Well, I have a synopsis, I have a query letter. All I’m waiting for now is a few more pieces of feedback to incorporate into the story and Tort & Retort can go off for consideration to the first epublisher I’ve targeted.

I’m excited and terrified, both.

Luckily, since it’s a 4-6 week response time, I will burn out on the “Check Email Every 2.5 Seconds” game after a few days and life will go back to normal.

Back to working on Raven’s White Hart – since I have an editor appointment to pitch it, it woudl be a very good idea if it’s at least at the rough draft complete done before Nationals. I was bummed to not get an agent appointment but oh well.

Wild ride, I tell you.

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So, after discovering the short I’d finished the draft of is not suitable for the first publisher I wanted to send it to, I look at the other options available to me. Only to discover one daunting fact – they need a synposis.

What a scary word. Synopsis. WTF? Can I run now? Can I put out enough glitter or rhinestones to get a synopsis fairy to write one for me?

Sigh – okay. So I read some articles on writing synopses. Then I discover that they are pretty much in disagreement on most items. Arrrgh. Why aren’t there good rules?

I start trying to write the blasted thing. I mean, really, it’s only a 12K story. SURELY any idiot can write a synopsis for it.

Apparently I’m not just any idiot…. I must have written and deleted the first few sentences about 10 times. They sounded like a 6 year old. Really.

Then I manage to get a decent first paragraph – heck, maybe I’ll make it the blurb because it would work as one! I’m happy! So I send it to my ever patient author friend. She likes it…

There is HOPE. WOOT.

Finally I manage to discard my first theory of writing the synopsis based on pure plot and chronology and instead I focus on the emotions. Wow – after a few hours and about a page and a half of text, it doesn’t sound too bad. So (since it’s now after midnight), I mail it off to my author friend, my critique partner (Jaynie) and my test readers.

Today I heard back from 3 of the 4 and they LIKE IT…. One paragraph of correction but that’s the only thing I’ve heard that I need to fix.

I think I need some smelling salts now.

So, I’ve been working on getting Tort & Retort finished and today I was so happy that I’d finished the first draft. Now, mind you, it’s only a 12K story so it’s not like I wrote a tome but it’s the first one I’ve FINISHED.

All along I’ve had a plan to send it to a particular e-publisher and today I was so excited… in a few days I could send it. Especially wonderful since I had a decent blurb and this pub didn’t need a (dreaded) synopsis.

Just as I had hit send to wing it over the wires to my lovely critique partner and test readers, Jaynie told me something that *I* should have known already but instead, because I was a dipshit and didn’t re-read the submissions guidelines, I didn’t. That publisher doesn’t accept contemporaries.

NOT the news my lovely rush wanted to hear. I think my excitement deflated faster than the Hindenburg when completely on fire.

arrrrgh – so at 12K it’s too short for many houses, especially since I’ve not pubbed with them before. Hell, I’ve not pubbed any fiction before. I can’t really add a lot to it without some serious work because it’s a short, sweet little story with some hot sex, some humor and some erotica epublishing in-jokes. It just doesn’t have the bones to slap a lot of meat onto.

I think I settled on a different publisher to try though – and now I have to not only wait for the feedback and fixes I’m sure the first draft will need, but I’ll have to write the (insert graphical term for a sexually improbable act here) synposis.

Arrrgh

So – take a lesson from my woes. Read the submissions guidelines over and over… Don’t go on memory!

So, one of the people I dearly adore is a published author and I’ve been priviledged to act as a sounding board for her as she works on some new stories. I love being a test reader and am happy to offer opinions or any assistance I can. And I have a LOT of opinions to offer! And I think I learn something new with each one.

But, when this same person offered to read my WIP for me and help me, I was really torn and couldn’t quite figure out why until I bent Jaynie’s (virtual) ear for a while.

I think I try so hard to not impose on the authors I have made friends with because I don’t want to cross that friendship with asking them for favors. So many people drag on the published authors and try to get everything from goodies to free feedback to intros to publishers or agents that I just NEVER want to be seen as one of the folks who are only friends with an author if the author can help them.

So maybe I have a hard time accepting even if the authors offer help. I’m still not convinced they actually learn anything from me besides new ways to evidence neuroses. So to me I seem like a drain on already pressing time :)

I’m weird, huh? LOL