Finish the story!

There's a Unicorn in the Barn!

what do you do now!?

Tell us in 25 words or fewer what you would do if you heard that sentence.
Post your answer in the comment column of this post

(Steve Forti must include the words angioplasty and pseudophedrezone in his answer.)

Short short synopses

Just when I think I've mastered the full and the short synopsis, I'm starting to see lots of requests for one-three paragraph synopses (from publishers).

This seems more like a summary or blurb to me. How can one put in the majority of plot points and emotional arcs into one to three paragraphs? I've done a ton of searches for examples but only coming up with summaries. Am I missing something?

Sorry if you've dealt with this before. When I find examples of short synopses, it's always a page or two, not a paragraph or two!

Yikes!
Synopses are the spawn of Satan but ya gotta have 'em. Just a couple days ago an editor asked for a synopsis of a book I'd sent her. Fortunately, my client was prepared and when I slunk over to ask her for one, she had it back to me in minutes. Two pages of course, not this lunacy of a couple paragraphs.

But if someone asks for just a few paragraphs, what you include are the major plot points. Leave out almost everything else.

Think of the framework in a newspaper article: who what when where why, then add the twist in the middle, and what happens at the end.

It will make your novel look brutalized, but honestly if that's what an editor wants, that's what they want.

My guess is they want to get the highlights and make sure it doesn't turn in to science fiction in the twist and the ending (ie aliens arrive in chapter 14.)

Why I love middle grade non-ficton

I recently started acquiring middle grade non-fiction and it's been so much fun I can barely consider it work.

Brooklyn Bridge is the latest book I've read in this category. Published in 2001 it's a lovely lyrical look at the building of the iconic "New York and Brooklyn Bridge!"

When I turned the last page, I went to the MTA map to figure out which subway got me closest cause all I wanted to do was go see what I had just read about.

I know these books are intended for young readers, but surely I can be in that group, right? 

Here's another that will delight you.

and this

Have you discovered juvenile non-fiction?
Do you have any favorites?
I'm looking for good stuff to read.

And yes, when you start acquiring in a new category, the first thing you do is
(all together now!)

read 100 books in that category!

How now brown cow...yes, I'm losing my grip on reality.

It's three days till reading retreat, but I had to start early.
I spent a good portion of Sunday tidying up the manuscripts and database of requested reads, thus was reminded how much good stuff is in there, just waiting, so I started reading today.

I will try to get some blog posts up for tomorrow and Friday, but we may have to start the hiatus early.

In the meantime, this is a picture of a highland cow.
Isn't s/he adorable?

Comps

I'm in need of some sharkly wisdom. In your Query Shark post #304-FTW you said "The VERY interesting omission is comps. That's an entirely valid choice and can work in an author's favor." Then in Query Shark post #305 you use the comps to help show how the query hasn't worked. I've always been wary of comps because I've wondered an agent would know what aspect of the comp is similar to my novel - the writing style, story line, characters, tone etc. I'm also more likely to NOT pick up a book because of the comps than otherwise (and I'd hate for a comp to deter an agent). With my hamster wheel running at full tilt I'm worried my decision to leave out comps is an issue. A few questions for you to sharpen your teeth on:

(1) Is there a particular aspect of the novel an agent assumes the comp refers to (as in, should the comp always reflect plot)?

(2) I know comps are housekeeping so an agent will have read the query before the comp, but would the comp be a dealbreaker if you get it wrong?

(3) In Query Shark post #305 you mention how Gone Girl is not a good comp (it was one of those freaky success stories we all want) but how successful does a comp have to be before you can use it?

(4) If comps are left out, even when requested by an agent, but you have a rocking query will it matter? ("rocking query" is a whole other matter, so for the sake of this argument, let's roll with it)

Comps drive me bananacrackers. You know bananas, but served on crackers. Comparable to WheatThins in size and color but yanno...better tasting.

I resist the idea of comps but many agents insist on them.

Comps are a shorthand for where the book belongs on the shelf and/or what kind of reader will like the book.

When you mention comps in your query, I find it helpful if you tell me what aspect of the book is comparable to yours: the tone, the multiple points of view, the style.

If you comp your book to the tone of Carl Hiassen I'm expecting a comic novel.
If you tell me readers of Lee Child will like your book,  I'm expecting a hero-driven crime novel with three dimensional female characters and more than a few twists in the plot.

To answer your questions:
(1) Is there a particular aspect of the novel an agent assumes the comp refers to (as in, should the comp always reflect plot)?

Answer: No. That's why you clarify. Tone, style, substance, any or all.

(2) I know comps are housekeeping so an agent will have read the query before the comp, but would the comp be a dealbreaker if you get it wrong?

