I write a lot of foreign fiction, my first novel is supposed to have been publised in the US but for some hithces. But i have an agent in NY who is representing my book, right now, my third novel is undergoing critique and i want to share some of my knowledge with like minds or people interested in writing western fiction and getting there somday, do you think we can do it? Did i hear you say "yes", then lets do it!

My great power is the awesome imagination God has given me and His Rhema has no boundaries.

My first foreign fiction was Revolt in the Ranch set in America during the American Civil War and Maja Pearce of Heinemann who read it in 1981 called it a Western novel. But the manuscript was destroyed last year. I can rewrite it whenever I have the break to do so.
I have written shorter foreign fiction and the most popular is [size=14pt]O[/size] posted on Gather, in my journal on Oprah's website and here on Nairaland.

May I advise you to join the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) if you are not yet a member and the best literary association for writers in the US is the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC) in NY, because these two bodies will take you higher.
I have been a member of ANA and CLSC since 1987.

I wish you all the best.

Just make us proud.

@ Orinkila

Thanks for your information, how much i wish you were in Lagos.

These two associations you mentioned, do you have their website and can i join online, and do you critique?? I will be so happy if you can, because my work is been held from publication because it needs to be critique as recommended by my agent, the lowest critique fee i have seen in NY is $99, which in a way i have not been able to afford. meanwhile, this is my email and phone number: sinewyconst@yahoo.com, 08050989962 or 01-8165873. I will really like to know how i can join these associations and i believe we have a lot to share.

Do get back, you are a life saver!

consts, the federal government of the united state is currently looking for fiction writers(terrorism) , u can mail in ur stuff .who knows, u might be lucky

Oriki - how the hell did you lose your manuscript? Don't you have a soft copy? That is simply not good, not good enough.

consts, the federal government of the united state is currently looking for fiction writers(terrorism) , u can mail in your stuff .who knows, u might be lucky

Do you know where i can mail this to, mine is more or less on terrorism, will be glad if you can help. Thanks

@orikinla, well i knw about ANA but wht the hell s up with their website?but great stuff about literary minds coming together.im about poetry and fiction and have one fiction,one book of poesy and a collection of short stories all yet to be published! .Dont mind me,just been too comfy with my 9 to 5 job to listen to my frustrated muse.

@const,dont mind gettin togeda with like minds,im outta lagos now but i ll be there like tomorrow.we can hook up if u want.but i gotta warn u am preparin for a weddin so im on a very tight schedule.but anything for the arts.i think ANA s website s www.ananigeria.com or just use google search.

All the best!

const6:

@ Orinkila

Thanks for your information, how much i wish you were in Lagos.

These two associations you mentioned, do you have their website and can i join online, and do you critique?? I will be so happy if you can, because my work is been held from publication because it needs to be critique as recommended by my agent, the lowest critique fee i have seen in NY is $99, which in a way i have not been able to afford. meanwhile, this is my email and phone number: sinewyconst@yahoo.com, 08050989962 or 01-8165873. I will really like to know how i can join these associations and i believe we have a lot to share.

Do get back, you are a life saver!

$99 is actually okay to evaluate your novel.
Ayebia will ask for more to even read it.
But it would be well read.

ANA has administrative problems.
The nature of artists.
Artists are poor managers.
Achebe would have been 1,000 times more of an awesome commercial success than what he has been so far if he had better management, because the adaptations of Things Falls Apart alone can produce over 100 different works in audio, video and other multimedia formats and even a theme park.

Please, see my Nigerian editor Adeleke Adeyemi who is the Editor of Timeless in Lagos.
Tel: 08023920443.
He would be able to do whatever I would have done. He is a prominent member of ANA.
He is God sent.

You can join Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC) via the website and just type the name on Google search box and you will be taken there.

The American editor I know charges $12 per page for her editing service. She is very good.
Her name is Chasity Moody.

ANA has over 50 diferent prizes for both published and unpublished works.
Please, join ANA.
ANA opens doors locally and internationally.

I know a former senior worker in a leading bank and she resigned to concentrate on her writings and she makes more money from her books.
She has sold over 500, 000 copies so far and has expanded into magazines and other publications.
Her name is Ebele.
She sells her books and I have two of her numerous titles.
So, if you are a good writer you can be very successful and you don't have to work for a bank or oil company to earn a seven-digit salary.
Adeleke is a geologist who graduated from ABU. And he can write better than most graduates of English.

Nigeria has the largest market in Africa and whether they like it or not, they are going to read more books.
The way Nigerians rush Nollywood movies, they will rush hot Nigerian books.
So, write the hot books to attract them.

The literary boom is around the corner.

