[stylist] Non-fiction novels

[davidw]

Bridgit,

Thanks I am certainly learning from all the posts I have been reading.

I should have called it my non fiction biography.

It is truly non fiction  with no fictional elements.

Novel length?  I'm not sure what page or word count would constitute the 
change from book to novel?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 8:48 PM
Subject: [stylist] Non-fiction novels


>A nonfiction novel is just a nonfiction work that is novel length, but
> often it is more creative nonfiction (memoir, personal essay, etc)
> incorporating fictional elements or techniques as opposed to a biography
> or academic nonfiction.
>
> Bridgit
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of stylist-request at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 4:16 PM
> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
> Subject: stylist Digest, Vol 78, Issue 37
>
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Self Publishing (davidw)
>   2. Re: Self Publishing (Joe Orozco)
>   3. Re: Self Publishing (BDM)
>   4. Shameless Plug (Joe Orozco)
>   5. Re: Shameless Plug (Judith Bron)
>   6. Re: Shameless Plug (Joe Orozco)
>   7. Re: Shameless Plug (Donna Hill)
>   8. Re: Shameless Plug (Judith Bron)
>   9. Re: Self Publishing (Donna Hill)
>  10. Re: Shameless Plug (Anita Adkins)
>  11. Re: Shameless Plug (BDM)
>  12. synopsis (Bridgit Pollpeter)
>  13. Re: Self Publishing (Joe Orozco)
>  14. Changes plot synopsis (Bridgit Pollpeter)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:51:12 -0700
> From: "davidw" <dwermuth1 at earthlink.net>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] Self Publishing
> Message-ID: <35E8229A3E6949E9ACFC054C3F7E88EC at DHDBFM71>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I have been researching self publishing company's and there are so many
> to
> choose from.  Being a first time author of my non-fiction novel I'd like
> to
> make the right choice.
>
> Can someone recommend a company for printing paperback's with the
> advantages
> of distribution.
> and or company's that don't shy away from first time author's.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David Wermuth
> dwermuth1 at earthlink.net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:55:51 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Self Publishing
> Message-ID: <43C9B12D4E5F4797BEB081DAEDEEC4FD at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Try iUniverse.  They're good if you keep them in line about what it is
> you're willing to spend.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of davidw
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 2:51 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: [stylist] Self Publishing
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I have been researching self publishing company's and there are
> so many to
> choose from.  Being a first time author of my non-fiction novel
> I'd like to
> make the right choice.
>
> Can someone recommend a company for printing paperback's with
> the advantages
> of distribution.
> and or company's that don't shy away from first time author's.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David Wermuth
> dwermuth1 at earthlink.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
> info for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:39:33 -0500
> From: BDM <lists at braddunsemusic.com>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Self Publishing
> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20101020143828.02d02f78 at www.braddunsemusic.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> I only know of my cartoonist friend who used the below. But they seem
> very fast, and do a nice job.
>
> http://www.lulu.com/
>
> Brad
>
> At 01:51 PM 10/20/2010, you wrote:
>>Hello Everyone,
>>
>>I have been researching self publishing company's and there are so
>>many to choose from.  Being a first time author of my non-fiction
>>novel I'd like to make the right choice.
>>
>>Can someone recommend a company for printing paperback's with the
>>advantages of distribution.
>>and or company's that don't shy away from first time author's.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>David Wermuth
>>dwermuth1 at earthlink.net
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Writers Division web site:
>>http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>><http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>>stylist mailing list
>>stylist at nfbnet.org
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>stylist:
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lists%40braddu
>>nsemusic.com
>>
>>
>>__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus
>>signature database 5549 (20101020) __________
>>
>>The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>>
>>http://www.eset.com
>>
>>
>
>
> Brad Dunse
>
> If you think the Tallahassee Bridge is a certain part of a Native
> American song...
> you might be a songwriter. --Anonymous
>
> E Mail: brad at braddunsemusic.com
>
> Website: http://www.braddunsemusic.com
>
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1464323555
>
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/braddunse
>
> MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/braddunse
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:41:23 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <AE64BDAD2F75441BAE30AE9AA5C45BAA at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hey all,
>
> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I finally put
> the novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I still have
> some tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make something
> formal of this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel
> free to provide feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my
> service, let me know. I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from
> the Stylist.
>
> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>
> Best,
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:55:59 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <77A90D036E9F4C389EBCB48AF79A2A19 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> Joe, I just went there and it looks terriffic!  One suggestion that
> struck
> me.  Don't mention your costs on the site.  You would be better off
> saying,
> "For a consultation and to discuss cost please..."  Here you can put
> your
> contact link and/or phone number.
> I like your non-profit group.  Our vets deserve everything we can do for
>
> them.  Good going!  Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:41 PM
> Subject: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I finally
>> put
>> the
>> novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I still have
> some
>> tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make something formal
> of
>> this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel free to
> provide
>> feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my service, let me
> know.
>> I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from the Stylist.
>>
>> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
>> all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonli
> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:00:11 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <872D8D972BE6444EA4CA73E5F944A29F at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Oh, Judith.  Just when I'd decided to keep it you go and make me
> second-guess myself! LOL  I think I ultimately left it because I want
> people to have a starting sense of how much they can expect to invest
> for the service they request.  I'll officially launch it later this
> week, just thought I'd give fellow writers a chance to critique, but
> we'll see if including a Fee Schedule kicks me in the butt!
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judith Bron [mailto:jbron at optonline.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:56 PM
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com; Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>
> Joe, I just went there and it looks terriffic!  One suggestion
> that struck
> me.  Don't mention your costs on the site.  You would be better
> off saying,
> "For a consultation and to discuss cost please..."  Here you
> can put your
> contact link and/or phone number.
> I like your non-profit group.  Our vets deserve everything we
> can do for
> them.  Good going!  Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:41 PM
> Subject: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I
> finally put
>> the
>> novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I
> still have some
>> tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make
> something formal of
>> this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel
> free to provide
>> feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my service,
> let me know.
>> I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from the Stylist.
>>
>> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
> their sleeves,
>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
> 0optonline.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:06:03 -0400
> From: Donna Hill <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,  Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <4CBF4BAB.30901 at epix.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi Joe,
> Good going! Unlike Judith, I wouldn't recommend removing your prices.
> Many people, myself included, get furious when prices aren't easy to
> find. Making prospective customers contact you for prices may be a
> strategy for developing a mailing list, but it comes with a cost that is
>
> hard to measure.
> Best,
> Donna
>
> Read Donna's articles on
> Suite 101:
> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
> Ezine Articles:
> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
> American Chronicle:
> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Connect with Donna on
> Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
> LinkedIn:
> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
> FaceBook:
> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
> Apple I-Tunes
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=25924437
> 4
>
> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
> On 10/20/2010 3:41 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>> Hey all,
>>
>> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I finally
>> put the novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I
>> still have some tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make
>> something formal of this little business venture.  Anyway, check it
>> out.  Feel free to provide feedback, and if you or anyone you know
>> could use my service, let me know. I'll cut you a deal if you let me
>> know you're from the Stylist.
>>
>> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
>> all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org<http://www.nfb-writers-division.or
>> g/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40e
>> pix.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>> Database version: 6.16120
>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
> Database version: 6.16120
> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:10:28 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <DD0DC0811A7B4D3999166E421CF0102C at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> It can work both ways.  I just shy away from sites where cost is the
> first
> thing that hits me in the face.  Go to similar sites and see what they
> do.
> I'm not an expert, just a free lance author, PR consultant and novelist.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 4:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>
>
>> Oh, Judith.  Just when I'd decided to keep it you go and make me
>> second-guess myself! LOL  I think I ultimately left it because I want
>> people to have a starting sense of how much they can expect to invest
>> for the service they request.  I'll officially launch it later this
>> week, just thought I'd give fellow writers a chance to critique, but
>> we'll see if including a Fee Schedule kicks me in the butt!