Answer: Yes. I've had editors not read submissions because they didn't like the comps. It annoyed the snot outta me, but underscored that some editors really insist on comps.

(3) In Query Shark post #305 you mention how Gone Girl is not a good comp (it was one of those freaky success stories we all want) but how successful does a comp have to be before you can use it?

Answer: Once there's a movie, it's probably safe to assume the book is an outlier and not a good comp. Or the author has 20+ bestsellers.

(4) If comps are left out, even when requested by an agent, but you have a rocking query will it matter? ("rocking query" is a whole other matter, so for the sake of this argument, let's roll with it)

Answer: not to me it doesn't, but some agents insist.

Comps are an evil necessity these days. They are yet another reason you need to read widely in your category.

There is no one right answer here. No matter what you do you're going to second guess yourself, and blame the comps for a pass at the query stage.  All I can say is, try your best, and write the best book you can.

Keep a detailed reading journal so when you need comps you've got good notes on books you read.

The Darius the Great is Not Okay Flash Fiction contest results!

We had a low turnout this weekend, probably due to summer and the world cup but the entries were terrific.

In a category all to himself, the Steve Forti!

>>Hey pendejo. U must b loco, vato. Who u think u are?
New phone. Who dis?
>>U got huevos, holmes. But u some weak whitebread, I bet.
I don't know what you want, but eat a duck.
*dick
>>U wanna fight? Luchemos. I'll show u pain.
F U
>>Si o no?
Go to hell.
>>I'll send u there, vato. U'll regreat messing wit my Miranda.
>>regret
Wait, who?
>>Don't play dumb. Miranda. Mi amor.
I don't know any Miranda, dude.
>>Lo siento. Wrong number.

Ok, so I thought I was amping it up by giving Steve an extra word. As he dunked in my face, he used TWO prompt words back to back: Miranda, dude.  Not to mention three words for one prompt. Whitebread, I bet.


And infusion across three lines.

Honestly, next time Steve is just going to have to get different words than everyone else.

Starting with paroxysm, neologism, and probably Nefertiti, just to start with.

And just to really slam it home, notice he's the first post…again.



I love Timothy Lowe's entry with Steve Forti as the villain of the piece! Now THERE is a new idea!!

And Kitty's entry about Steve being the new copy editor made me laugh out loud!

And Steve Stubbs' great pun had me groaning out loud!

Kregger's deft wielding of "Adib" as a prompt word really stood out:

Where am I anyway? Abu a dibi?

Will McPhail's first paragraph just cracked me up

No one knows exactly how The Great Iranian Dog and Pony Show earned its moniker, mostly because the event itself has nothing to do with what the title would lead you to believe. An annual tea bazaar put on by the Catholic Women’s League.

Sherin Nicole's entry was devastating

And John Davis (manuscript) Frain sails in and just lays infusion out there in the last sentence. I actually heard the mic drop when I read it.


Here are the entries that stood out to me.

Claire Bobrow

Ira noodled over the problem.
Kugel without cinnamon?
His mother’s kugel always had cinnamon.
Should he mention it, or…
maybe not.
She’d squawk like a cockatoo -
“Mama’s boy!”
A dibble plunged in the eardrum – that’s what her protest would be, allowing yet another seed of discord to sprout.
As if their life weren’t already a great jungle of misery.
No – best keep his trap shut so “The Mistake,” as his mother called her,
wouldn’t clutch her tea and moan loud enough to wake the Dead.
Or Dad, as I used to call him.
Until he complained about mother’s kugel.

I love how this story loops back in on itself to create a perfect circle. Very deft!


Barbara

Adib sat by his father's bedside. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Darius coughed, spitting up blood. "No matter. It's the way of kings. Sons murder their fathers. Unless we are truly great men, it is how we become kings. It was the tea, wasn't it? Poison."

Adib nodded. "Yes. But I swear by our Iranian gods, never will fratricide happen in our family line again."

Darius smiled. "Good. Now bring my grandson so that I may see him before I die."

Adib looked away, ashamed to meet his father's eyes.

"I cannot. I made a vow. I gave him the tea, too."

Dark dark dark!


Marty Weiss

“I was had! I believed there was a person called the Great Oz,” said Dorothy.

“Oh, there was! I had tea with a hare who told me Oz existed,” Alice responded.

“I know that hare,” said the tortoise. “I ran a race with him and he lost, quite badly I might add.”

“It’s getting late. I think it best if we all skedaddle now and go back to our library shelves,” Mrs. Goose suggested.

“Yes. These days, the children are more interested in their Facebook, Twitter and Iphone activities. Even the young ones have forsaken us,” Aesop lamented.

This just cracked me up.


Michael Seese

The guys with the great big guns seemed surly. I suspect it had something to do with the warhead I borrowed.

