by Camy Tang
Show Emotion Instead of Naming It
By Camy Tang Instead of naming an emotion, show the character under the strain of the emotion. Instead of writing, “Anger burned through her,” show the anger burning through her, without writing the word “anger.” A volcano exploded in the pit of her stomach, spewing gases up to sear her nose and make her eyes…
Dialogue Tags
The writing book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King (second edition) is one of the best books for bumping your writing up to the next level and making it look more professional. If you haven’t read this book yet, I strongly suggest you buy it or borrow it and read it…
The Role of the Synopsis When Submitting
Why do I need to cut a synopsis? While I haven’t talked to every editor and agent on the planet, the majority of the ones I’ve spoken to prefer a 2-3 page synopsis. However, every editor is different. One editor will want a one-page synopsis, another will want an extensive chapter-by-chapter synopsis. In my experience,…
A few last tips for cutting a synopsis
Tip#8 to cut a synopsis—cut modifiers Adjectives and adverbs are usually the easiest to cull from a synopsis. Sometimes you don’t even need to change the noun or verb. Other times, a stronger noun or verb is needed. She determines to win without interference from her meddling friends. vs. She determines to win without interference…
Fiction Friday: More tips for cutting a synopsis
Tip#4 to cut a synopsis—relevance Cut absolutely anything that does not have direct impact on the main storyline. Be ruthless. Don’t leave things in because they pertain to a subplot. Don’t go off for too long (more than a few sentences) on a red herring. Don’t include character backstory that doesn’t absolutely need to be…
Quick Tips for How to Write a Synopsis
Tuesday Teachings from the archives: I’ve been going back through the wonderful content on Writer…Interrupted and wanted to share the relevant teaching from past posts! Hope you enjoy this new Tuesday feature!- Gina This is a really quick, easy way to write your synopsis. This is especially easy if you only need to write a chapter-by-chapter…
Fiction Friday: Synopsis writing – spiritual arc/internal conflict
An editor will want to know how your character changes over the course of the book. These days, even characters who remain relatively static—like Stephanie Plum or Hercule Poirot—show some sort of change by the end of the book, maybe in new information or a changed relationship with another character. It’s important to include…
Tips for cutting a synopsis
Tip#1 to cut a synopsis—formatting Check your formatting. Make sure all your margins are 1 inch. Make your header ½ inch from the top. Make your header only one line with the manuscript title, the word “synopsis,” and your last name (e-mail address optional) on the left side, and then the page number (optional) on…
Fiction Friday: Synopsis writing – a few tips
Tuesday Teachings from the archives: I’ve been going back through the wonderful content on Writer…Interrupted and wanted to share the relevant teaching from past posts! Hope you enjoy this new Tuesday feature!- Gina First or third person? Synopses are traditionally in third person, but these days, there are a few in first person. It’s a matter…
Top Ten Mistakes in Manuscripts
10) Inadequate use of point of view. I’m not talking about head-hopping. I’m talking about a very distant use of point of view that doesn’t get the reader into the character’s head or feeling the character’s emotions. For a first chapter, especially, this is crucial. If the reader isn’t immediately sucked into the character’s mind…