Angry Robot 2017 Open Door
- Thread starter PeteMC
- Start date
Synopses are challenging. For literally everyone.
Starting with a logline and expanding to include the three acts of the book, then to hit the highlights of the plot are the only thing that saved me from giving up entirely.
Honestly, the logline for this contest was the easy part.
Good news is I only have a half day of work today, so I can focus on my synopsis for the rest of the day. Hopefully I can get it knocked out and send it out tonight.
Good news is I only have a half day of work today, so I can focus on my synopsis for the rest of the day. Hopefully I can get it knocked out and send it out tonight.
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I just squirrelled your synopsis again, though it will help to have fresh eyes looking at it -- I'm starting to know the story too well to spot the holes. For what it's worth, I'm really intrigued by the setting. But yeah, I went through the very same thing a couple of weeks ago. I honestly thought a synopsis would be easier to write than a query. Urghhhh. It's definitely not.
Keep at it! You'll get there.
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Fingers crossed for you!
I had to submit early because my computer was falling apart. The synopsis was sort-of-getting-there, but by no mean perfect. But in a way it's good. It's done, and gone. I'll worry about querying agents in January.
Just did a synopsis for my novel - for the first time ever I felt in control of writing - although I worked at it, I did not struggle like I had with previous synopses.
For me, this suggests that the novel is mature enough to be rounded out and complete. Yes, it could do with touching up here and there like all pieces of art, but the novel feels real and ready.
I have a suspicion there are other people like me, who can only really be comfortable with a synopsis once their novel is finished. So those of you who are having difficulty writing a synopsis, ask yourselves if it is because the novel still needs significant work done to it?
For me, this suggests that the novel is mature enough to be rounded out and complete. Yes, it could do with touching up here and there like all pieces of art, but the novel feels real and ready.
I have a suspicion there are other people like me, who can only really be comfortable with a synopsis once their novel is finished. So those of you who are having difficulty writing a synopsis, ask yourselves if it is because the novel still needs significant work done to it?
For me, I struggled with the synopsis because my storyline was a little chaotic if only showing one pov, yet I needed to follow just one to get it to the right length/scope.
Did get there in the end but it took a lot of outsider help.
Did get there in the end but it took a lot of outsider help.
I'm still struggling with the synopsis because the backstory is complicated. I've managed to leave most of that out of the story and I'm happy with the amount that's in it. But that backstory unfolds for the reader. How to describe the story without it is another matter. But I persevere. 
It's a different skill set.
Sometimes trouble with the query / synopsis means there's an issue with the novel. Sometimes it just means that we're not *that* good at summarising.
Hello Raindrop - Totally agree - but sometimes authors don't realise that the issue that the novel needs more work - my comment was meant as a gentle nudge to check whether this is the case.
Sympathise - my novel was complicated with interlocking sub-plots... but I still boiled it down to the major plot / character points.I'm still struggling with the synopsis because the backstory is complicated. I've managed to leave most of that out of the story and I'm happy with the amount that's in it. But that backstory unfolds for the reader. How to describe the story without it is another matter. But I persevere.
Good luck with all those subbing to Angry Robot.
Good point, AquarianHelix
Especially important considering there's a deadline, which can make it difficult to judge whether the novel's ready or not.
Mandamon
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Hello all!
Resurrecting my login for this site on the recommendation of kaysa to get on the spreadsheet!
I submitted my Epic Fantasy to Angry Robot yesterday, Dec. 23rd. Took me a few weeks to chop 7.5k out of it to get it below the 130k threshold.
Resurrecting my login for this site on the recommendation of kaysa to get on the spreadsheet!
I submitted my Epic Fantasy to Angry Robot yesterday, Dec. 23rd. Took me a few weeks to chop 7.5k out of it to get it below the 130k threshold.
Submitted, Fantasy on 12/24/17.
Not getting my hopes up, but a .000001% chance is mathematically better than 0%.
EDIT: I know the last time they did the contest, there was a place to keep track of the submissions. Is that a thing this year? (Or are they putting it up after the deadline closes?)
Not getting my hopes up, but a .000001% chance is mathematically better than 0%.
EDIT: I know the last time they did the contest, there was a place to keep track of the submissions. Is that a thing this year? (Or are they putting it up after the deadline closes?)
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Good to see you on this end of the internet!
There is one already going, hosted and updated by PeteMC. He's likely away for the holidays, but I am sure will update when he returns.
Hi folks, hope everyone had a good Christmas!
Table updated below:
Table updated below:
| Member | Genre | Submitted Date | Response Date | Outcome |
| Anarchic Q | SF | December 1st | ||
| BlueLobster | SF | December 3rd | ||
| MARothman | SF | November 1st | ||
| kaysa | Fantasy | November 21st | ||
| Arcs | WTF | November 16th | ||
| BlinkerBot | Space Opera | November 1st | ||
| Raindrop | WTF | December 10th | ||
| Erin | SF | December 10th | ||
| C.M. Dahmer | SF | December 5th | ||
| Dryad | Space Opera | November 27th | ||
| Usefulidiot | SF | December 12th | ||
| Camaria | Fantasy | December 4th | ||
| AJ_Writes | Fantasy | November 6th | ||
| chracatoa | SF | December 14th | ||
| RemusShepherd | SF | December 14th | ||
| DJGuest | WTF | November 16th | ||
| Harlequin | WFT | December 17th | ||
| AngryCumbrian | Fantasy | December 15th | ||
| crystalizing | WTF | December 20th | ||
| noranne | SF | December 21st | ||
| Mandamon | Fantasy | December 23rd | ||
| joeyc | Fantasy | December 24th | ||
| Belomar | Contemp Fantasy | December 25th | ||
| sideshowdarb | WTF | December 26th | ||
OK. I still plan to power through even though I am a complete newbie and expect rejection.
Formatting on AR says:
Questions:
1. Do I put the title above Chapter 1 in the text of the document? Or do i skip it because it has its own line further up the submission?
2. And, they say left justified but then say chapter headings should be clear and can be center justified.
3. And then, can I use italics and bold? Or not?
4. And then, Sometimes I see '#' to indicate scene breaks. Is that convention? My default is to add an extra carriage return to separate scenes.
Thanks!
Formatting on AR says:
Questions:
1. Do I put the title above Chapter 1 in the text of the document? Or do i skip it because it has its own line further up the submission?
2. And, they say left justified but then say chapter headings should be clear and can be center justified.
3. And then, can I use italics and bold? Or not?
4. And then, Sometimes I see '#' to indicate scene breaks. Is that convention? My default is to add an extra carriage return to separate scenes.
Thanks!
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# is convention. Extra paragraph space is easy to miss.
I put my title in twice (in list at start, and above Chapter 1).
From comments, Marc said chapter titles just need to be clearly distinguished, however you do it.
I used italics and bold throughout.
I'm just another submitter, though.
I put my title in twice (in list at start, and above Chapter 1).
From comments, Marc said chapter titles just need to be clearly distinguished, however you do it.
I used italics and bold throughout.
I'm just another submitter, though.