Comments on: In Summary

By: Kylie Batt

Kylie Batt — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:26:53 +0000

Извиняюсь, но это не совсем то, что мне нужно. Есть другие варианты?…

If you’re an unpublished YA writer I don’t think you can overestimate the value of writing a summary of your work…..

By: Alistair Spalding

Alistair Spalding — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:58:49 +0000

Hi Elizabeth - You’re the grand prize winner! Can you send your address to me via the contact us section and I’ll try and think of a suitable prize.

Er - I probably should have had some terms and conditions like “no cash alternative”, or “no promises that the prize will be any good”.

By: Alistair Spalding

Alistair Spalding — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:37:03 +0000

I think you might Elizabeth- especially as you’re the only entry

If no one beats you within a week from now. The prize is all yours.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:36:45 +0000

“For a prize, who can summarise it in the least words?”

Summaries ‘r good.

2.5 words! Do I win?

By: Carol Snow

Carol Snow — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:09:42 +0000

I find it helpful both for myself & for my editors to write out an initial synopsis to give a sense of the big picture (and to make sure that whatever is floating around in my head actually makes some sense). Once I start writing, though, I’m more apt to make rough outlines — just notes, really — of what lies ahead. But, again, the notes are a general guide & I still tend to change a lot (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t).

If you really want to see some of my pretty synopses & ugly notes, I’d be happy to share — just send me your email via my website.

By: Alistair Spalding

Alistair Spalding — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:03:22 +0000

Do you think there’s a difference, or should be one, between outlines (written before you begin the chapter) or summaries (written after them)?

I’d be really interested to see one of your 15 page outlines!

By: Carol Snow

Carol Snow — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:12:10 +0000

This is sage advice for all writers, published or not. I’ve sold several books on synopses — and while I initally thought I was putting them together for my editors, I soon realized that they were indispensible. (I wrote my first book w/o one — perhaps that’s why it took me five years??) It’s an amazing comfort, while mired in the middle of an unwieldy manuscript, to be able to look at a plot outline & say, “Oh, right — that’s what’s supposed to happen next!”

That said, my final drafts almost always veer off from their original outlines (which are far shorter than 500 words/chapter — more like 15 pp. to summarize an entire book). There are some discoveries that can only be made during the writing process itself. But, still — the planning stage is crucial & often overlooked by novice writers (and all professional writers are recovering novices).

By: Books and Magazines Blog » Archive » In Summary

Books and Magazines Blog » Archive » In Summary — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:49:56 +0000

[...] Original post by Stupid Blog Name [...]