In between writing query letters I’ve been writing a synopsis. Where ‘writing’ is composing a sentence and then thinking, ‘well, that’s stupid’, writing another and glaring at it, and then deleting both and starting again.
Which is made worse by the fact that I’ve already done this once. But that was back when the first two books of the series were just one book. And it is surprisingly difficult to write a synopsis and give away the ending of a story that ends in a cliffhanger. I eventually just decided to hang a lantern on it and say, ‘it ends with a question’ so they know I’m not trying to be coy.
Of course I have this horrible feeling that anyone who wants to actually buy the book is going to ask for a synopsis of the rest of the series. And I can give them a strong idea of the first three books, but the last ones are a bit skeletal at the moment. Although I had a conversation with Paul M. in a comic store a few weeks ago that helped to move the plot of book five from a two word summary to the actual shade of a story. So that’s nice. And now I know how the whole thing ends. Which is important. Just knowing that it ends at all is actually quite comforting. Julie (that is, the unreasonably brilliant Julie Czerneda) told me that bringing a story to its conclusion was insanely rewarding, and I think if just seeing the ending is this nice she is probably entirely right.
So now I just have to finesse (read: make saner) the synopsis, tweak the emails and send them on their way. Details, details.
But progress: it is being made! Practically any second I’m going to actually hit send. And promptly collapse into a neurotic ball of jelly (Yes, I have neurotic jelly. What kind do you have?). And maybe tomorrow I can go back to actually writing (and everyone does a dance of joy. Okay, maybe just me. But it’s an exceptionally charming dance of joy).
Kandace Mavrick
Paul McLaughlan
platform thing 
Helen Merrick
18/07/2011
I for one am very glad that this series didn’t turn into 5 books a year or so ago 🙂
congratulations!! when can i read it / them? (is no 2 finished yet?) And how long will the next three take to write, cos you know, I just hate cliff hangers 🙂
H
Kandace Mavrick
18/07/2011
You and me both. I think I would have collapsed in sheer conceptual exhaustion. But when I broke the first one in two it was kind of inevitable. The third book just isn’t the END of the story. It’s a twist, a pivot point. And then the shape of the story was five.
I thought I had sent you the final version of the second one… if not, I can totally do so. The second one would be much further along if I hadn’t decided I needed to know something about the third before finishing it and accidentally written half of the third book 😛
The second one still needs some new material to bring it up to length, and a comprehensive polishing… I’ll be bouncing between that and the third book (whenever I need to let one sit for a bit) so I figure I’ll have the second one done by the end of the year, and a solid draft of the third (give or take for genius or writer’s block 🙂 ).
Meryki Basden
18/07/2011
As one of those people who completely sucks and hasn’t actually read most of the book stuff you’ve sent me, wanna run query letters past me ? I haven’t read the book, and you’re supposed to be convincing people to do so, right ? So I figure either way it could work well ? 🙂
Kandace Mavrick
19/07/2011
Well… I’ve already sent out the first batch. But odds on I’ll have to send more. So if you WANT to… I’ll do the email thing.