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
>> all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Judith Bron [mailto:jbron at optonline.net]
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:56 PM
>> To: jsorozco at gmail.com; Writer's Division Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>>
>> Joe, I just went there and it looks terriffic!  One suggestion that
>> struck me.  Don't mention your costs on the site.  You would be better
>> off saying,
>> "For a consultation and to discuss cost please..."  Here you
>> can put your
>> contact link and/or phone number.
>> I like your non-profit group.  Our vets deserve everything we
>> can do for
>> them.  Good going!  Judith
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
>> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:41 PM
>> Subject: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>>
>>
>>> Hey all,
>>>
>>> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I
>> finally put
>>> the
>>> novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I
>> still have some
>>> tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make
>> something formal of
>>> this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel
>> free to provide
>>> feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my service,
>> let me know.
>>> I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from the Stylist.
>>>
>>> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
>> their sleeves,
>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>>
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> stylist:
>>>
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
>> 0optonline.net
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonli
> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:13:38 -0400
> From: Donna Hill <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Self Publishing
> Message-ID: <4CBF4D72.3020200 at epix.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi David,
> Congratulations for getting this far in the process! There are many
> things to think about with self-publishing, and unless you already have
> done so, I would advise reading "Getting Your Book Published for
> Dummies" which is available as digital download and cassette from NLS or
>
> some other book about how the publishing industry works.
>
> I think that I Universe still makes you sign an exclusive contract,
> whereas Amazon, for instance, doesn't. I'm in the  midst of researching
> this for my novel and it is a mind-numbing process. The other thing you
> need to keep in mind is that the writer, regardless of whether it's
> self-published or picked up by a publisher, is nowadays responsible for
> more and more of the promotions. I recently bought an accessible e-book
> called "Purple Snowflake Marketing" by Dave and Lillian Brummit, which
> is a great resource.
>
> BTW, what's a nonfiction novel?
>
> Donna Hill
>
> Read Donna's articles on
> Suite 101:
> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
> Ezine Articles:
> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
> American Chronicle:
> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Connect with Donna on
> Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
> LinkedIn:
> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
> FaceBook:
> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
> Apple I-Tunes
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=25924437
> 4
>
> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
> On 10/20/2010 2:51 PM, davidw wrote:
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> I have been researching self publishing company's and there are so
>> many to choose from.  Being a first time author of my non-fiction
>> novel I'd like to make the right choice.
>>
>> Can someone recommend a company for printing paperback's with the
>> advantages of distribution.
>> and or company's that don't shy away from first time author's.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> David Wermuth
>> dwermuth1 at earthlink.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epi
> x.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>> Database version: 6.16120
>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>
>
>
>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:14:16 -0400
> From: "Anita Adkins" <aadkins7 at verizon.net>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <22E4D643F2904CF491F32F6385205EF1 at AnitaAdkinsPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=response
>
> Great website.  I agree to leave the cost.  I personally thought of
> using
> you for resume and cover letter writing in the future possibly, and I
> would
> want to know about what the cost would be rather than just plunging in,
> and
> so I feel leaving the prices is a beneficial part of the website for
> customers.
>
> Out of curiosity, do you need any volunteers to work for you?  I do
> enjoy
> writing, and I would be happy to help in some way if I can do something
> you
> need and if time permits.  Thanks.  Anita
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 4:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>
>
>> Hi Joe,
>> Good going! Unlike Judith, I wouldn't recommend removing your prices.
> Many
>> people, myself included, get furious when prices aren't easy to find.
>> Making prospective customers contact you for prices may be a strategy
> for
>> developing a mailing list, but it comes with a cost that is hard to
>> measure.
>> Best,
>> Donna
>>
>> Read Donna's articles on
>> Suite 101:
>> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
>> Ezine Articles:
>> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
>> American Chronicle:
>> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>>
>> Connect with Donna on
>> Twitter:
>> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>> LinkedIn:
>> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>> FaceBook:
>> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>>
>> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
>> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>> Apple I-Tunes
>>
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=25924437
> 4
>>
>> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
>> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
>> www.padnfb.org
>>
>>
>> On 10/20/2010 3:41 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>> Hey all,
>>>
>>> Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I finally
> put
>>> the
>>> novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I still have
> some
>>> tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make something formal
> of
>>> this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel free to
>>> provide
>>> feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my service, let me
>>> know.
>>> I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from the Stylist.
>>>
>>> www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>> sleeves,
>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site:
>>>
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>>
>>>
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>
>>> stylist:
>>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epi
> x.net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
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>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
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> zon.net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:42:36 -0500
> From: BDM <lists at braddunsemusic.com>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20101020152707.02d05350 at www.braddunsemusic.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> Joe,
>
> Firstly, kudos to a very nice clean web site. It comes off very
> confident and professional which makes the reader feel similar in a
> decision to use your service. As for the pricing,  posted or call for
> it, I doubt you can please all on that. However, I will say if you
> look at it, the buying public is so use to hearing "For only 3
> payments of $19.99" or the other myriad ways pricing is touted from
> the gas station pricing boards to how much the puppies are listed for
> at the bulletin board of the local laundramat. If it  were me I'd
> err, if this would be erring at all, to post them in the area you
> have set aside for pricing. I'd not put it on the main page for the
> first thing to hit someone unless you are running a monthly promo or
> something. I personally am the type who "needs" not "wants" but needs
> to know the price of something before I'll even give it ears. If my
> wife reads a house that's for sale, she'll start with  how many
> bedrooms, baths, the mature trees and etc. and I'll interrupt and ask
> for the price, because if it it is out of my range or too expensive,
> there is no point in wasting time reading any further. I will
> literally find myself asking her "What was that now, how many
> bedrooms and etc." after she's confessed the price,  because I just
> block it out by default. I just went through similar for a recording
> studio I am considering, the first thing I went to find is the
> prices, because if they are too high, they could tell me they are the
> absolute best in town and the rest of the PR mantra, I'll not be
> using them if they are out of my range, so why spend time reading
> from link to link to link.
>
> That said I wish you well on your venture.
>
> Brad
>
> At 03:00 PM 10/20/2010, you wrote:
>>Oh, Judith.  Just when I'd decided to keep it you go and make me
>>second-guess myself! LOL  I think I ultimately left it because I want
> people
>>to have a starting sense of how much they can expect to invest for the
>>service they request.  I'll officially launch it later this week, just
>>thought I'd give fellow writers a chance to critique, but we'll see if
>>including a Fee Schedule kicks me in the butt!
>>
>>Joe
>>
>>"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves,
>>some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Judith Bron [mailto:jbron at optonline.net]
>>Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:56 PM
>>To: jsorozco at gmail.com; Writer's Division Mailing List
>>Subject: Re: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>>
>>Joe, I just went there and it looks terriffic!  One suggestion
>>that struck
>>me.  Don't mention your costs on the site.  You would be better
>>off saying,
>>"For a consultation and to discuss cost please..."  Here you
>>can put your
>>contact link and/or phone number.
>>I like your non-profit group.  Our vets deserve everything we
>>can do for
>>them.  Good going!  Judith
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
>>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:41 PM
>>Subject: [stylist] Shameless Plug
>>
>>
>> > Hey all,
>> >
>> > Some of you know I do some freelance writing on the side.  I
>>finally put
>> > the
>> > novel project on hold to wrap up the website, and while I
>>still have some
>> > tweaks to make, I think it's now good enough to make
>>something formal of
>> > this little business venture.  Anyway, check it out.  Feel
>>free to provide
>> > feedback, and if you or anyone you know could use my service,
>>let me know.
>> > I'll cut you a deal if you let me know you're from the Stylist.
>> >
>> > www.alphacommstrategies.com/
>> >
>> > Best,
>> >
>> > Joe
>> >
>> > "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
>>their sleeves,
>> > some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Writers Division web site:
>> > http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>><http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>> >
>> > stylist mailing list
>> > stylist at nfbnet.org
>> > http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for
>> > stylist:
>> >
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
>>0optonline.net
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Writers Division web site:
>>http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>>stylist mailing list
>>stylist at nfbnet.org
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lists%40braddu
> nsemusic.com
>>
>>
>>__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus
>>signature database 5549 (20101020) __________
>>
>>The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>>
>>http://www.eset.com
>
>
> Brad Dunse
>
> It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation
>
> E Mail: brad at braddunsemusic.com
>
> Website: http://www.braddunsemusic.com
>
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1464323555
>
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/braddunse
>
> MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/braddunse
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:07:54 -0500
> From: Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
> To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <BLU0-SMTP19735FBC639615800B96C90C45C0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>
> Your first para is good, but I lose interest after it.  What you keep
> creating is more of a book outline, but we do not need each detail for a
> synopsis.
