Useful Links

actually, these might be best included in the 'when you're ready' post. (That would be here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159711 )We kind of have an area for that... but this is a good post too! I think there are a lot of links that won't fall under a specific category. I've been collecting a ton in my favorites list and it's getting WAY long!

Chrisla said:

You're right, of course. What can I say? Too many hours of intense editing leaves my brain a little foggy!

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Yeah - I'm foggy too!!! Tragedies of the trade? lol

I still think this is a good post though - there will always be links that are useful that don't fall under some other category, ya know? Hey - do you know if there is a post somewhere that lists blogs of agents? I'd like to see a list of agents blogs for memoir agents. I'm finding that blogs are becoming more useful than anything else! lol

I saw this little thread just slipping away down the list so I wanted to bump it through the holidays. Hopefully when everyone is fat and happy with shiny new toys someone will be able to add another helpful link. Me? Oh, no, I don't have anything. I'm just here to bump. That's my job, bumping things.

A fun and helpful website about queries and book proposals:

www.behlerblog.wordpress.com

The section about books being either plot driven or character driven might be of particular interest for memoir writers, I think. Considering the agonies some of us are suffering over plot.

Good stuff, Bushrat. Unfortunately it points back to the duality of my book. It's plot driven in that it covers movement through my life, but character driven because of the patient stories.

Am I the only one who thinks you put out one fire and move on to the next?

My query is done though : )

So are you starting to submit, Red Bird?? I wish you all the luck

Not yet, Bushrat. I thought I was close enough to do the query, so I did. Then, when I started the synopsis, I realized I had some problems identifying chapter focus. That discovery led me back to the ms, which answered my questions about chapter focus, but required some movement of material. So, I'm working on more editing.

How's your book coming along? Have you finished your first draft?

Red

Chrisla, I'm glad you find that blog helpful I also found the plot / character driven explanation a bit of an eyeopener somehow ("Gee, my book is character driven! I can stop obsessing so much about plot!"). Have fun wrestling with the synopsis and query

Red Bird - interesting that writing the synopsis showed you what still needs more work in your ms! When do you think you'll be done editing? do you set some kind of deadline for yourself or just go with the flow?

I'm working on the last chapter of my first draft, hopefully get that done this week. After that, I'll probably give it a rest for a few weeks to gain a bit of distance before whacking it all into better shape.

Yes, the synopsis was a lot harder than it should have been, which sent me on a quest to figure out why. I had to have some help discerning the problem. But, when all was said and done, I realized that I couldn't narrow down chapter focus because there were too many themes in each chapter. My book is a little different in each chapter starts with a patient and what I learned about them before applying it to a memory of mine. So, it was a dual effort to include them in the synopsis. You can read how I came to the conclusion with some help from the brutal squirrell. I left the thread up, there may be two but the one with comments from jclarkdawe shows the progression of thought.

As far as editing goes, I can't say. I have a deadline to get this round done by March. Had I not run into the tangle it may have been my last round of edits, but digging in and changing the structure requires transitioning work. I've had to move some pieces too because there were too many flashbacks that caused confusion in chronological order.

I also realize that some of my work reads more like a documentary of facts, which isn't in keeping with the tone of the rest of the book, so I'm changing those sections. My sister is a major character in the book, too. I tell early on that she died, and I'm currently second guessing that revelation. So, it has come to pass that each time I think I'm on to the last round of edits, I discover more work. A friend who is a very successful author, claims the fourth round of edits is where you hit the sweet spot, typically. Any more than that and she claims she starts to edit stuff out that works. I'm on the fourth round, but because of the restructuring I may have to do five. We'll see.

It's a good idea to put your ms away for a few weeks before hitting it with a round of edits. I didn't have that opportunity until just recently because I wrote my book for my thesis and had to wrap it up at the end. So, I spent some time editing text that I knew would be cut because I didn't have the time to restructure as a student. The book was praised for thesis work, but I now have to spit shine it more.

You must be excited to nearly have a first draft in hand.

Red

Chrisla said:

Red Bird, I, too, read those things and know my book does not fit neatly into the standard format. It makes the synopsis and query letter tough, but if it's a good, readable story, why does it have to be like every other story?

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I think it's great that our stories are different in ways that make the synopsis hard. It means we've written unique stories, but the synopsis part is difficult.

Your motivation is inspiring.

Chrisla,

Do you have a link for the tag line article? I've been wondering about the said tag myself. There seems to be some controversy over its usage. Personally, I think it's easy to carried away with adding tag line action, but that could be because my mentor preferred simple tags. I'm starting to realize the good and bad aspects of having a reader who has been in the field for a long time. The industry and its expectations seem to change in the time it takes to actually write a book.

Any other thoughts on tag lines?

Red Bird said:

Chrisla,

Do you have a link for the tag line article? I've been wondering about the said tag myself. There seems to be some controversy over its usage. Personally, I think it's easy to carried away with adding tag line action, but that could be because my mentor preferred simple tags. I'm starting to realize the good and bad aspects of having a reader who has been in the field for a long time. The industry and its expectations seem to change in the time it takes to actually write a book.

Any other thoughts on tag lines?

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Someone once gave me this quick (but imperfect) guideline for said-isms: Readers should be able to determine a character's tone of voice by the words written between quotation marks--or by noting the action tags that precede/follow dialogue.

That said )), there are times when it makes sense to bend or break the rules. A while back, Nathan Bransford hosted a conversation about said-isms on his blog. And if plowing through the comments thread on that entry doesn't satisfy your curiosity, you can find lots more discussions on the topic via a quick Google search.

Newport2Newport said:

Someone once gave me this quick (but imperfect) guideline for said-isms: Readers should be able to determine a character's tone of voice by the words written between quotation marks--or by noting the action tags that precede/follow dialogue.

That said )), there are times when it makes sense to bend or break the rules. A while back, Nathan Bransford hosted a conversation about said-isms on his blog. And if plowing through the comments thread on that entry doesn't satisfy your curiosity, you can find lots more discussions on the topic via a quick Google search.

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Great link, Newport2Newport. I hope Chrisla reads this before she changes her tags. One less thing for me to edit : )

Chrisla I think your examples look pretty good. With such a clear grasp on the issue the work, while tedious, should go quickly for you.