I’ve slacked off several days, out in the garden instead of blogging. I have new raised bed veggies and a fantastic new pond, complete with waterfall, to tend. My son Chris is a natural at pondscape design and construction. It’s beautiful. OK–now back to writing. In my classes, we’ve been tackling synopsis and query letters, one of the more challenging parts of the writing-for-publication process. People write these things for a living because so many writers hate doing them. In my Thursday night lecture, I managed to mangle the little system I’d read about. Here it is, in a way that makes sense. Thanks, students for putting up with my memory mishaps.

Writing Tip for Today: To get started on a synopsis, query or pitch, try this (credit to Debra Dixon). Use three 3×5 cards, one each for characters, conflict and summary. On card #1: write WHO, WANTS, WHY, Why NOT. Describe the protagonist in 3 words. What does she/he WANT more than anything? (Hint: be specific). Next, WHY does protagonist want this? and WHY NOT? What or who stands in the way (Obstacle) Card #2: Conflict. What is the character’s main conflict on the outside (physical, another person, weather) and the inside? (psychological). Again, specific is best. Finally, card#3: TOPIC SENTENCE. Try to write a hook or interesting way to phrase your sentence. Try beginning with the words, “It’s about.” When you finish making your cards you’ll have information to plug into your synopsis.