>
> Like Joe mentioned, focus more on the themes and not specific details.
> We want to be intrigued by this, not handed a Cliffnotes version of the
> book.  In other words, tease us!  *smile*
>
> I would keep this current first para because we learn that the main
> character has a near death experience, which is very interesting, but
> then we only need another couple of paras (if even that) to sum up the
> concept of the book.
>
> Bridgit
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of stylist-request at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 12:00 PM
> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
> Subject: stylist Digest, Vol 78, Issue 36
>
>
> Send stylist mailing list submissions to
> stylist at nfbnet.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> stylist-request at nfbnet.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> stylist-owner at nfbnet.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
> "Re: Contents of stylist digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>   2. Re: synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   3. Re: synopsis (Barbara Hammel)
>   4. Re: synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>   5. synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   6. Re: synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>   7. Re: synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>   8. Re: synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   9. Re: Synopsis (Watson, Katherine M)
>  10. Changes: a plot synopsis (Watson, Katherine M)
>  11. Re: Changes: a plot synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>  12. How to Write a Synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>  13. Re: Changes: a plot synopsis (Judith Bron)
>  14. Re: How to Write a Synopsis (Judith Bron)
>  15. Re: How to Write a Synopsis (Donna Hill)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:04:51 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <EC7B391371074A3D991A588BB5EC0806 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>
> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.  This is
> what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a quick
> Internet search:
>
> ***
>
> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult series
> about observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
> mainstream world. One may think that this is a topic for a niche
> audience, but Judith doesn't agree. "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing its
> ugly head again. But what do people hate?" She hopes to answer questions
> about observant Judaism, their unique lifestyle and give her readers a
> page turning reading experience that contains mystery, intrigue, good
> guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life, and yes, death. This book will
> give her readers a riveting novel that the young adult, or perhaps adult
> reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>
> ***
>
> That, I think, is intriguing.
>
> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if the
> synopsis you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>
> 1. It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of incidents.
> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character reacted
> like this...
>
> 2. Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much enthusiasm.
> You
> wrote:
>
> ***
>
> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>
> ***
>
> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
> Remember the novel audience is significantly different from your
> synopsis audience.
>
> 3. The themes laid out in the Internet search result is fascinating.
> Flush out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in should
> not be a shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a
> chapter-by-chapter outline.  The synopsis, according to what I
> understand you need to submit, should be a panoramic view of the themes,
> trials and brief character sketches the reader might encounter.  If I
> may offer a bit of advice, try to aim for the tone of a movie trailer.
> Think of the words the narrators use to convince you to watch the
> upcoming movie!
>
> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state.
> Because of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional relationship.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether. Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron"
> <jbron at optonline.net> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is more along the lines
> everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you think it sells the book?
> Thanks, Judith Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York,
> begins our
> novel with a
> near death experience and questions about her identity. Her
> foster mother,
> Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the accident.
> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer,
> her parents
> and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school
> football team.
> Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that
> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands
> more about
> her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
> identity as a
> Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey
> to find out
> just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned
> when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to
> bring her out
> of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since entering her
> present school the year before. Pessi's life is complicated by
> the poverty
> shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has
> ravaged her
> body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an
> Almighty she has
> believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has taken a
> mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time
> in her life
> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome
> her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has
> only been a
> part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually
> her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an observant
> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about
> her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp intent on
> living as an
> observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a
> family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi Levy,
> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove,
> and the lives
> of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York
> become entwined forever. The small book and letter left by her
> parents has
> become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her darkened
> bedrooms Jennifer
> clings to these possessions left by her parents and talks to them. She
> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the
> small book and
> letter are written in. She is able to learn from the letter
> that her Hebrew
> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah. The
> principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the
> small packet
> out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these things and
> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him
> later that day
> to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his
> safety deposit box
> at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will never
> accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi
> who, since her
> mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences more
> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get
> hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street. They
> take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
> the criminals
> proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on one of the
> beds, tries
> to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors' drinking party and
> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind. When her
> abductors fall
> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her
> arms off, slides
> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
> the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel
> brings her
> into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
> police, but
> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter
> becomes known to
> Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly revealed
> identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she
> has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of
> who and what
> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt. Painful
> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
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> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
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> y%40aol.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
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> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:20:18 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <0D09DA54256B406E99980896779B5052 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> Joe, I don't even remember which article or write up that excerpt was
> taken
> from.  I don't think it's a bad memory, just a selective one.  I'll take
>
> this version back to the drawing board.  Thanks, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
>> Judith,
>>
>> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.  This
>> is what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a
>> quick Internet search:
>>
>> ***
>>
>> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult series
>> about observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
>> mainstream world. One may think that this is a topic for a niche
>> audience, but Judith doesn't agree. "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing
>> its ugly head again. But what do people hate?" She hopes to answer
>> questions about observant Judaism, their unique lifestyle and give her
>
>> readers a page turning reading experience that contains
>> mystery, intrigue, good guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life, and
> yes,
>> death. This book will give her readers a riveting novel that the young
>> adult, or perhaps adult reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>>
>> ***
>>
>> That, I think, is intriguing.
>>
>> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if the
>> synopsis
>> you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>>
>> 1. It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of incidents.
>
>> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character
>> reacted like this...
>>
>> 2. Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much enthusiasm.
>
>> You
>> wrote:
>>
>> ***
>>
>> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
>> the criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>>
>> ***
>>
>> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
>> Remember the novel audience is significantly different from your
>> synopsis audience.
>>
>> 3. The themes laid out in the Internet search result is fascinating.
>> Flush
>> out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in should not
> be
>> a
>> shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a chapter-by-chapter
>> outline.  The synopsis, according to what I understand you need to
> submit,
>> should be a panoramic view of the themes, trials and brief character
>> sketches the reader might encounter.  If I may offer a bit of advice,
> try
>> to
>> aim for the tone of a movie trailer.  Think of the words the narrators
> use
>> to convince you to watch the upcoming movie!
>>
>> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
>> all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Judith Bron
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
>> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state. Because
>> of her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional
>> relationship.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
>> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>>
>> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether.
>> Lori On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron"
>> <jbron at optonline.net> wrote:
>>
>> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
>> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
>> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
>> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
>> <stylist at nfbnet.org> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is
>
>> more along the lines everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you
>> think it sells the book? Thanks, Judith
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our
>> novel with a
>> near death experience and questions about her identity. Her
>> foster mother,
>> Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the
> accident.
>> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left by
>> Jennifer's
>> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer,
>> her parents
>> and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>>
>> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
>> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
>> reveals that
>> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands
>> more about
>> her own identity.
>>
>> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
>> identity as a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her
>> journey to find out
>> just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
>> being orphaned
>> when she was two.
>>
>> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
>> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring
>> her out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
>> entering her present school the year before. Pessi's life is
>> complicated by the poverty
>> shrouding her once affluent family.
>>
>> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
>
>> her body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an
>> Almighty she has
>> believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has taken
> a
>> mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time
>> in her life
>> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
>> to overcome
>> her devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only
>> been a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
>> Eventually
>> her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an observant
>> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about
>> her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp intent on
>> living as an
>> observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a
>> family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi
> Levy,
>> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
>> Jenna, New York
>> become entwined forever. The small book and letter left by her
>> parents has
>> become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her darkened
>> bedrooms Jennifer
>> clings to these possessions left by her parents and talks to them. She
>> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the
>> small book and
>> letter are written in. She is able to learn from the letter
>> that her Hebrew
>> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She
>> shyly tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
>> Channah. The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls
>> the small packet
>> out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these things
> and
>> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>>
>> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him later that
>> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his
>> safety deposit box
>> at the bank.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will
>> never accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi who,
>
>> since her mother's illness and death has become a class leader,
>> experiences more turmoil over the change that is about to take place
>> in her family.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
>
>> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
>> street. They
>> take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
>> the criminals
>> proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on one of the
>> beds, tries
>> to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors' drinking party and
>> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind. When her
>> abductors fall
>> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her
>> arms off, slides
>> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
>> the door.