I thank you all for the support, i has really made me get up once more and have that great mind to continue with my writing.

It takes a great deal of our imagination to put this things together, but the condition of the African man normally puts us behind our conterparts in other parts of this great world, but with people like you with wonderful advise, no doubt, we all most achieve.

Thanks once again, i look forward to meeting all you have a heart for writing.

I believe this thread may be one the reason why I joined Nairaland, I write, but I have never taken it beyond sharing with my friends, and tickling my wife , at least not until recently.

I have 9-5 job, or should I say 7-7?, and I find it a real big challenge to create time, besides I have only just started trying t find a support group like this one,

Bottom line, I need some motivation, sounds a bit lame, but I do, any helpers?

here is a a little of what I write.

[center]Time

Time tells all, as time itself has proven,Times may change, and they frequently do,

But time remains constant, immovable, eternal.It is the divine oracle which tells us what has been, what is, and what is to be.

Time reveals all, as time itself has proven.Thoughts may be hidden, as they often are,

but time is the laboratory in which they are distilledand synthesized into action.

It is the translator of covert to overt.

Time changes all, as time itself has proven.Feelings run deep, convictions hold strong,

But time is the catalyst that changes them all.It is the wind tunnel which tests the integrity of the soul.

It is heaven’s threshing floor.[/center][b][/b]

Bluestream:

I believe this thread may be one the reason why I joined Nairaland, I write, but I have never taken it beyond sharing with my friends, and tickling my wife , at least not until recently.

I have 9-5 job, or should I say 7-7?, and I find it a real big challenge to create time, besides I have only just started trying t find a support group like this one,

Bottom line, I need some motivation, sounds a bit lame, but I do, any helpers?

here is a a little of what I write.

[center]Time

Time tells all, as time itself has proven,Times may change, and they frequently do,

But time remains constant, immovable, eternal.It is the divine oracle which tells us what has been, what is, and what is to be.

Time reveals all, as time itself has proven.Thoughts may be hidden, as they often are,

but time is the laboratory in which they are distilledand synthesized into action.

It is the translator of covert to overt.

Time changes all, as time itself has proven.Feelings run deep, convictions hold strong,

But time is the catalyst that changes them all.It is the wind tunnel which tests the integrity of the soul.

It is heaven’s threshing floor.[/center][b][/b]

Those were deep words.

You can actually share personal experiences and lessons we can learn from.

Common Ties pays from $200 for very short personal stories.
Not more than 2,000 words.

Just type Common Ties in the Google search box and press enter and you will find the website.

Hello everybody,

This is what the synopsis of one of my novels look like, let me get your view, ok? Just say how you see am!


What will you do if you have the murder of an innocent girl on tape? What will you do if you have an easy plan that could make you over two million dollar richer? How far will you go to find the murderer of your parents? Would you stalk for two months to harness this plan? Would you report the murder of the innocent girl to the police? Or would you use the tape for blackmail to further your own interest?
If you have the knowledge will you crash a plane to pay back for a crash that claimed the lives of your parents?

These are some of the questions Pamela Townsend and Huff Chapman must resolve in my novel A Defector’s Reward. When Pamela witness the murder of Kate Laurel, she will know that her solution to the jigsaw of her making her first million was in the person of Huff. Soon her erotic lovemaking with Huff and Carr Roberts got the engines of her plan churning, as Huff plays along though against his will. This will start a relationship that will result in the stealing of diamonds worth five million dollars, a terrorist act of crashing a plane and murder of five people. Pamela got engulfed in a robbery that was digging her grave and at the same time unraveling the murderers of her parents.
Detective Bernard Molone will be on hand to cover up the grave when it will finally get filled.

It is for the above crime novel intersparsed with romatic sex scenes that I seek your representation. The novel completes at 68,000 words. A series of different titles but same private investigator is nearing completion and another freestanding novel titled Reckless Hope is completed.


So everybody, lets hear it.

NB: This was in a letter sent to my agent for representation, ok

What kind of story is this? Did you actually send this to your agent? With all the question marks? I hope this is the summary that appears on the back of the novel, not the entirety of the novel.

To the best of my knowledge, agents want to see the framework of your story, highlighting key points. You also need to work on your writing - suck the reader into your novel, make their heartbeats race during the peaks, and make them cry during the low points.


i'm more fantasy adventure, my stories are about heroes, villains, damsels and knights in armour. Mix in a large dollop of romance, and a sprinkling of romance and intrigue.

@Banderas

I suppose as a writer you know whats a SYNOPSIS?

And do you have an agent? I suppose not.

The framework for your novel is enough to gauge the depth of your story.

It is going to be a full length novel.

