Today, I spent the afternoon writing the synopsis for the third novel, which I finished this week. It’s out to the beta readers, and I already got back one good report. YAY! Now, logically, you’d think that if one has completed three novels and has a rip-roaring start on the fourth, then one could certainly produce a five to seven page synopsis. After all, you wrote the damn books, you’d say, surely it’s not that hard to sit down and tell what they’re about. Well, you’d be wrong. Synopsis writing is really, truly hard! I sweat bullets over writing a decent synopsis. How much of the story do I include?…

Okay, so yeah, I’ve visited this topic before and I probably will again, but it’s my forum, so just deal. Got another rejection yesterday–this one of the second novel, which I will admit is not as strong as the first one or the third one or the fourth, for that matter. Editor said, “…the first chapter, especially, was built on a number of coincidences that made the plot difficult to buy into.” Hello? It’s romance–all the plots are difficult to buy into. That’s why we read them! We’re writing escapism here, not gritty reality. If I were going to veer off-course and write what really happens, our heroine would be…

…to Chick Lit Writers today! My fabulous critique partner Sandy James is talking about writing older female characters–women with more experience that bring vibrancy and attitude to a story. She’d love to hear your viewpoint and so would I. One of the novels  my agent is currently submitting for me is about a 37-year-old woman who rediscovers a lost love. Do you like reading about heroines who are over forty? Do you believe romance still blooms even if you aren’t twenty-one and starry-eyed? Come on by and talk to Sandy about being as old as you feel. You could win a copy of her newest novel, TWIST OF FATE, due…

…maybe. So here’s the weird part about being a writer, well one of the weird parts. I’m never done. I buttoned up the revisions on the first novel last night, dealt with my crit partner’s comments and edits and worked out the parts that still needed tweaking. When I was done, I put all the chapters together into a manuscript file and saved it. Then I sent it to my Kindle so I could read it again in book form. Six pages into Chapter 1, I found a POV (Point of View) glitch that neither of us caught. Um…probably a safe bet that my heroine is not going to think…

I’m working on revisions to my first novel. My crit partner Sandy and I have gotten through the first five chapters and ironically, there are more things to fix/revise that either of us imagined. Not dramatically changing the story line at all, but rather tightening up language, creating more tension between my characters, just making it better. My goal is to have it ready to resend to my agent by the end of next week so she can send it out to some other publishers. What I’m learning about my writing is that I may not actually be a straight category romance writer. I thought that was what I wrote,…

I’m back from my vacation with the Sisters, which was very nice. I got to see Son and DIL and even spend time with Lily, my granddog. I tasted a lot of good wine; ate at several great restaurants, including Federicos Tapas and Wine Bar, where I learned about ceviche, sea bass, and other wonderful tidbits. I went to a play at Cal Shakes; and I got to lay around a pool and read for pleasure, which was delicious! But now, I’m back home and back to work. While I was on vacation, I got a rejection on my first novel–the one that is my heart. (Note to self, don’t…