It's amazing how perspective changes. When one begins to write a book, finishing it is a big concern, making sure there are no plot holes, that characters are appealing etc. Then comes the editing mountain. Making the story as best as it could possibly be - and suddenly, writing feels so much easier. And now, as I attempt to write a synopsis and a query letter, both writing and editing seem walk in the park by comparison. Not literally of course - because those things are still difficult. But whittling down the essence of the story in a query paragraph, or two pages of synopsis - wow, that's taking difficult to a whole new level. Especially because summarising anything is not my strong suit, as my husband finds out every time he asks me what movie or a book is about.
But I'm plodding on. Personally, I'm finding writing a synopsis far more difficult than writing a query letter. What about you? How do you feel about writing synopsis and queries? How do you approach it?
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Friday, 2 September 2011
A Writer's Notebook - Lesson Learned
Today, I'm taking some time to clear some papers. They pile up, and breed like rabbits somehow, and since my attention span to clear them is very low, I don't get far. Anyway, as I was going through all these papers, amongst receipts and print-outs, there are piles of notes, brainstorms, scene fragments, character notes etc.
It made me realise that it was totally inefficient to write these on notepads or scraps of paper, because it makes them all that much harder to organise, which means chances of me finding it when I need it are quite small. I do keep a writing journal, but I usually use A4 notepads for random brainstorm that may or may not go anywhere, only because journals are more expensive, so it feels like "waste" to write anything in them. However, I've come to realise that I do look A LOT MORE at my writing journals. I flip back and forth, consider ideas I have jot down, and that sparks a trail of thought that leads somewhere else, or makes me realise that I have already thought of something.
So from now on....no notepads and scraps of papers except in emergency. It's all going in writing journal, staying in one place, and making the whole organisation far better. I hope.
How do you maintain your scraps of notes and pieces of information? Are you super-organised, or thrive in chaos? Or in-between and hope for the best?
It made me realise that it was totally inefficient to write these on notepads or scraps of paper, because it makes them all that much harder to organise, which means chances of me finding it when I need it are quite small. I do keep a writing journal, but I usually use A4 notepads for random brainstorm that may or may not go anywhere, only because journals are more expensive, so it feels like "waste" to write anything in them. However, I've come to realise that I do look A LOT MORE at my writing journals. I flip back and forth, consider ideas I have jot down, and that sparks a trail of thought that leads somewhere else, or makes me realise that I have already thought of something.
So from now on....no notepads and scraps of papers except in emergency. It's all going in writing journal, staying in one place, and making the whole organisation far better. I hope.
How do you maintain your scraps of notes and pieces of information? Are you super-organised, or thrive in chaos? Or in-between and hope for the best?
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