May I advise you, to do a thorough research on the locations, because you must know the characteristics and social cultural backgrounds of the people, places and things in your story.
The means of transportation by land, sea or air.
The routes of the plane and the airport.
The most important features of the airport, the city and people.
The locations of the subways, bus stops, etc.

When writing on New York, I researched the city in details and called my American partner who knows NYC very well to verify and confirm the details.
When I wrote about London many years ago, I wrote about a particular shop on a street and studied about a particular shopkeeper on the street and when people read it, they couldn't believe that I never visited London. Those in London knew the shop and knew the woman I wrote about.
My novel on German Occupation of France during World War Two, required months of reading books on the history of the occupation of France.

You can write it and make it one of the best thrillers from Nigeria.

I wish you all the best.

@Orikinla

Thanks a gr8 deal.

Yes, i have done a lot of research on the Washington area.

As for the airport were the terrorist act was perpetrated, i have a full photograph of the airport and its termacs

As for the hotel in Arlington Boulevand, i have the map of the whole area.

As for the beach where the whole novel climaxed, i have the map as well.

For the people around this area (Washington), they are all career people as we all know and their traits are in this fashion.

So i believe this has been taken care of, like you said, a good editor will make the difference, because if i keep editing it myself, its from the same well of good thinking but it will stil have the same traits,

I hope i get there someday, thanks a gr8 deal for everythin

Check the post on the First Crime Novel Competition.

Hi,
I have been writing poetry for some years,  My first question is how do I get my poetry published and make money from it? I've gotten review from over 20 people and they all say the poems are good - if I get it published they would buy,  Secondly, How can develop my skills in writing short stories / plays?

I need all the advice I can get,

Thanks,

@CoolSay,

Good work, first you need to get yourself an agent, every writer must have an agent.

As for short stories, talk to Orikinla at this thread.

Thanks const6, I appreciate your advice but I have some more questions,

Can you give me any links to find a reliable agent? and is there an easy and inexpensive way to get my poems copyrighted?

Thanks once again,

@CoolSay

Its not quite easy to get an agent, you have to continue to send out your work for them to peruse, thank God for internet now, you can email it to them and if they say they either have enough client or the work is not good enough, but dont give up, it took me a long time to get an agent, i suppose i sent my work to over fifty agents before i was picked by one.

As for copyright, dont worry about the agents abroad, if they dont represent your work, they usually dispose it, because they have a reputation to maintain, they prefer to have good integrity and make little money than make alot of money and end up in jail after paying so much damages, but the best way to copyright in africa is to send your work in a sealed envelop to your address i.e: Address an envelop (putting your postal address), then take it to a post office, and send it to yourself, when you receive it, never open it, just leave it sealed, so you can always use it to contest any fringe.

Take care, wish you luck

I am very tempted to call those who write foreign fiction losers but i wont. But then ask urself, how many of these people have been published? If u live in America or UK and u write about those climes, good, but sitting right here in Lagos and writing about manhattan? come on? the guy who said he has a manuscript since 1981 that got burnt, whats he gotten since? nothing and my guess is, he wont get published. all of them claim to have agents representing them in new york or where ever. Agents come a dime a dozen, but try getting published with harper collins or corgi or Avon and see where it gets u, exactly no where. Of course, there may be few exceptions, but exceptions are never the norm, they remain exceptions.

My point is, u cant try to tell Americans about America, u cant try to sell to America what is theirs. Ur best bet is sell to Americans what is alien to them, write about Nigeria,  about aAfricaand export it to them, they'll pay anything for that. Chinua aAchebedid that in 1958, and he is still relevant today- he just won the man booker prize weeks ago for a work that is more than 50years old. DDon'tlet anybody ddeceiveyou, u will just keep on paying huge sums for critiques without a deal.

If u were more original, more aAfrican u stand  a better chance of getting a lolook iny the big publishing houses. Why do u think the Ben Okri's, the Chimamanda ngozi Adichies etc who live in the UK and US still turn back to Nigeria as scenes for their plots? Because they know their only hope of  beating the Grishams, the Puzos and Clancy's to better deals at the same publishing houses is to give the editors manuscripts that dondon'tlk about launch systems of nuclear submarines, or biometric denial systems of museums but culturally relevant or even contemporary themed Nigerian novels.

A word is enough for the wise, else, you'll be chasing shadows writing stupid manuscripts and not getgettingblished till ur landlord comes to stop your foolish quest with a knock and his rent papers. When u cant pay, u''l sadly have to go back to your village.

Const6, do I have an agent? No. I sell myself to editors directly. I don't know who your agents are, but I tell you one thing - if you were to submit anything like that to my critique group, you won't even get a response. It's not such a good synopsis, it's more of an odd sounding monologue.
I'm quite sure that your novel is going to be interesting and captivating, but in the end, the last word lies with the editor/publisher, not with the agent.

