking. As time goes by it is highly likely you'll be asked for a 30 - 50 word blurb about your story -- usually don't tell the surprise ending in this one.

One day, Jen (see the line up on the sidebar) and I got on the kick of doing these exercises - I think she needed one for her book jacket - then we went over the top and did log lines.

A log line comes from the motion picture industry. Scripts were recorded in a log and there was only one line to write a description that would cue studio people which script it was.

I don't remember what I wrote, but for example on Kathryn's Beach, the log line could be: Woman returns to LA to face her past. See? No kidding. They are short. A whole book in just a few words.

Today's party game is to chose any book from the party prizes in the sidebar, write a log line for the book and post it in the comments. (Kathryn's Beach is off limits - I just did it.) If you are shy, it's ok, I understand just leave some kind of comment every day - it's important in the end.

Okay, off with you, scoot, write me some log lines - you don't have to be a writer to do this. Guest writers are welcome to join in, but you can't do your own book or YOU can do a better log line for Kathryn's Beach. Let's see what we get.

Too shy to write and post a log line, then hang out and party in the comment section. (I really want to see some log lines. Do as many books as you want from the line-up on the sidebar. Let's see if we can get one for each prize book. Trust me, you can get enough info from the author's websites. There is no way to do this wrong. We're just having fun.)

From Ivy, with love and pancake...



Here's one from Glyn...makes him an honorary Californian, don't it!



Okay! It's official! EVERYONE is from California today! (my 'hometown')

I love movies with dancing, all kinds. I love love stories too... here is the last dance for today.




JOY COLLINS is here tomorrow!

The comment section is below this line. Click on the word "comments." That's where you can leave a note. eMail me if you have trouble with this...NadineLaman(at)aol.com