>>
>> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
>
>> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
>> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
>> police, but
>> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>>
>> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
>> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
>
>> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the
>> same person she
>> has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
>
>> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
>> Painful questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lorista
>> y%40aol.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
>> 0optonline.net
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
>> o%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonli
> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:50:51 -0500
> From: "Barbara Hammel" <poetlori8 at msn.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <SNT139-ds7B69B7A04A828024CBC73EB5B0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=response
>
> This is the idea I was thinking of though for ordering things.  Has
> Jennifer
> even bonded with her foster family?  If not, you could just say
> something
> about her feeling out of place in the world and leave Randy out and
> Sheila
> out.
> This attempt was much better than the first.
> Barbara
>
> ...
> Yesterday is
> A path well-trod,
> A familiar lane
> Through sacred sod,
> A road we travel
> Too often, I fear,
> For there are the good times
> When things are hard here,
> ...
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 11:04 AM
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>> Hi Joe,  Here's my latest attempt.  I think this is more along the
>> lines
>> everyone was talking about.  Bottom line, do you think it sells the
> book?
>> Thanks, Judith
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our novel
> with
>> a near death experience and questions about her identity.  Her foster
>> mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the
>> accident. Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects
> left
>> by Jennifer's long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about
>> Jennifer, her parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to
> their
>> daughter.
>>
>> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
>> team.
>> Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer reveals
> that
>> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands more
> about
>> her own identity.
>>
>> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
>> identity as
>> a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find
>> out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since being
>
>> orphaned when she was two.
>>
>> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
>> reclusive personality.  Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring
> her
>> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
> entering
>> her present school the year before.  Pessi's life is complicated by
> the
>> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>>
>> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
>
>> her
>> body.  Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she
> has
>> believed in her entire life.  She questions why the Almighty has taken
> a
>> mother away from her two younger siblings.  For the first time in her
> life
>> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to
>> overcome her devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only
>> been a
>> part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
>> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in
> an
>> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent
>> on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting
> her
>> placed with a family in Jenna, New York.  This family doesn't work
> out,
>> and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their
> home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna,
>> New York become entwined forever.  The small book and letter left by
> her
>> parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  In her darkened
>> bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her parents and
>> talks to them.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language
> that
>> both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to learn
> from
>> the letter that her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She
> shyly
>> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
>
>> packet out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
>> things and tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>>
>> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker.  The principal asks him later that
>
>> day
>> to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit
>> box at the bank.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
>> never
>> accept this change in their family.  More problems for Pessi who,
> since
>> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more
>> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
>> Criminals
>> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street.
>> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
>
>> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  Jennifer, lying on one of
> the
>> beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors'
> drinking
>> party and spends the time reviewing school work in her mind.  When her
>
>> abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding
> her
>> arms off, slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins
>> hopping to the door.
>>
>> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
>> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her
>> into his room where the guest's wife is packing.  He calls the police,
> but
>> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>>
>> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
>> known
>> to Jennifer.  But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed
>> identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person
>> she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>
>> lifestyle.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who
> and
>> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful
>> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/poetlori8%40msn
> .com
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:29:58 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbdf1d0.4bfde50a.4d6e.fffff01b at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi,
> I like the synopsis a lot better now, however, the view keeps
> switching between Pessy and Jennifer, and then some other
> characters, and the transition between them is a little rough.
> Maybe Making it flow a little better might help.
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:04:51 -0400
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Judith,
>
> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.
> This is
> what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a
> quick
> Internet search:
>
> ***
>
> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult
> series about
> observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
> mainstream
> world.  One may think that this is a topic for a niche audience,
> but Judith
> doesn't agree.  "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head
> again.  But
> what do people hate?" She hopes to answer questions about
> observant Judaism,
> their unique lifestyle and give her readers a page turning
> reading
> experience that contains
> mystery, intrigue, good guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life,
> and yes,
> death.  This book will give her readers a riveting novel that the
> young
> adult, or perhaps adult reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>
> ***
>
> That, I think, is intriguing.
>
> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if
> the synopsis
> you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>
> 1.  It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of
> incidents.
> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character
> reacted
> like this...
>
> 2.  Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much
> enthusiasm.  You
> wrote:
>
> ***
>
> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>
> ***
>
> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
> Remember
> the novel audience is significantly different from your synopsis
> audience.
>
> 3.  The themes laid out in the Internet search result is
> fascinating.  Flush
> out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in
> should not be a
> shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a
> chapter-by-chapter
> outline.  The synopsis, according to what I understand you need
> to submit,
> should be a panoramic view of the themes, trials and brief
> character
> sketches the reader might encounter.  If I may offer a bit of
> advice, try to
> aim for the tone of a movie trailer.  Think of the words the
> narrators use
> to convince you to watch the upcoming movie!
>
> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state. Because of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional
> relationship.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis
> altogether.
> Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt.  I think this is
> more along the
> lines
> everyone was talking about.  Bottom line, do you think it sells
> the book?
> Thanks, Judith
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our novel
> with a near death experience and questions about her identity.  Her
> foster mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after
> the
> accident.
> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left
> by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer, her
> parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that she can't begin an emotional relationship until she
> understands more about her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's identity
> as a Jew.  This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer
> and a
> reclusive personality.  Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her
> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
> entering her
> present school the year before.  Pessi's life is complicated by the
> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
> her body.  Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life.  She questions why the Almighty has
>
> taken a
> mother away from her two younger siblings.  For the first time in her
> life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to
> overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only been
> a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant
> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer something
> about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp intent on
> living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting her
> placed
> with a
> family in Jenna, New York.  This family doesn't work out, and
> Rabbi Levy,
> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York become entwined forever.  The small book and letter left
> by her parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  In her
> darkened bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her
> parents and talks to
> them.  She
> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the small book
> and letter are written in.  She is able to learn from the letter that
> her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school
> principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.
> She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
> packet out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
> things and
> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker.  The principal asks him later that
> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit box at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never
> accept this change in their family.  More problems for Pessi who, since
> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more
> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her
> family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  Jennifer, lying on
> one of the beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her
> abductors' drinking
> party and
> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind.  When her abductors
> fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her arms
> off, slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping
> to the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still
> tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing.  He calls the
> police, but Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer.  But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed
> identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same person
> she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity
> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in
> their
> lifestyle.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful
> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for
> stylist:
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> y%40aol.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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> stylist:
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>
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> _______________________________________________
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> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
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>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <60CC3B4167884551BB4B4C55A061BA03 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks around
> the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a corridor that
> seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly her long deceased
> mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the
> constant anti Semitic derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with
> her mother.  But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are,
> and what you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but
> minutes later slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her injured
> foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers the strange
> messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only possessions left
> by Jennifer's parents, a little book with an inserted paper written in
> foreign writing.  The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.  After
> closing the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man
> walking away from the house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival
> of what should have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the
> items in her possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer
> on her seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is talking
> to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive personality, Pessi
> disagrees with her mother about getting involved with the girls at
> school.  Pessi insists that it's her life and if she wants to be alone
> so be it.  She stomps out of the house like a belligerent child leaving
> her mother on the sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken
> home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.  Her
> classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the protective shell
> Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is a bout to change
> forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to help
> her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the mattress.
> Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's remains begging her to
> say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she has
> believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life she has her
> solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to overcome her
> devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in
> getting her placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work
> out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their
> home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in Jenna
> become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a fixture in
> Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language
> that both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to
> learn from the letter her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She tells
> the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal asks her how she knows
> this and Jennifer pulls the small packet out of her backpack.  The
> principal pales when she sees these things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet in a
> safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
> never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.  Criminals
> get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna street.
> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  When her abductors fall
> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works off the ropes binding her arms,
> slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
> the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
> another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
> identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing with her
> newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not
> the same person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lives.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and what
> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula
> questions experienced by teenagers everywhere.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:15:24 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <5DC2A634551B4807ACD3A794DC14C921 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>
> It's coming along really well.  I would start off by informing the
> reader that that there are two characters so they know not to get
> side-tracked by the mention of two girls.  Maybe you could relocate the
> last paragraph to the top of the synopsis.  Rephrase it of course so
> that it reads more smoothly.
>
> Also, this sentence is positioned rather randomly:
>
> *Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
> never accept this.*
>
> I think I get the back and forth you're trying to achieve, but it's a
> little dizzying.  I would focus on one girl, then the other, and then
> tie it up neatly with ominous tones of, "what will happen to these girls
> who must struggle to find their identity..."  If I weren't in a rush,
> I'd give you a better sample, but I think you get what I mean.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 5:02 PM
> To: Stylist
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car,
> looks around the strange place she ended up in.  In front of
> her is a corridor that seems to be lit with flickering candles.
> Suddenly her long deceased mother is talking to her.
> Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the constant anti Semitic
> derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with her mother.
> But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who
> you are, and what you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her
> mother's mind, but minutes later slams back into her body,
> aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with
> her injured foster daughter.  While heading to her car she
> remembers the strange messenger a few months earlier who
> delivered the only possessions left by Jennifer's parents, a
> little book with an inserted paper written in foreign writing.
> The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.  After closing
> the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a
> man walking away from the house.  Now she thought about
> Jennifer's survival of what should have been a deadly accident.
> She wondered about the items in her possession that the
> messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her seventeenth
> birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery surrounding
> an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg
> is talking to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive
> personality, Pessi disagrees with her mother about getting
> involved with the girls at school.  Pessi insists that it's her
> life and if she wants to be alone so be it.  She stomps out of
> the house like a belligerent child leaving her mother on the
> sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.
> Her classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the
> protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life
> is a bout to change forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room
> to help her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on
> the mattress.  Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's
> remains begging her to say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her
> life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she
> tries to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish
> identity.  Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting
> her registered in an observant Jewish summer camp hoping that
> the camp can teach Jennifer something about her roots and
> identity.  Jennifer returns from camp intent on living as an
> observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting her
> placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work out,
> and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into
> their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove,
> and the lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish
> Girls' school in Jenna become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a
> fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn
> the Hebrew language that both the small book and letter are
> written in.  She is able to learn from the letter her Hebrew
> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew
> name.  She tells the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal
> asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small packet
> out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet
> in a safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from
> a Jenna street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like
> a hunted animal and the criminals proceed to have a drinking
> party.  When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer
> works off the ropes binding her arms, slides off the bed and,
> braced on her now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall
> where another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's
> true identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time
> dealing with her newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with
> the fact that she is not the same person she has lived with for
> the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic
> changes in their lives.  Both characters have to come to an
> understanding of who and what they are in a world filled with
> danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula questions experienced by
> teenagers everywhere.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
> info for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:50:08 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbe20b9.a26fe50a.587a.30d4 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Nice! That's really good! I like it.
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net
> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks
> around the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a
> corridor that seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly
> her long deceased mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life
> is dismal due to the constant anti Semitic derisions by her
> classmates, wants to stay with her mother.  But her mother tells
> her that its not yet her time to stay.  She has to learn, "To
> live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are, and what you
> are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but minutes
> later slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her
> injured foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers
> the strange messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only
> possessions left by Jennifer's parents, a little book with an
> inserted paper written in foreign writing.  The messenger handed
> Sheila the items and left.  After closing the door Sheila ran to
> her window to watch him drive away, but no car appeared on the
> street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man walking away from the
> house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival of what should
> have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the items in her
> possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her
> seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is
> talking to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive
> personality, Pessi disagrees with her mother about getting
> involved with the girls at school.  Pessi insists that it's her
> life and if she wants to be alone so be it.  She stomps out of
> the house like a belligerent child leaving her mother on the sofa
> in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.
> Her classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the
> protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is
> a bout to change forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to
> help her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the
> mattress.  Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's
> remains begging her to say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she
> has believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life
> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered
> in an observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach
> Jennifer something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer
> returns from camp intent on living as an observant Jewess.  Again
> Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a family in Jenna.
> This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father,
> agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and
> the lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls'
> school in Jenna become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a
> fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn
> the Hebrew language that both the small book and letter are
> written in.  She is able to learn from the letter her Hebrew name
> is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew
> name.  She tells the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal
> asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small packet
> out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
> things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet
> in a safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a
> Jenna street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a
> hunted animal and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party.
> When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works off
> the ropes binding her arms, slides off the bed and, braced on her
> now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
> another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the
> police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
> identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing
> with her newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact
> that she is not the same person she has lived with for the past
> 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic
> changes in their lives.  Both characters have to come to an
> understanding of who and what they are in a world filled with
> danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula questions experienced by
> teenagers everywhere.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/hypoplex
> er%40gmail.com
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:46:47 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <949B2C8F3C0D4EDE9BFEDBC5FB65E005 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=response
>
> Thanks Danni, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Danielle Montour" <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 6:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
>> Nice! That's really good! I like it.
>>
>> Danni
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net
>> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
>> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>> Does this work?  Judith
>>
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks
>> around
>> the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a corridor that
>
>> seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly her long deceased
>> mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the
>> constant anti Semitic derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with
> her
>> mother.  But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She
>> has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are, and
> what
>> you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but minutes
> later
>> slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>>
>> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her
>> injured
>> foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers the strange
>> messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only possessions left
> by
>> Jennifer's parents, a little book with an inserted paper written in
>> foreign writing.  The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.
> After
>> closing the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no
>> car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man
> walking
>> away from the house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival of
> what
>> should have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the items in
> her
>> possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her
>> seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding
>> an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>>
>> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is
>> talking to
>> her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive personality, Pessi
>> disagrees with her mother about getting involved with the girls at
> school.
>> Pessi insists that it's her life and if she wants to be alone so be
> it.
>> She stomps out of the house like a belligerent child leaving her
> mother on
>> the sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>>
>> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.  Her
>> classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the protective shell
> Pessi
>> has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is a bout to change forever.
>>
>> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to help
>
>> her
>> only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the mattress.
> Totally
>> bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's remains begging her to say
>> something.
>>
>> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she has
>> believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life she has
> her
>> solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to overcome her
>> devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
>> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in
> an
>> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent
>> on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting
> her
>> placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work out, and
> Rabbi
>> Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna
>> become entwined forever.
>>
>> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a fixture in
>> Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew
> language
>> that both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to
> learn
>> from the letter her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She
> tells
>> the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal asks her how she knows
> this
>> and Jennifer pulls the small packet out of her backpack.  The
> principal
>> pales when she sees these things.
>>
>> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet in a
>> safe
>> place.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
>> never
>> accept this.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
>> Criminals
>> get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna street.
>> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
>
>> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  When her abductors fall
> into
>> a drunken slumber Jennifer works off the ropes binding her arms,
> slides
>> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to the
> door.
>>
>> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
>> another
>> hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>>
>> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
>> identity
>> are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing with her newly
>> revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the
> same
>> person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>
>> lives.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what
>> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula
>
>> questions experienced by teenagers everywhere.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>>
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>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
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> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:45:36 -0500
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu>
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Synopsis
> Message-ID:
> <EDBE9878551309429B866E05149A18ED4AC3A0A867 at exchmb1.uww.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>     This is better, although some sentences still sound awkward. (I.E.
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she has lived with for the past 17 years. Could be: Eventually,
> Jennifer is freed and finds out about the contents of the letter.
> Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly revealed identity. She
> struggles with the fact that she is not the same person she thought she
> was for the past 17 years.)