You need to ask yourself what your target audience is, and then try and find out how they think and speak. Nobody I know thinks or speaks like that.

Apache - foreign Fiction. When I said I write/wrote foreign fiction, what I meant was that I wrote fiction, for the foreign market. But also, my fiction is such that you don't need to have lived in the area to write it - it's all imaginary places and people.

You need to realise that all these authors you spoke about wrote about Africa, but wrote about it in a way that was "palatable" and readable for the international crowd. And these Clancy's, Puzos and co, are also human. Mario Puzo is definitely not an english name, so if he can write that well, why can't I? Seriously, why must we limit ourselves?

Here's the thing - I want to be a GREAT WRITER, and NOT a great Nigerian writer. Of course it's going to cost me, it already does. The numerous books in my bookshelves, as well as the volume of notepads I've been through (I prefer to write my first draft with pen and paper - My mind works better that way) testifies to this. I also spend time and resources going to writers meets, and book fests. So while I get your point about people being realistic, I still believe people need to reach out. There's a popular saying: If you're going to the moon, aim for the sun.

And a peice of advice to all other authors in the make: Don't give up your day job.

Banderas- he he he, sum1 replied me, dat was actually my first post on naira land.Bin a member here a week? so for being my first reply, i'l show u sum respect. When i posted that blog, it was merely advice, giving my own perspective. Whether u take it or not is left to u. whether u r right or wrong, ur status in 5 or ten years will tell. That said though, i know u dont want to be a great nigerian writer- i guess u made that comment cos i talked about achebe and adiche. U may be forgiven for alluding that adichie is a great nigerian writer, but achebe? Come on, if u r a writer, its best u start with knowing the pedigree of those who have gone a head of u. Achebe is not a great nigerian writer, he is a wolrd reknown writer, who just won the man booker prize(given to the beest work in atleast 25years). I dont have to start telling you about Achebe's achievements.

Now Wole Soyinka picked up his Nobel not bbeacuse he wrote about New York or Murder plots set on luxury yatchs on the atlantic but because of plots set right here. And this is not about limiting one's self, its about creating a nich for yourself. Its just about defineing territory. for what you want to do or are already doing, there are millions out there wwriting similar stuff. Thank God, u r aware so if u structured ur offerings along more traditional lines or even contemporary Nigerian or African themes, it would seem as if u were a pioneer in the eyes of those so called agents or publishers, cos Nigerian writers have not glutted that market out there yet.

If u r writing about Knights in shining armours, dats not Nigerian or African, is it. Am saying u must right about Nigeria or Africa, but just give the white man a new slant to ur own experince and he'll pay top dollar. u'l be surprised after ur first published work that they would be advancing u 3million green backs for ur next two works. If GP PUTNAM could give Stephen King $35million advance, y cant they give a Nigerian writer? But, we have to be original. you can write about u and become a wworld calss writer- u have more depth. Dont for once imagine that its only about writing about them that u can hit it. I tell u, its easier this way. Word

Apache, you have dished out a timely advice. I am just flumoxed by the claims of Orikinla that Achebe's work or so, would have resulted in a theme park? My advice is to write about stuff that you know, instead of claiming to incorporate foreign ideas in your work, that you have little knowledge of. 12 dollars per page to edit a novel? Unbelievable! Which agency or publishing company is this lady affiliated with? And who is this fellow that quit their banking career to pursue a career in the literary field? If their novels have sold lots of copies, I'd like to think that they would merit a coverage in a Nigerian periodical. Some people get all excited at the prospect of being an international writer, but you have to start from level one. Achebe did not become an overnight sensation by producing works on America, but focused on African subjects that he is familiar with. Same with other African writers that have a place in the literary field in the western world. Do not think that you are limiting yourself by writing on local stories that you are familiar with. Even if you wont be an international writer, your writeups would resonate with the experiences of other local readers.

People need to quit bragging about their accomplishments/hearsay on this board, thereby raising the hopes of others.

Who no go, no know,

BAndera's- thnx for agreeing with me. NOw dont mind that Orikinla guy or whatever he calls himself- he is a fraud. How can he say $100 is okay for a critique. He probably hopes his Nigerian editor will get the naira equivalent to critique the work of this unsuspecting guy. How do we know its not even orikinla himself that is the nigerian editor, for all u know, he doesnt even know where the international airport is located. Where i know for sure he is a frauid is where he talks about a nigerian banker who is now a writer. why didnt he mention her name? What are her titles. Some poeple think everybody is gullible on here. Now how can ur american editor collect $12 per page. This guy should be shot. Instead of trying to help upcoming authors, he is trying to fleece them.

