Learning to Write

I'd written for years before deciding to seriously pursue publication. Once I started on that path, I realized there were a lot of things I didn't know or didn't know how to do correctly such as point of view, proper manuscript format, and more.

When I decided to submit my story to editors and agents for the first time, I was told I needed a synopsis in at least 2 forms - one ranging from a single sentence to a couple of paragraphs to include in my query letter. The second form was a longer version to submit to an agent/editor upon request along with the first 3 chapters. The general rule of thumb for a synopsis is to summarize the highlights of the story into 4 to 5 pages. My first attempt at a synopsis was 24 pages long. And I felt I'd only included the "important stuff." Luckily, I met a few great women who were more than willing to share their wisdom and their time.

If you live in an area that doesn't have a writing group close enough to join (like me), there are some great places on the web that can teach you what you need to know. One of the best places that I've come across is Janice Hardy's Fiction University - Fiction University    Ms. Hardy has posts on nearly every aspect of writing as well as posts on how to query agents/editors and editing after that 1st draft is finally finished. She also has a section on the writing life.  Just one word of caution, make sure you have a few hours to spend online. Once you get started reading all the great articles posted, you'll lose track of time pretty easily.
 

What's In A Title?

If you ask any writer what's the hardest part about writing and submitting a manuscript to an agent and/or editor for consideration for publication, I would say the majority of us would say it's writing the synopsis.

A synopsis is a brief summary of the entire book highlighting the theme, the characters, their conflict, and their relationships. In my opinion, the synopsis is the most important part of what a writer submits to an agent or editor. It's what convinces the agent/editor to offer a contract or representation. I think the reason most writers refer to it as "the dreaded synopsis" is it's so difficult to take a 400 page novel and distill it down to a 4 or 5 page summary and still be sure that it includes all the pertinent information and still hooks the reader and isn't just a flat recitation of the main points of the story.

While I struggle when writing a synopsis, coming up with a title for a work in progress is almost as difficult. I usually refer to the book when I'm writing it by either the hero or heroine's name i.e. Jason's book. It's only after I've revised it a few times and have gotten feedback from my critique partner and beta readers that I start to play around with possible titles.

You would think that coming up with a title would be easy, but for me it's one of the hardest parts of the entire process. I try to find something that either relates to the theme of the story or the hero or heroine in some way. I then send out an email to those beta readers and my critique partner and ask which of the possible titles they like best. I also usually include a desperate plea for suggestions as well.

The title, along with the cover art, and the back cover copy are the first things a reader will use to make the decision to purchase the book or not. That makes the title one of the most important tools a writer has in their arsenal which is probably why I struggle with it so much.

And I have a feeling I'm not the only writer who does.