>     Think about your main conflict. (This was the "hook" you used in
> your query letter to that publisher.) Base everything in your synopsis
> off that main theme. I don't think you will need to mention the readers
> or the novel itself in the synopsis. Just start with the main conflict,
> stating it, along with the resolution, in a few sentences at the
> beginning of your synopsis, then go from there. I hope you find this
> helpful. --Katie
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 27
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:40:50 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <C9B70F9E06084868A7C2DB20A46E8CE5 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state.  Because
> of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional relationship.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether. Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is more along the lines
> everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you think it sells the book?
> Thanks, Judith Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York,
> begins our novel with a near death experience and questions about her
> identity. Her foster mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be
> with her after the accident. Sheila's flashback to the day she received
> the only objects left by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer, her
> parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that she can't begin an emotional relationship until she
> understands more about her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's identity
> as a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her
> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since entering
> her present school the year before. Pessi's life is complicated by the
> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
> her body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has
> taken a mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time in
> her life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only been
> a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp
> intent on living as an observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in
> getting her placed with a family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't
> work out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into
> their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York become entwined forever. The small book and letter left
> by her parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her
> darkened bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her
> parents and talks to them. She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew
> language that both the small book and letter are written in. She is able
> to learn from the letter that her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
> packet out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these
> things and tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him later that
> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit box at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will never
> accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi who, since
> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street. They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on
> one of the beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her
> abductors' drinking party and spends the time reviewing school work in
> her mind. When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works
> the ropes binding her arms off, slides off the bed and, braced on her
> now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
> police, but Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu>
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID:
> <EDBE9878551309429B866E05149A18ED4AC3A0A869 at exchmb1.uww.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hello everyone,
>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw mine
> out there for critique. It is for my young adult, fantasy novel, titled
> "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think. Does this make you
> want to read the book? --Katie
>
>
> Changes Plot Synopsis
>
> Main Conflict:
>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
> person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf. She avoids
> phasing unless it is the time of the full moon-or unless absolutely
> necessary. While attending college in present-day Denver, Colorado,
> circumstances force Casey to accept her duel nature.
>
> Synopsis:
>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
> Justine, invites Casey to go to a club with her and her boyfriend, Tony,
> that night. Casey agrees to go. She meets Tony at a restaurant
> beforehand. She is horrified when she discovers that Tony isn't human.
> He doesn't eat anything at dinner, and his scent is too sweet. Casey
> struggles to keep her inner wolf in check, so she doesn't change into a
> wolf in the middle of the crowded restaurant.
>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob. She is
> rescued by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb. Casey is attracted to Nate;
> this is the first time she meets others of her own kind.
>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf when
> Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her, her mood
> shifts to one of a giddy romantic. Casey warns Justine, but it doesn't
> change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown, and
> come across Nate and Seb. Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf, and he
> knows that she is, too. She is glad to have found another like her. Nate
> also tells Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with him when he phased
> once. He fears that he may have bitten her, and that Marissa may be a
> werewolf. They go to Marissa's dorm and discover she is still human.
> Nate accidently phases in front of Marissa. Marissa faints, and Casey
> hopes Marissa will just wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream. She finds
> Marissa working at the ice cream shop. Marissa has figured out that Nate
> is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey about it; Casey is reluctant
> to share, although she likes Marissa.
>
>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina, from a
> vampire.
>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is similar to
> that of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine that he is a
> hybrid-half human, half vampire. Justine's love for him is unchanged.
>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date". Georgina
> tells Casey that she is moving out immediately because she knows about
> Casey's duel nature. Casey accidentally phases in front of Georgina,
> almost killing her.
>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf. Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa. In need of a
> new roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with her. Marissa
> agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging around Casey. She gets in
> a car accident while moving her things to Casey's apartment. Nate gives
> Marissa his blood, saving her life, but the blood changes Marissa into a
> werewolf.
>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes Alpha. She
> discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's emotions, and she has an
> influence over whether the twins change forms.
>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as Alpha.
>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of a
> guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs. His body was found in
> a dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey. Casey is made aware of how
> different she is from humans because of her instincts, and wonders if
> werewolves have an immortal soul. Marissa and Nate come up with no
> concrete evidence proving that they have souls. Casey is concerned about
> where she will spend eternity, and whether she can still be friends with
> Justine, even though they are members of different species.
>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from Justine's
> cell phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina. Georgina informs Casey
> that she has captured Justine, and Casey figures out that Georgina is
> now a vampire. Casey and the twins are able to save Justine before
> Georgina drinks her blood, but Georgina has bitten her. Georgina also
> bites Casey, but Tony arrives and is able to suck both of their blood
> clean.
>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack Marissa and
> she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since Casey is her Alpha.
> When Casey arrives, she finds another werewolf, Jenae, waiting with
> Marissa. Tony and Justine arrive. Tony thanks  Casey for saving Justine
> and invites her and Nate to go out with them that night. Casey accepts,
> although she is suspicious of Tony's true motives. Later that night,  he
> gets Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her. Casey sends her
> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just in
> time. He kills Tony. Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey that he
> plans to go home and work at a hospital to earn money for medical
> school.
>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for saving
> her from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him. Later that
> morning, Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and admits his love
> to her. This makes Marissa angry because she feels like Nate is leading
> Casey on. Casey goes out for coffee with Jenae to find out more
> information about her, since Jenae wants to join Casey's pack.
> Meanwhile, Marissa attacks Nate, forcing him to leave before originally
> planned.
>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and while they
> are at the restaurant, Rob shows up. He points a gun at Casey, but Jenae
> jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet instead. Casey accepts Jenae
> into her pack as she dies.
>     Casey spends the next month in a daze. She meets Savannah, a human
> who likes to party. Depressed and inebriated most of the time, Casey
> tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself, and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual wolf
> who almost instantly guesses what she is. He explains the differences-in
> his mind-that exist between humans and wolves. Casey decides she likes
> being human better, because she feels the human world gives her goals to
> achieve and a more purposeful life. That night, the vampire attacks Nate
> while he is at work. Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to
> Casey.
>     The next day, Nate returns. Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing Casey that a vampire is looking for her. The vampire captures
> Savannah, and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's rescue.
>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space. Everyone
> except for Casey falls into a similar state. Casey is unaffected because
> she is blind and cannot see the illusions created by the vampire.  When
> Casey attacks the vampire, his movement frees the others from his
> visions. Casey's pack destroys the vampire.
>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the vampire
> killed, including those of werewolves. Convinced she isn't damned for
> eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted herself as a werewolf.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:25:58 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbe6f6f.8e4ee50a.33fd.0675 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi,
> Well, this synopsis seems more like a list of events than a
> flowing transitional piece between each character's life.  I
> would like to read the book, and understand what you are saying,
> however, I'd deliver it different, for example, even
> "Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
> person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf."
> might be a good starting sentence to your main synopsis.
>
> HTH
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>
> Hello everyone,
>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw
> mine out there for critique.  It is for my young adult, fantasy
> novel, titled "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
> Does this make you want to read the book?
> --Katie
>
>
> Changes Plot Synopsis
>
> Main Conflict:
>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a
> blind person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a
> werewolf.  She avoids phasing unless it is the time of the full
> moon-or unless absolutely necessary.  While attending college in
> present-day Denver, Colorado, circumstances force Casey to accept
> her duel nature.
>
> Synopsis:
>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
> Justine, invites Casey to go to a club with her and her
> boyfriend, Tony, that night.  Casey agrees to go.  She meets Tony
> at a restaurant beforehand.  She is horrified when she discovers
> that Tony isn't human.  He doesn't eat anything at dinner, and
> his scent is too sweet.  Casey struggles to keep her inner wolf
> in check, so she doesn't change into a wolf in the middle of the
> crowded restaurant.
>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob.  She
> is rescued by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb.  Casey is
> attracted to Nate; this is the first time she meets others of her
> own kind.