Get good wwork, pitch ur work, pray u get a good agent that takes ur work around and hipe for the best

CONST 6- u are actually pathetic-no pun intended. Sorry if i am not pulling any punches here. U r no good if ur synopsis is anything to go by. Dont let aanybody here deceive you, too many people are too polite about our abilities, so they let us waste our time. Its either u go and polish ur writing before hastily sending it for representaion or you go and get a salaried job. Am sure no agent has replied you, and none would. That you placed your work here for review atleast shows that you are a man who does not beleive that he knows it all. It means you are willing to learn, and in life that is the most important thing- go back to the basics-and when i mean basics, i dont mean the classrooms, buy novels, see the logical representation of thought, listen to the voice of the author, get into his mind, see the use of the tools of language, his use of similies, metaphors, tenses, dscriptive compositions and the like. You dont have to understudy a James Clavell or a Jk Rowling or buy Haarry Potter, no go the elementary novels so u can learn.

For the type of plot u have in mind- go and pick up JAAMES Hadley Chase, he is the greatest. Pay close attention to how he decribes cities, women, people generally and schemes. See how he builds up suspense leading to a shattering denouement. then write and write and write till ur knuckles turn white, then post something here like u have done and wait for positive responses, then email ur agent. Anything outside this, and u r wasting ur time.

Apache, there is a better way of critiquing his work, instead of labelling him as pathetic.

@Const6, see the advice that we dished out to you earlier? Your synopsis, from what I read, tries to be too 'foreign' and salacious, which in my opinion would work against you. Write on stuff that you know, forget about the audience. Na by force to have an international audience?

excellent advice there for you 'foreign fiction writers.' write about the places, the people and the societies you know and understand best.

@apache77 ,

I dont know who will be pathetic at the end of this whole thing, if its me with my writing and its fund or you with you sarcastic review of people's work. I dont have much to say to you but find below correspondence between me and my agent for a long time now. _tishgod

I already have a New York agent and i am on the fast track to success with my writing, if you are too good, paste some of your _tihsgod here lets see.

For your information, this is not my sole job, I work with Mobil and i have my funds already. _epiwssa

I suppose you think James Hadley got to where he got if _gabmucs lik you had the chance to review his work, no wonder wey una no dey achieve much for niaja. _{srellik rats}

teraryagency.com> Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: sinewyconst@yahoo.com
Subject: NY Literary Agency: Positive Review
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:52:53 -0500


Thank you for everything that we have received from you thus far. Our
review team believes that your work has commercial potential and we
would
like to proceed further with you. We believe we would like to represent
you.

Basically, we feel that your concept and writing thus far has potential
and
that if polished and presented properly, we can sell it. To take the
next
step, please let us take a minute to tell you a little bit about how we
think and the way we do business.

Best regards,
Sherry Fine - VP Acquisitions

p.s. We apologize in advance for the length of this email. This is at
the
behest of our lawyers. They like it when we say it the same way every
time.
If this email appears truncated at the bottom, please let me know.


INCUBATING TALENT: We Are Willing To Develop New, Fresh Talent.
=========================================================================
We did see a few improvements are needed, but don't worry, we receive
very
few 'ready-to-go' manuscripts. Most manuscripts that we receive need
some
level of polishing before we can submit them to buyers. Some need very
little polishing. Some need a lot. Over the years, we've learned that
it
is worth our time and effort to do what it takes to develop new talent.
We've learned that incubating new talent makes good business sense.

We'd hate to lose a good writer by not accepting someone who is willing
to
improve. There are very few literary agencies that will take the time
to
develop talent. Most barely return emails. We've answered every email
you've sent us, and we've kept our promises regarding turnaround times.
We
hope that you will acknowledge that our level of communication and
professionalism already far exceeds that of other literary agencies.
We
pledge this same level of professionalism and courtesy in all
subsequent
communications should we work together.





agencygroup.com> Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To: "Oshafi, Constance" <sinewyconst@yahoo.com>
Subject: Literary Agency - Contract Administration
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:53:35 -0500


Dear Constance,

You should have received your executed contract in the mail by now, and
if not, you should within the next few days. If you do not receive it
within a week, please let us know.


Once again, we congratulate you on your commitment to your writing
career and we compliment you on what you have achieved thus far.

Sincerely,

The Contract Administration Department



Note: Please do not reply to this email. ContractAdmin is a singular
use
email only. Sherry and the Acquisition Team have enjoyed working with
you thus far. Since their role is very focused on acquisition of new
talent, if you have questions or follow-up comments please contact
Andrea at: Andrea@NewYorkLiteraryAgency.com
<mailto:Andrea@NewYorkLiteraryAgency.com> ,as she is in charge of
administration and preparing you for working with the Agent. Andrea
will be your administrative contact for the duration of your time with
us.

