The Craft of Writing Synopses by Robert Begiebing

The Craft of Writing Synopses is the final piece of a three-part series of posts by Robert Begiebing.  I had the privilege of working with Robert Begiebing on my first novel, including query and synopsis.  A recipient of the Langum Prize for historical fiction, Robert J. Begiebing is the author of seven books, a play, and over thirty articles and stories.  He is the founding director of the Low-Residency MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction, and Professor of English Emeritus, at Southern NH University. He's also just a wonderful guy.  

Please visit Tim Greaton's blog for Part One of the series, Selling Your Novel: Creating a Compelling First Impression  and Derek Flynn's blog for Part Two, The Craft of Writing Queries. 

The Craft of Writing Synopses by Robert Begiebing

We’ve discussed approaching agents and editors through sample chapters (the real key to gathering interest in your novel) and queries, but what about those synopses I’ve referred to?  These one-page, single-spaced synopsis documents typically accompany your query letter, both of which are intended to get the addressee to ask you to send along the sample pages/ chapters.

Your synopsis is just that—a one-page, single spaced, high-energy, no gimmicks/no B.S.  presentation of what your novel is about (main characters, setting, plot line, theme) that should make any reader, but especially an agent and editor, want to read it.  The biggest mistake writers make is turning the novel synopsis into a mere plot synopsis.  If there is some contemporary event or issue the novel addresses, emphasize it.  If you show your synopsis to colleagues, friends, and lovers and they are in any way unclear on what the book is about, you are not there yet.  If they would not be immediately interested in reading it, you are not there yet.  Some agents and editors will read a 1-5 page synopsis, but I recommend unless otherwise specified that you send along a one-pager for efficiency and to show you respect the reader’s time, to demonstrate you are a powerful, concise writer. This document is essentially an extension of your supporting paragraph in the query.  In most instances the letter and the synopsis, along with SASE for hard copies, make up your fiction query package.

The synopsis is a single spaced business document with double spacing between paragraphs.  The title of the novel along with the word “synopsis” should appear in the upper left margin, in bold font if you like; and note that either under the title of the novel or in the right upper margin you place the novel’s word count (as in a simple “70,000 words”).

Expect to hear “no” more often than you hear “yes”—that’s part of the publishing game and the ancient and honorable authorial struggle.  If your query package succeeds, you will be asked to send the first three chapters or 30-50 pages, sometimes the complete ms.

Editor and agent websites are usually very specific about what they want in a query.  Always check first.  Smaller presses might ask for more than the two basic documents at the start.   If so, you’ve got a nice package ready to go with your opening chapters already polished and intact.  If a small press asks on its website for your entire novel, send it along with SASE and a letter of transmittal—merely telling what you are sending (“as indicated on your website”), why you think this novel is a good fit for their list, and a brief author’s bio highlighting any professional credentials you might have for writing and researching this book.  As a writer as well as marketer of your own work, keep in mind that persistence (or good ol’ grit) is more than half of talent and success.

 

 The 20th anniversary edition of The Strange Deathof Mistress Coffin, a novel set in 17th-century New England, is now available in paperback and e-book. Originally published the early 1990s, Mistress Coffin was a Main Selection in The Literary Guild, The Mystery Guild, and Doubleday Book Clubs, and is currently optioned for a film.

Visit his website at www.begiebing.com.

Don't forget to Twitter follow and say hello to Tim Greaton and Derek Flynn after you check out their websites!

 

Tim on Twitter 

  

Derek on Twitter  

Hello, Mojo

The word 'mojo' has taken on several meanings throughout history, from the moco medicine men of Cameroon to the amulets and charms of Mississippi African Americans in the 1920's to Austin Powers sex appeal to the Urban Dictionary's definition of self-confidence, self-assuredness and ability to bounce back from a negative attitude (among other things, if you are familiar with the Urban Dictionary).      

Whatever it is, for the past six weeks or so, I had lost mine.  At least when it came to writing.

My lucky charms

Maybe it was the fact that I had just completed a novel that has been my life for the past two years and exhaustion had finally set in.  Maybe I had rubbed my 'mojo's' or lucky charms so much that the magic just wore off.  Maybe I was worried that my writing wasn't good enough, so why bother. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.

I stared at blank pages day after day, recycled old stories that had been discarded, lit my candles and said my prayers. Nothing. Nada. Nichts. I could barely write a grocery list, much less a story or, heaven forbid, start on the next novel I had in me. 

For all my self-doubt, all my negative thoughts, all my misdirected anger I knew I had to get my mojo back. 

I just didn't know how.  

As Austin Powers would say: Yeah, baby!

It began at The Gun Store in Las Vegas.  For Christmas, I had bought gift certificates to a shooting range for my sons and four of their friends.  They convinced me to go with them, even though I had never shot a gun in my life. I took some of my frustration out on a clown target, and discovered that I actually liked the feel of the gun.  My pen is usually my gun, the tool that allows me a certain release.  I gained some of my self-confidence because as a novice, I wasn't bad at shooting. I didn't hit the target every time, but when I did, that clown quit laughing. I recognized the metaphor.

Then I went 'snowglobing', a term I have to credit my good friend, RWW Greene. Inside a fabulous hotel in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I could look out at the snow, while inside the characters ran wild.  Five days, outside of my element in a world I could fantasize, play, write, people watch.  A new world. A created world.  Although I was in the company of several old friends, I met new friends, with different experiences and found some inspiration.  It comes from strange places, you know.

