Okay, I swear. Proposals drive me insane. I get an idea. I roll it around in my head for awhile. I come up with the basic idea. Usually a secret or two, but not real suspense. You know, what Amy’s calls my relationshipy romance ™. But then I get all balled up in WHAT the secret is. How it’s revealed. I bounce some ideas off of writing friends and my youngest son…the best brainstormer in the world.
But I spend a lot of time :wallbash: and then a little more :wallbash: . I have found that if I can really nail the proposal. The main turning points of the story, and the conflicts in the proposal I can write the book fairly quickly. So I spend a ton of time nailing down the proposal. I think I finally have a workable idea for the first proposal.
I write out the first three chapters. Rewriting chapter one a few times as I get into the characters heads. Then the blurb. Then the synopsis. Then I sometimes tweak the 3 chapters after the synopis. My downfall is showing the emotional growth of the characters in the synopis. My rough draft of the synopsis is usually plot driven. Then I go back in and add the emotional arc.
Who knew that writing and plotting was so complicated ??? :crazy2:
How do you do your manuscripts? Do you write out the complete and then go back and make up the proposal with the blurb and synopsis? Start with a synopsis? My method works…but I swear it drives me INSANE! :mad2:
:coffee2: My son is smilie hopping today while I blog hop…:love:
I synopsis first. Just a barebones one, then redo it after I write out the chapters.
I write the entire novel, then go back and revise, and I usually end up having to rewrite the first three chapters completely. Then I write the synopsis.
copy and paste Sharon’s answer here. I’m actually getting to the point where I only need to re-write the first chapter.
I’m another write the first draft person, followed by revising the first three chapters and writing the synopsis. I’ve learned that while the beginning, the middle and the end stay true to what I intend, interesting things happen along the way that are often very different than what I intend.
I do the same as Sharon as well. The whole story comes to me as I write. I don’t generally know before hand. I’ve got the main idea, pivotal scenes, but everything in between is unclear until I start writing. Often something about the plot or character comes to me then and I’m like, “Really? It was your father who did that?” So I have to go back and drop a hint in an earlier chapter.
I get an idea, write an outline, think about it, talk to my writer friends about it, then I begin to write. I usually write the three chapters straight through then revise them 8 million times. If it’s bought I write the book straight through then revise it no less than 15-20 times.:mad2:
I write the first 3 chapters in order and then begins the out-of-order writing madness. For me, knowing where I’m going will often take the fun out of writing the book. :typing:
But really, I think that writing in order must be so much easier…
I’d rather write the book, then the proposal. 😆 I hate having to think of the plot stuff before I’m starting. Good luck!!
I have to know where I’m going before I start. I leave ample room for things to happen, so it’s not like I know EVERYTHING that I’m going to write. But I *must* know how my plot twists and turns and why, I *must* know my characters’ GMC’s, and I absolutely have to have it written down. It takes me awhile to prep a book, and then I start writing. The only reason I’m not writing right now is because I’m brain dead, not because I have no idea where to take the book. I know where the book is going, I know the next scene I have to write, and I can’t wait to write it – WHEN the creative well is once more overflowing, of course!:grin:
I’m still trying to find a system that works for me. You’d think as long as I’ve been writing I’d have one by now. *dramatic sigh*
I don’t really “get” my characters inner conflict arc until the story is written. So, like you, my synopses/proposals are much more external plot than internal conflict.
So, I much prefer writing the whole thing and THEN synopsizing.
Proposals are torture, no doubt about it. I usually whine all the way through.
It’s the head-banging that wears me out.
I’d be happy to just write the chapters and skip the synopsis…:blah:
Well, it starts with my characters doing this: :secret: And the little buggers that they are never tell me the full story. Well, isn’t that just like most people. They say, I have a problem, and tell you only part of it. But I’m too stupid to realize it at that point, so I :typing: And then, usually around chapter 3 or 4, they tell me enough to get a basic outline. And finally, by the last chapter, I realize the whole story, and have to go back and rewrite.
I get the plot first too. I run it over and over and over in my mind. Tweaking and what ifing until I think I have something that works and is different. While I’m doing this I try to figure out my characters. What the GMC is. Will it work for the plot. If not how can I fix it so that it does. On my first three I wrote the book straight through. Then the synopsis etc. But now I’m trying to do things a little differently. I’m outlining and rough drafting the story and scenes. Then I’ll go back and work on fleshing everything out. Still not sure I’ve found that “THIS IS IT” method for me yet. But the latest process I went through/going through did work well. I didn’t find myself:wallbash: too much.
I don’t even know how I do it. All I know is that it’s very painful. (Pass me some vodka and the nerve to get going on my next proposal, please!)