Why Write a Synopsis

There are good reasons to summarize your novel.

Yes, an agent or an editor really expects you, in your book proposal, to compress your novel, no matter its length, to only three pages.

Impossible? Welcome to the world of professional novelists.

A clients whose middle-grade novel I’d edited asked me to check her proposal before she sent it to an agent. All was going well until I … Continue reading

Give It Away?

Should You Ever Write for Free?

You want to write professionally, which means getting paid for what you write. So should you ever write for free?

I sure hope so.

Disclaimer: I’ve worked for a publication that paid writers well. I’ve worked for a company that paid a token amount for one-time rights for blog material.  But now I work for an all-volunteer organization whose magazine doesn’t … Continue reading

Force Yourself to Write

Do you impose your own deadlines?

This past Saturday, I planned to work eight hours for my client. My estimate fell short. Eight hours put my goal in sight, but not yet reached. So after dinner, I worked another hour or two until I finished those pages.

Because of that, Monday I was free to start the next section — one step closer to the project’s … Continue reading