Scene from inside the Snow Globe

Last Saturday night, my confidence level shot to an all-time high.  I graduated with my MFA in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University and was introduced by one of the four men I admire most: The Father, Son, Holy Ghost and Craig Childs. When he introduced me, his first words were "Kelly Stone Gamble kicks ass." Getting praise for your writing from someone like Craig Childs kicks ass.

I came home on an all-time high and again, stared at a blank page.

Then I had an idea and started to type.

 

In three days, I have now written six chapters on a new novel.  Yes, six rough chapters, but my mind is turning  and I pretty much have the story line in my head, and with the help of a friend, have created a few very interesting characters.  I can't wait to see what they do. 

So somewhere between a gun shop in Las Vegas and a snow covered mountain in New Hampshire, I found my mojo; and it's working overtime.

Or maybe it isn't mojo at all. Maybe I just needed to get out of the ordinary, needed a little change.

 Maybe I just needed something to relight that fire.

A Letter to MFA Students and Graduates from Bob Begiebing

June 28, 2011

Dear MFA Students and Graduates:

Welcome back from your MFA residency.   I’m pleased to hear you all survived, in various conditions, Star Island, dormitory life, graduation, and a day with the advisory board.  I’ve been enjoying tales of your adventures and survivals from Diane.  Charles Stella’s blog added spice to the island narrative.  And Facebook (esp. Kelly’s gallery) gave me a look at the questionable, productive, and celebratory goings on.  So though I missed you all, you certainly have managed very well without me.  I couldn’t be more pleased that the residency worked out and you are now all launched on your new semester through December.

The real purpose of this missive, however, is to tell you how moved I was by your thoughtfulness in putting together that little gathering in Frost Hall, third floor, to acknowledge my retirement from the directorship of this MFA program over the past five years and from the university after thirty-four.  I was genuinely surprised, even overwhelmed, by all the gifts, handshakes, hugs, heartfelt good wishes, and smiles.  Not till the next morning, however, when I looked through your gift bag again did it really come home to me how much you all offered of yourselves and resources to give me a proper send-off.  The wine box, its inscription, and contents are superb; the GPS is something my wife Linda and I have been talking about getting for a long time; and then you go and add to all that gift cards to wine.com and my favorite bookstore (Water Street Books in Exeter NH).  Two bottles of good Pinot Noir—you all know my weaknesses by now!  I mean you really outdid yourselves, and I am very grateful to you all.  Mama Kelly, special thanks to you for setting up the send-off and working so hard behind the scenes with Linda and everyone on the gifts.  

When I founded this writing program six years ago I didn’t know if we could make it work, didn’t know whether we could build an exceptional community, didn’t know what working with a bunch of writers and artists would be like (or even if tolerable), didn’t know if we’d be taken seriously among the national competition, and didn’t know if I had the psychological or cardiovascular system to do endure such a mostly administrative position (something new to me in a long academic career).  Well, somehow, mostly thanks to wonderful, hard-working students and faculty, the whole thing worked out.  And here we all are starting the program’s sixth year, all systems “Go.”

Board member Lissa Warren said at the faculty dinner for the advisory board June 17^th (where I was given yet another send-off) that being a graduate of an MFA program herself and familiar with a number of others, our MFA program is the most non-competitive, respectful, and supportive community of writers she’s ever seen.  To the extent she’s right, we have all the members of this writing community to thank.  It’s the character of the people who create such healthy communities, and we’ve been most fortunate in the people we’ve attracted and retained.  Your generosity toward me earlier that evening also reminded me of that good fortune.

To those of you who expected to see me at the after-graduation party, I apologize for being a no-show.  After graduation I could see that Diane needed a little down-time, needed to talk to me about a number of things in the heave, as Emily Dickinson puts it, between two storms—the campus residency and Star Island residency.  So I took her out to a quiet spot for dinner and we talked for two hours.  Then she asked if I’d help her pack and load her truck so she could get home and repack for Star.  By the time we were finished it was getting late, we were both wiped out, and we just went our separate ways home.  But by all accounts you had a great time without us.  I guess that’s one thing we never have to worry about.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to you all.  I am going to miss you and the labors and joys of working as a teacher and administrator in this MFA program.  The faculty gave me a card with all their signatures and delightful little sayings at the board dinner.  I’ll quote you just one, from the inimitable Craig Childs, who summed things up for me in a way I’d like to share.  “Your presence is already missed, a spitfire is sitting in your chair, and what you’ve created is sailing.”

My warmest best wishes to you all on your continued voyage,

Bob Begiebing

Retired.

Elephants, Cows and Tim Woodward

Last night, I met up with Timothy Woodward at the Elephant Bar in the District in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It was a beautiful evening in Sin City, made even more beautiful by the permanent smile on Tim’s face.  He has signed with Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency in Madison, Georgia, and his novel, Purple Cow, will soon be coming to a bookstore near you.  Way. To. Go.

Tim is a graduate of the Southern New Hampshire University MFA program in creative writing and Purple Cow is the project he completed during the program.  It's a LGBT YA novel about coming out and finding first love in rural New Hampshire. The protagonist is a 16 year old boy that discovers support comes from unlikely places when you're gay in a place without a built in support network.  It is being published by Kensington Books, which has a strong Gay/Lesbian Division and is a known commodity in LGBT publishing.

Tim is currently working on a second book, not a sequel, targeted toward the same market.