Important: If you have not made arrangements for obtaining a critique,
please contact:
AdminJR@WritersLiterary.com <mailto:AdminJR@WritersLiterary.com>
immediately.

What's Next?
=============

Once the critique is in the hands of your Agent, they will review your
critique with you and, based upon what is contained within the
critique,
discuss what is necessary before beginning the sales and marketing of
your work.


To: sinewyconst@yahoo.com
Subject: FW: Constance Oshafi - A Defector's Reward Critique
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:45:37 -0400
Constance,

Attached you will find our simple hotsheet form. Would you please take a minute and fill it out and send it back to me along with the most recent copy of your manuscript when ready? The form should be self-explanatory and we like to ask for the manuscript each time because it seems that authors are always making changes and sometimes forget to send them to us.)

Once we receive the information I will review it and it will be placed into our searchable database. Once in the database our Agents can easily access all the information about your property and forward it to the buyers that are interested. (We call this the LFN Database, which stands for "What are you Looking For Now?". This is the main question our Agents use when working with buyers. When they get a LFN, our agents go to the database and look for your work.

We have a number of other ways that we market your work which I will explain once I receive your completed hotsheet form.

Warmest Regards
Hil Mallory - Senior Agent

SPAM AND JUNK FOLDERS: The major ISPs (Hotmail, MSN, sometimes Yahoo, etc.) are continually changing their spam and junk rules. Sometimes our emails will go to your junk or spam folder, and sometimes they won't. It's very frustrating for all of us. (They even label Bellsouth emails as junk, that's how off base they are). So, please check your spam and junk folders for our emails.

@ Banderas

Below are some sample synopsis from notable writers and writing blog, i wonder how you write yours.

There are steps you are suppose to take, see them below and LEARN!

5 Steps To Writing A Synopsis

By Vivian Beck



Home
About Vivian
Guidelines
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Step 1: Start With A Hook. This should be a paragraph or two similar to the blurb on the back of a book. Mood and tone is important here, use special adjectives.

Step 2: Introduction of Characters. Introduce the main characters in your book. Tell their MOTIVATION, CONFLICT, and GOALS. Stay away from detailed physical descriptions unless this information is pertinent to your story.

Step 3: Construct the Body of Your Synopsis. Here, using paragraphs, write the high points of your story in chronological order. Keep these paragraphs tight, don't give every little detail. Remember, each scene should include, ACTION, REACTION, and a DECISION.

Example: Sam kisses Mary goodnight. (ACTION) He makes her forget she does not want to get involved in a relationship. (REACTION) He's dangerous to her hard-earned peace of mind. (DECISION)

Step 4: Use Three or Four Paragraphs to Write the CRISIS and RESOLUTION of Your Story. Keep this simple, but make sure you show your main characters' reactions. Don't keep the editor/agent guessing. Your synopsis must include the resolution to your story.

Step 5: Rewrite your synopsis until each sentence is polished to the point of perfection. Use strong adjectives and verbs, and always write in the present tense. Make every word count.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright (c) 2005-2007 Vivian Beck Agency. All rights reserved.



Sample Synopsis:
The following is the synopsis used by Atk. Butterfly in getting this book accepted by a publisher. Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business a year later so the book is no longer available to the public.


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Synopsis of The Aliens Is Coming!




The Aliens Is Coming!, 40,000 words, by Atk. Butterfly, is a science fiction tale revolving around Derek and Amanda, two people in floundering marriages. During a clandestine meeting, they find a book picturing them nude on the cover. They take the book after discovering that the characters inside more than just resemble them and learning more about each other than they already knew. They later fall asleep in a hot tub and awaken to find that they're in space, kidnapped by aliens from another world just as was depicted in the book. Alarmed, they bond closer to each other and carefully read the book while wondering whether it's prophetic or magic.

Knowing the alien kidnappers mean them harm, they fight back until they take over the ship. All the while, their thoughts are open to whichever of them possesses the book. Aware of their lust for each other, they take their affair all the way, giving each other more satisfaction than their spouses ever would. However, they are alarmed that the book ending changes when they give in before the book first indicated that they would .

Upon freeing two other pairs of aliens held captive, one pair discloses that the book is from the future and was written by Derek and Amanda. They discover their book is a top selling romance novel in the universe. The aliens consider Derek and Amanda celebrated authors whose book was the first to use molecular-sized computers embedded inside every page. Derek and Amanda learn that the book kept changing because it was sent into the past. It can only depict what actually happens as it was written using their brain scans, eventually assuring them that they do survive.