>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf
> when Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her,
> her mood shifts to one of a giddy romantic.  Casey warns Justine,
> but it doesn't change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown,
> and come across Nate and Seb.  Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf,
> and he knows that she is, too.  She is glad to have found another
> like her.  Nate also tells Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with
> him when he phased once.  He fears that he may have bitten her,
> and that Marissa may be a werewolf.  They go to Marissa's dorm
> and discover she is still human.  Nate accidently phases in front
> of Marissa.  Marissa faints, and Casey hopes Marissa will just
> wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream.
> She finds Marissa working at the ice cream shop.  Marissa has
> figured out that Nate is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey
> about it; Casey is reluctant to share, although she likes
> Marissa.
>
>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina,
> from a vampire.
>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is
> similar to that of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine
> that he is a hybrid-half human, half vampire.  Justine's love for
> him is unchanged.
>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date".
> Georgina tells Casey that she is moving out immediately because
> she knows about Casey's duel nature.  Casey accidentally phases
> in front of Georgina, almost killing her.
>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf.  Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa.  In need
> of a new roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with
> her.  Marissa agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging
> around Casey.  She gets in a car accident while moving her things
> to Casey's apartment.  Nate gives Marissa his blood, saving her
> life, but the blood changes Marissa into a werewolf.
>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes
> Alpha.  She discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's
> emotions, and she has an influence over whether the twins change
> forms.
>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as
> Alpha.
>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of
> a guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs.  His body was
> found in a dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey.  Casey is made
> aware of how different she is from humans because of her
> instincts, and wonders if werewolves have an immortal soul.
> Marissa and Nate come up with no concrete evidence proving that
> they have souls.  Casey is concerned about where she will spend
> eternity, and whether she can still be friends with Justine, even
> though they are members of different species.
>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from
> Justine's cell phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina.
> Georgina informs Casey that she has captured Justine, and Casey
> figures out that Georgina is now a vampire.  Casey and the twins
> are able to save Justine before Georgina drinks her blood, but
> Georgina has bitten her.  Georgina also bites Casey, but Tony
> arrives and is able to suck both of their blood clean.
>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack
> Marissa and she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since
> Casey is her Alpha.  When Casey arrives, she finds another
> werewolf, Jenae, waiting with Marissa.  Tony and Justine arrive.
> Tony thanks  Casey for saving Justine and invites her and Nate to
> go out with them that night.  Casey accepts, although she is
> suspicious of Tony's true motives.  Later that night,  he gets
> Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her.  Casey sends her
> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just
> in time.  He kills Tony.  Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey
> that he plans to go home and work at a hospital to earn money for
> medical school.
>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for
> saving her from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him.
> Later that morning, Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and
> admits his love to her.  This makes Marissa angry because she
> feels like Nate is leading Casey on.  Casey goes out for coffee
> with Jenae to find out more information about her, since Jenae
> wants to join Casey's pack.  Meanwhile, Marissa attacks Nate,
> forcing him to leave before originally planned.
>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and
> while they are at the restaurant, Rob shows up.  He points a gun
> at Casey, but Jenae jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet
> instead.  Casey accepts Jenae into her pack as she dies.
>     Casey spends the next month in a daze.  She meets Savannah,
> a human who likes to party.  Depressed and inebriated most of the
> time, Casey tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself, and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual
> wolf who almost instantly guesses what she is.  He explains the
> differences-in his mind-that exist between humans and wolves.
> Casey decides she likes being human better, because she feels the
> human world gives her goals to achieve and a more purposeful
> life.  That night, the vampire attacks Nate while he is at work.
> Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to Casey.
>     The next day, Nate returns.  Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing Casey that a vampire is looking for her.  The vampire
> captures Savannah, and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's
> rescue.
>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space.
> Everyone except for Casey falls into a similar state.  Casey is
> unaffected because she is blind and cannot see the illusions
> created by the vampire.  When Casey attacks the vampire, his
> movement frees the others from his visions.  Casey's pack
> destroys the vampire.
>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the
> vampire killed, including those of werewolves.  Convinced she
> isn't damned for eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted
> herself as a werewolf.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:49:41 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <BCCAD78B50754350BB9C924F58412AF0 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> How to Write a Synopsis
>
> by Marg Gilks
>
> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then marketing
> a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment like "I hate
> writing synopses."
>
> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself. Now
> I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to write
> than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd words into
> a few pages. But it's important.
>
> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package and,
> as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished with the
> same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with the cover
> letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the manuscript. If they
> don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they won't even glance at
> your chapter samples.
>
> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is purchased),
> and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual bookstore
> browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far from
> actuality.
>
> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and do
> well. But how?"
>
>
> One Step at a Time
> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it down.
> Do it step by step.
>
> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
> write a synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The
> best time to realize this is just before you sit down with your
> manuscript for the final reading preparatory to declaring the thing
> completed.
>
> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph summary
> of what happened where, and to which character, in that chapter.
>
> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
> Symbolism you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you
> were slogging away at the computer for all those months? (The
> subconscious mind is a wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You
> may just discover your one-line story summary that agents and editors
> like so much, if you didn't know what it was before. Or even if you
> thought you knew what it was, before (surprise, says the Muse, you were
> wrong).
>
> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
> outline, what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading,
> and since chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor
> with editors and agents, this will likely remain one of your most
> valuable writing tools, and that's about it. Don't throw this away when
> you've done your synopsis, either. You may know the story intimately
> now, but you do forget details over time. You may decide to revise the
> novel in the future, and this outline will help you. I've used mine to
> make sure I'm not duplicating character names from one project to the
> next. (The subconscious mind can also booby-trap you.) Reading an
> outline is much easier than leafing through or rereading an entire
> novel.
>
> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are doing,
> basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more manageable
> packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important plot points
> in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>
> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only those
> events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major way.
> We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones your
> reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right now, we
> are striving for bare-bones.
>
> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
> ever."
>
> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
> that right now.
>
>
> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
> synopsis:
>
>
> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that will
> pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to buy the
> book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a feel for
> how it's done.
>
>
> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your friend.
> You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot him and
> that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that sounds
> like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things like, "The
> good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the evil Dr. Death,
> the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr. Death, falls,
> somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him with the Good Guy
> Death-ray to save the world."
>
> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
> enthusiastic. Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick
> up the manuscript and find out how this happens! How can you make your
> synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main character and his or her
> crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote briefly from the novel
> itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's emotions and
> motivations, those points that explain why a character does something,
> but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into
> the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
> the story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
> summary by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a
> sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel
> will be like, so give it your all.
>
> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
> story that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your
> cover letter. Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only
> will it pique their interest, but it's something they can use when
> presenting the novel to the buying board. It's also something you can
> use, the next time someone politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
>
> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good as
> the novel!"
>
>
> Shalts and Shalt Nots
> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>
> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be longer
> than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and agents, busy
> people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten pages. The
> busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider two pages
> ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight page. If
> you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry if it's ten
> or more pages long
> -- but it had better be gripping.
>
> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>
> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the first
> three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four. Don't leave
> out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to request the full
> manuscript in order to find out what happens. What they will do is
> decide you're an amateur.
>
> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>
> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should single-
> or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side, double-space;
> it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your synopsis much as
> you did your novel, or a short story.
>
> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's also
> advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view character
> by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the character's name.
>
> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this way:
> not only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your
> writing skills at the same time.
>
>
> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:02:03 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID: <8CE371F3E7A74E4AAA97CB5F8C83329D at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=response
>
> I agree that it sounds like a list of events.  What drove me nuts was
> the
> constant reference to days (Monday, Tuesday etc.).  It is a list of
> events.
> Try to make it more creative.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Danielle Montour" <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 12:25 AM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>
>
>> Hi,
>> Well, this synopsis seems more like a list of events than a flowing
>> transitional piece between each character's life.  I would like to
> read
>> the book, and understand what you are saying, however, I'd deliver it
>> different, for example, even      "Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is
> okay
>> with herself as a blind person, but she has trouble accepting herself
> as a
>> werewolf." might be a good starting sentence to your main synopsis.
>>
>> HTH
>>
>> Danni
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu
>> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
>> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw mine
>> out
>> there for critique.  It is for my young adult, fantasy novel, titled
>> "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think.  Does this make you
> want
>> to read the book?