"Where bomb be?” the unibrow barked in English so broken it was beyond repair.

Apparently, I'd advertised the sale on TerrorismForDummies.com. These Iranians put the “HA!” in jihad. Still, armed only with a shovel, I was underdressed for the party.

“Let’s not get our sirwals in a bunch. I'll let you have it. Gladly. One question. Coffee or tea?"

“What?"

"That's what stewardesses ask folks when they fly," I said, fingering the button and counting back from ten.

Here's another guy we're going to have to up the ante on. That second line is utterly perfect.  oh hell, the whole thing is perfect.


KD James

A glance at my watch lent an infusion of panic to adrenaline.

I ran harder.

"Don't be dead, don't be dead," I begged.

Too late, my charge's tea-stained teeth bared in a rictus, skin already cooling, sluggish blood trailing down limp flesh.

Dammit, I'd only looked away for a minute. Or twenty. I'd just wanted a doughnut. Fortification.

Fresh Hot Now!

But it seemed someone had signed me up for the failure-a-day club. This made, what, an even dozen now?

"Great," I muttered, licking glaze off ghostly fingers. "I'm never going to gain guardian angel status at this rate."

Notice the use of infusin and forti-fication? Very clever.
Also a terrific story.


Melanie Sue Bowles

No one at The Reef saw it coming. Although everyone was shocked when Forti ran away with Frain’s manuscript. Perhaps a Dib Membrane moment of obsession with John’s ghostly pale complexion? Who knows. But a great brouhaha ensued.

Smith took a shot at easing the tension by telling “dad” jokes. The Reider collective eye-roll caused a shift in the tides around Carkoon.

It finally required an infusion of murmurings and incantations from Luna, Bobrow, and Faris to restore the peace.

Normally I don't go for the meta entries (the ones that are about the blog, etc.) but this one just cracked me up completely!


RosannaM

They added two extra Mondays per week, and scheduled daylight savings four times a year, which goes faster because they cut out July.

We’re taxed on the number of letters in our names. Dad saw it coming and named me half of a lowercase t. Calls me Plus.

I randomly open a box of food, no clue what’s inside. All packaging’s white; no labels.
Great! Pickles. I dip one into my tea, formerly known as coffee, and munch.

Why the infusion of Government Mandates?

To drive us mad, I believe.

But I know up is not down. Dad kept books.

This  is a whole lot harder to write this than it looks. Well, it's hard to write WELL-brilliantly imaginative and stylish, plus it makes total sense. That's a hat trick.



Amy Johnson

Great Scot!” exclaimed Sir Abbott Costello, International G.O.A.T. Awards Emcee.

“Steve, actually.”

“Not the bagpiper?”

“Nope. Steve: Flash—”

“Fastest superhero?”

“Fiction.”

“The truth, please.” Someone approached. “Who’s coming?”

“No, he’s by the TARDIS.”

Steve was surprised when the bearded man introduced himself. “Father Abraham: Dad.”

Then Julia Child. “The French Chef!”

“These days I’m specializing in fusion.”

“Confusion, indeed!” cried Sir Abbott Costello.

Steve tried to explain. “It’s not that bad…I…Before, she cooked French…”

“Don’t bother,” a woman whispered into Steve’s ear. “I ran into him earlier. Like talking to a nurikabe.” She sipped her sweet tea. “Julie: Vocabulary.”

And infusion and Forti appear again! You guyz are having way too much fun with this!



And the winner of the ARC of Darius the Great is Not Okay is  RosannaM.

RosannaM, if you'll email me with your mailing address, I'll get this in the  mail to you!

Thanks to all of you who wrote and posted entries. I loved reading them.
The display of talent here never fails to amaze me.

Happy Sunday!

There's a new post at QueryShark this morning and revisions to #303 and #309.

I've been prepping for the reading hiatus. What kind of prep do you need for reading, other than laying in extra eyeballs? Well, in my case, I wanted to make sure I only read manuscripts that were still available, so I had to sort out ones that had been withdrawn for any reason. Withdrawals are usually because a writer accepted other representation before I could get my fangs into the work. While I try to update as things happens, sometimes I get busy and don't.

I also want to make sure I read the most current version. All y'all have a habit of tinkering with your work while it waits to be read. I'm always glad to read the most recent, hopefully best, version, so sometimes I have three or four copies of a ms.  Again I try to tidy up as I go, but there are always a few stragglers.

So, I make sure that every requested full is numbered correctly, there's an email file with all the email from that author, and the author is tagged as a requested full in my address book.

But, two hours later, it's all tidy, and I'm ready to dive in.  I had to force myself to remember I have to work on something else today, because looking through those requests yesterday made me realize how much good stuff awaits!

And it's summer so I'm moving furniture in my apartment.


What's something you do at the start of summer?