tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post7409884479174093088..comments2023-10-21T07:00:05.199-04:00Comments on The Absentee Blogger: Synopsis - Bane of a Writer's ExistenceEmily McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063427212767372372noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-65592524363377758412012-03-12T17:50:24.310-04:002012-03-12T17:50:24.310-04:00The balance is where I run into problems. The clo...The balance is where I run into problems. The closest I get to having sign posts is when I have to stop writing in the middle of a scene and I leave myself a note so that I remember what my train of thought was. :)Kayhttp://suddenlytheyalldied.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-17073540542110799802012-03-10T13:39:51.220-05:002012-03-10T13:39:51.220-05:00It is a balance getting it right. You want the sig...It is a balance getting it right. You want the sign posts to tell you where you are going but the fun of discovering the place when you get there. Flowcharts are good for that :)Stephen Winterfloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15486934562079110055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-50230543683946452122012-03-10T13:12:40.958-05:002012-03-10T13:12:40.958-05:00This is the same issue I have anytime I try to plo...This is the same issue I have anytime I try to plot it out ahead of time.Emily McKeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10063427212767372372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-7924040700102283652012-03-10T05:40:54.505-05:002012-03-10T05:40:54.505-05:00You can have too much planning. I once worked out ...You can have too much planning. I once worked out a very detailed plan for a book, but then when I was going to write it I didn't bother as I already knew everything that was going to happen, so where was the fun for me then.<br /><br />I like to think of the plan as a rough road map with these various stops planned out on the journey. What happens in these stops is something I only really discover when I get to them in the writing :)Stephen Winterfloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15486934562079110055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-49597741680903299532012-03-08T16:51:15.760-05:002012-03-08T16:51:15.760-05:00I'm currently working on the one-paragraph-per...I'm currently working on the one-paragraph-per-chapter idea for my synopsis. Unfortunately, I have thirty chapters (plus an epilogue) and some of my paragraphs are a bit longish, so I still have my work cut out for me once I'm finished with it. I'm hoping, though, that once I get it all done, it will be easier to see where I need to cut things to get my synopsis down to a manageable length.<br /><br />I started writing with a very short, roughed-out synopsis that got partially chucked out the window in the process of writing the book. I think the whole thing was about a page long, but it only encompassed about a fourth of the actual story. That's the closest I've ever come to planning something before sitting down to write it, so I do think Stephen's idea has some merit, even for us pantsers. :)Kayhttp://suddenlytheyalldied.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-8115962380435947442012-03-07T07:47:01.576-05:002012-03-07T07:47:01.576-05:00Yeah but even a pantser must have a vague plan of ...Yeah but even a pantser must have a vague plan of what they are going to be doing in their head. And the synopses will probably change as you write the book, but it does give you an taste of if the idea is any good. I never like to have the whole book planned out before starting as there is no point then going on the journey if you know all the details :(Stephen Winterfloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15486934562079110055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-37331145051148963132012-03-06T11:47:47.894-05:002012-03-06T11:47:47.894-05:00That works for plotters. Not so much for us pantse...That works for plotters. Not so much for us pantsers. ;-) But it is definitely another great way to tackle the synopsis (and pitch) if you can write that way.Emily McKeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10063427212767372372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4101553575212625066.post-48695742280335420212012-03-06T11:40:58.927-05:002012-03-06T11:40:58.927-05:00One trick I do with the Pitch and Synopsis is to w...One trick I do with the Pitch and Synopsis is to write them before I write the book, as at that stage you should have a rough idea of the story, without all the details getting in the way. When you have finished the book you can then go back and refine them according to any changes in the book. If the Pitch and Synopsis initially sound rubbish then the idea might need work before writing the whole book.Stephen Winterfloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15486934562079110055noreply@blogger.com