After landing on another world, they first encounter the police and then a court with humorous results. After clearing up the charge, they get brain scans and seek out an agent to market their book. In a dramatic and violent encounter with the publisher of their book, they finally reach an agreement for publishing it and create the mystery of how the book came to be in their possession in the first place.


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Copyright 1997, Atk. Butterfly


Also by Atk. Butterfly from Hard Shell Word Factory
Beasts Are Us, ISBN 0-7599-0216-7
ISBN 0-7599-0229-1 (paperback)

Witness Protection, ISBN 1-58200-140-5 (HTML edition)
ISBN 1-58200-253-3 (RocketBook (tm) edition)




Sample Synopsis
A COWBOY'S WILL/Synopsis Dillon 1


A COWBOY'S WILL; Synopsis

Blair Taylor is twenty-five and just coming out of a bad marriage when her grandfather
Grady Reid passes away. Blair leaves her home in New York and travels to Grady's
ranch in Louisiana for the reading of his will. She is in emotional turmoil. She feels
guilty for the tiny amount of time she gave her grandfather when he was alive. She is
still hurt over the things she learned about Victor Taylor, the man she is divorcing. She
is tired of her mother controlling her life. Worse of all, Blair is caught up in a secret that
will be hard to keep soon--she is pregnant with Victor's baby.
Cody Lawrence is thirty, has been through one failed marriage, and everything he owns
can be loaded into a pickup truck. Grady Reid took Cody in when no one else would,
when Cody was a wild teen, mad at the world. Now Grady is gone and his spoiled
city-raised granddaughter is coming to take away the only home Cody has ever really
known. He doesn't intend to give it up without a fight.
Grady was gone, but he has a surprise left for his granddaughter and the man who has
been like a son to him. Grady leaves half of the ranch to each. He also adds a little
stipulation to his will. If Cody or Blair give up and leave the Red Bluff ranch before a full
month passes, the ranch and everything on it is to be sold, and the money given over to
Grady's church.
Cody can't believe half of the ranch has been left to him. He would be beside himself
with joy, if it weren't for one little detail--Blair Taylor. Cody tries to talk her into leaving.
He promises to give her what half of the ranch is worth, though he doesn't know how in
the world he'll get his hands on that kind of money.
Blair wasn't expecting half of the ranch either. She feels she doesn't deserve it. But
now, it is like an answer to her prayers. She knows Cody doesn't have the means to buy
her out, but if she can hang in here for a month, sell her half, the money will give her a
new start in a new city, far away from her mother and Victor.
Maybe even oil and water would mix if it were stirred together enough. In the confines
of the ranch and one small house, Cody and Blair are stirred together plenty.
Blair just wants to survive her time, like an inmate serving out a sentence, and walk
away with her half of the money. Cody doesn't want the ranch sold. He can't even
stand the thought of leaving his home. He knows he'll have to in a month if Blair stays,
just so she can have her half of the money, when she already has more than she needs.
There is almost always a thin line between anger and passion, between hate and love.
Each can get the blood to boiling easy enough. In the middle of battles, Cody and Blair
begin to find things to like about each other. The sexual tension that builds makes the
house seem smaller and smaller.
On a starlit night, passion carries them away. Before they make love, Blair starts to tell
Cody about the child she is going to have, but chickens out. Afterwards, there seems to
be no easy way to tell him. Over the next week, she tries, but never gets the words out.
When the month is almost up, Blair decides they have to talk. She still hasn't told Cody
her secret, they haven't used the word love, and they haven't even mentioned what they
will do when the month is over.
Cody blows his top when Blair tells him that she is pregnant with Victor's baby. He can't
believe she hadn't told him, that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. He is
more hurt than angry. After she walks away, he suddenly realizes that he is so hurt
because he loves her. He doesn't know when it happened, but he has fallen in love with
her.
Blair is deeply hurt by Cody's anger and the things he said. She plans to pack and
leave right away. She cares about him too much to take the ranch away from him. It
shocks her to admit it, but to care that much, it has to be love. Real love.
Cody catches Blair before she can leave. He comes right out and tells her that he loves
her. She is filled with joy, but then thinks of her unborn child. She confesses her love
for Cody, but leaves him with no doubts that she is having her baby, and keeping it.
Cody agrees that he would have it no other way. He loves her enough to love her child
just as much as he loves her.
At the wedding, Blair and her mother seem to have come to an understanding. Cody
sends thanks heavenward to Grady for playing match maker.
In the epilogue, Blair is in labor. Cody is falling apart. He is in such a hurry to leave
the ranch with Blair, that he almost forgets something upstairs, their little daughter,
Lorena. Blair did tell Victor about the baby, but he wasn't very interested in fatherhood.
Cody was more than happy to adopt the little girl. Still, he would never love her any
less than the son they are about to welcome into the world.
See More Sample Synopses Here
Copyright © 1999 by Charlotte Dillon.
All rights reserved.
Writing a Synopsis





