Author proposes what comes next.
Three – count ’em – three proposals are now out there in the universe. For me, that’s a bunch. Since I rarely restrict myself to one series at a go, that doesn’t mean only one of these three proposals I just finished will go forward at the expense of everything else. There’s the next Camelot Reborn book, which will happen one way or another. The other two are for brand new series more in the vein of the Baskerville Affair – adventure stories with a nod to romance rather than vice versa. I’ve been waiting for an A+ idea for the Emma Jane Holloway stable, and the muse finally delivered two. I have now sent them to my agent. The second absorbed a chunk of my Christmas holidays, but I can’t think of a better way for a writer to celebrate than with a whole new universe to play in!
For those that don’t know, a book proposal is about the first three chapters plus an outline, plus some other supporting materials. Mine generally run around fifty pages or so if it’s for a new series, mostly because I want to be sure to get my idea across. There’s an art to writing these things, and most of what people say about synopsis construction isn’t that helpful (at least to me). I struggle every time, and the events I talk about in the outline may well be lies. I’m a plotter, but quite happy to change course at the drop of a hat. What really matters is digging deep enough to come up with the core themes and conflicts and making them shine. I always imagine my future editor reading the proposal in some far-off place, maybe on a subway with no sleep and a squalling kid across the aisle. I ask myself if the ideas are good enough to overcome the background noise and make him/her keep listening and keep wanting more.
Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the spark I see in my mind’s eye translates to the page.
Well you certainly had the web designer busy! Haven’t seen all of the site this early in the a.m., but like what I see and read. Wish you well with the three proposals that are in progress.
One very minor thing. Some people won’t know what each of the buttons on the top right link to. So if they were to put their mouse over, say, the FaceBook button, it would be cool if it would react and ‘show’ that it’s FaceBook by popping open the sort of dialog box-like description or glyph. Just like when you hold your mouse over a msn.com article’s picture and it usually tells you the subject or person in the picture. That way you’re encouraging those with less computer knowledge to continue participating in reviewing your linked pages. Just a thought…
Thanks for the suggestion of the rollover text, Donald, it’s not one I would have thought of. I’ll definitely keep that in mind for the next update!
…aww. keep us posted. i’ll be near the front of the line to buy them on Amazon.
Thanks so much Rob! I’ll definitely keep you updated. And thanks for being one of my very first commenters!