Esther Downing, 29, lives contentedly as a single woman with a part-time computer research business and a job at the library. Yet Esther has a problem. Her younger sister Rachel has fallen in love and their father, like Old Testament Laban, believes the oldest daughter should marry before granting his youngest’s hand in marriage. Though the sisters try to persuade him his belief is outdated, he challenges their faith. As staunch Christians, they have struck a brick wall—their father.

Esther feels guilty, but is determined not to marry unless it is God’s will. She looks for acceptable ways to change her father’s thinking and reminds him that his rule is not part of the ten commandments. But honoring parents is she’s always respected God’s Word.

Esther is oblivious to Ian Barry’s interest in her. He’s an employee at Bay Breeze Resort and a visitor to the library. As he refurbishes a sailboat and works on various projects for the resort, he frequents the library and has developed a friendship with Esther. But in truth, Ian has been attracted to Esther for months, yet struggles with rejections from his past. Ian was a "nerd," and he cannot forget the brush-offs of his past. He was even rebuffed by the woman married to his boss.

Bay Breeze Resort’s owner, Philip Somerville asks Ian to research adding a fleet of charter boats to the resort. The task is perfect with Ian’s interest, and Ian sees God at work again. Needing to research gives him a legitimate reason to spend time with Esther who’s become standoffish.

Esther’s sister, Rachel, deals with fiancé Jeff who insists they elope and seek her father’s forgiveness later. Rachel stands firm but, hearing Jeff’s suggestion of another tactic, agrees to help find a husband for her elder sister. Esther is invited to a variety of contrived activities by her sister and is thrust into the company of a variety of unappealing men until Esther is taken under Ian’s wing.

To achieve his goal, Ian formulates a plan. If he and Esther spend time together, Rachel will think they are dating. Esther has also become attracted to Ian, but fears his love for sailing. When she was younger, a favorite uncle was drowned in a sailing accident. Losing him and watching her aunt’s grief has left Esther with negative feelings. Still, finding Ian’s charade a good solution, Esther agrees and controls her emotions.

As their masquerade continues, they escalate the appearance of their relationship to avoid suspicion. Hand-holding grows to kissing, and Esther even enjoys a sailing experience. Yet Esther faces two problems. First, she feels guilty, knowing she is lying to her sister. Second, Esther’s emotions are no longer a pretense. She is falling in love with Ian. Not realizing that Esther has amorous feelings toward him, Ian struggles with his own guilt, knowing that he duped Esther into this dishonest masquerade. Deceit being a sin, the deception lays on both their hearts.

Esther decides to drop the charade and confronts Rachel with the truth. Sorry for her deceit, Rachel promises to stop her matchmaking, facing she can’t force her sister’s will nor God’s. When Rachel tells Jeffrey they must give the Lord their problem, he’s angry. A wall rises between them, and Rachel returns Jeffrey’s ring. This causes stress between Rachel and Esther. As well, Esther feels anger toward her father who created the situation from the beginning.

Devastated by Rachel’s shattered engagement, Esther blames Ian for the idea. Hurt, Ian walks away, unable to handle her rejection. He can’t tell her know his true feelings.

While Jeffrey begs Rachel for forgiveness, she turns to Esther who admits her own guilt and need for forgiveness, not only with Rachel, but with Ian. The conversation brings peace and love to the sisters. Together they go to their father, and he admits longing to see both his daughter’s happily married so he has used God’s Word hoping they would both find husbands. He asks their forgiveness and gives Rachel permission to marry. After talking with Jeff, she accepts the ring.

Esther admits her part in the charade and wants to apologize to Ian, but she learns he has gone sailing with a storm brewing, Esther’s deepest fears flares. She hurries to the marina as the storm breaks. She waits until Rachel and Jeff drag her from the marina. Ian, meanwhile, fights the raging storm in his small cutter. Jeff contacts the coast guard with no news.

Ian is nearly swept over board and asks God to calm the water. He finally heaves to and goes below to wait out the storm or drown. When the storm quiets and the wind dies down, Ian calls the coast guard and Esther hears the news. Learning when he should be back, she heads for the marina only to find the boat tied up and Ian gone, but he appears from the marina, and they declare their love and forgiveness. Ian proposes.

Epilogue - A double wedding and the two couples are married with their earthy father and Heavenly Father’s blessings.

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