>> --Katie
>>
>>
>> Changes Plot Synopsis
>>
>> Main Conflict:
>>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
>> person,
>> but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf.  She avoids
> phasing
>> unless it is the time of the full moon-or unless absolutely necessary.
>
>> While attending college in present-day Denver, Colorado, circumstances
>
>> force Casey to accept her duel nature.
>>
>> Synopsis:
>>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
>> Justine,
>> invites Casey to go to a club with her and her boyfriend, Tony, that
>> night.  Casey agrees to go.  She meets Tony at a restaurant
> beforehand.
>> She is horrified when she discovers that Tony isn't human.  He doesn't
> eat
>> anything at dinner, and his scent is too sweet.  Casey struggles to
> keep
>> her inner wolf in check, so she doesn't change into a wolf in the
> middle
>> of the crowded restaurant.
>>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob.  She is
> rescued
>> by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb.  Casey is attracted to Nate; this
> is
>> the first time she meets others of her own kind.
>>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf when
>> Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her, her mood
>
>> shifts to one of a giddy romantic.  Casey warns Justine, but it
> doesn't
>> change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown, and
> come
>> across Nate and Seb.  Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf, and he knows
> that
>> she is, too.  She is glad to have found another like her.  Nate also
> tells
>> Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with him when he phased once.  He
> fears
>> that he may have bitten her, and that Marissa may be a werewolf.  They
> go
>> to Marissa's dorm and discover she is still human.  Nate accidently
> phases
>> in front of Marissa.  Marissa faints, and Casey hopes Marissa will
> just
>> wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream.  She
> finds
>> Marissa working at the ice cream shop.  Marissa has figured out that
> Nate
>> is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey about it; Casey is reluctant
> to
>> share, although she likes Marissa.
>>
>>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina, from
>> a
>> vampire.
>>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is similar to
> that
>> of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine that he is a
> hybrid-half
>> human, half vampire.  Justine's love for him is unchanged.
>>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date".  Georgina
> tells
>> Casey that she is moving out immediately because she knows about
> Casey's
>> duel nature.  Casey accidentally phases in front of Georgina, almost
>> killing her.
>>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf.
>> Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa.  In need of a
> new
>> roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with her.  Marissa
>> agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging around Casey.  She gets
> in
>> a car accident while moving her things to Casey's apartment.  Nate
> gives
>> Marissa his blood, saving her life, but the blood changes Marissa into
> a
>> werewolf.
>>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes Alpha.
> She
>> discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's emotions, and she has
> an
>> influence over whether the twins change forms.
>>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as Alpha.
>>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of a
>> guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs.  His body was found
> in a
>> dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey.  Casey is made aware of how
>> different she is from humans because of her instincts, and wonders if
>> werewolves have an immortal soul.  Marissa and Nate come up with no
>> concrete evidence proving that they have souls.  Casey is concerned
> about
>> where she will spend eternity, and whether she can still be friends
> with
>> Justine, even though they are members of different species.
>>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from Justine's
> cell
>> phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina.  Georgina informs Casey
> that
>> she has captured Justine, and Casey figures out that Georgina is now a
>
>> vampire.  Casey and the twins are able to save Justine before Georgina
>
>> drinks her blood, but Georgina has bitten her.  Georgina also bites
> Casey,
>> but Tony arrives and is able to suck both of their blood clean.
>>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack Marissa
> and
>> she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since Casey is her
> Alpha.
>> When Casey arrives, she finds another werewolf, Jenae, waiting with
>> Marissa.  Tony and Justine arrive.  Tony thanks  Casey for saving
> Justine
>> and invites her and Nate to go out with them that night.  Casey
> accepts,
>> although she is suspicious of Tony's true motives.  Later that night,
> he
>> gets Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her.  Casey sends her
>> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just in
> time.
>> He kills Tony.  Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey that he plans
> to
>> go home and work at a hospital to earn money for medical school.
>>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for saving
> her
>> from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him.  Later that
> morning,
>> Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and admits his love to her.
>> This makes Marissa angry because she feels like Nate is leading Casey
> on.
>> Casey goes out for coffee with Jenae to find out more information
> about
>> her, since Jenae wants to join Casey's pack.  Meanwhile, Marissa
> attacks
>> Nate, forcing him to leave before originally planned.
>>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and while they
> are
>> at the restaurant, Rob shows up.  He points a gun at Casey, but Jenae
>> jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet instead.  Casey accepts
> Jenae
>> into her pack as she dies.
>>     Casey spends the next month in a daze.  She meets Savannah, a
> human
>> who likes to party.  Depressed and inebriated most of the time, Casey
>> tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself,
>> and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual wolf
> who
>> almost instantly guesses what she is.  He explains the differences-in
> his
>> mind-that exist between humans and wolves.  Casey decides she likes
> being
>> human better, because she feels the human world gives her goals to
> achieve
>> and a more purposeful life.  That night, the vampire attacks Nate
> while he
>> is at work.  Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to Casey.
>>     The next day, Nate returns.  Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing
>> Casey that a vampire is looking for her.  The vampire captures
> Savannah,
>> and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's rescue.
>>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space.  Everyone
>
>> except for Casey falls into a similar state.  Casey is unaffected
> because
>> she is blind and cannot see the illusions created by the vampire.
> When
>> Casey attacks the vampire, his movement frees the others from his
> visions.
>> Casey's pack destroys the vampire.
>>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the vampire
>> killed, including those of werewolves.  Convinced she isn't damned for
>
>> eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted herself as a werewolf.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:23:27 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <51CDAD88BFAC446C86DF16A4C89A28EC at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> Joe, This is fabulous!  I'm going back to try to do what she's
> suggesting.
> Later, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 8:49 AM
> Subject: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
>
>
>> How to Write a Synopsis
>>
>> by Marg Gilks
>>
>> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then
>> marketing a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment
>> like "I hate writing synopses."
>>
>> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
>> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
>> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself.
>> Now I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to
>> write than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd
>> words into a few pages. But it's important.
>>
>> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package
>> and, as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished
>> with the same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with
>> the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the
>> manuscript. If they don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they
>
>> won't even glance at your chapter samples.
>>
>> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
>> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
>> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is
>> purchased), and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual
>> bookstore browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far
>> from actuality.
>>
>> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and
>> do well. But how?"
>>
>>
>> One Step at a Time
>> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it
>> down.
>> Do
>> it step by step.
>>
>> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
>> write
>> a
>> synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The best time
> to
>> realize this is just before you sit down with your manuscript for the
>> final
>> reading preparatory to declaring the thing completed.
>>
>> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
>
>> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph
>> summary of what happened where, and to which character, in that
>> chapter.
>>
>> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
>> Symbolism
>> you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you were
> slogging
>> away at the computer for all those months? (The subconscious mind is a
>> wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You may just discover your
>> one-line story summary that agents and editors like so much, if you
> didn't
>> know what it was before. Or even if you thought you knew what it was,
>> before
>> (surprise, says the Muse, you were wrong).
>>
>> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
>> outline,
>> what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading, and since
>> chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor with
> editors
>> and agents, this will likely remain one of your most valuable writing
>> tools,
>> and that's about it. Don't throw this away when you've done your
> synopsis,
>> either. You may know the story intimately now, but you do forget
> details
>> over time. You may decide to revise the novel in the future, and this
>> outline will help you. I've used mine to make sure I'm not duplicating
>> character names from one project to the next. (The subconscious mind
> can
>> also booby-trap you.) Reading an outline is much easier than leafing
>> through
>> or rereading an entire novel.
>>
>> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are
>> doing, basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more
>> manageable packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important
>
>> plot points in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>>
>> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only
>> those events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major
>> way. We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones
>> your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right
>> now, we are striving for bare-bones.
>>
>> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
>> ever."
>>
>> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
>> that right now.
>>
>>
>> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
>> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
>> synopsis:
>>
>>
>> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that
>> will pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to
>> buy the book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a
>> feel for how it's done.
>>
>>
>> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your
>> friend. You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot
>> him and that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that
>> sounds like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things
>> like, "The good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the
>> evil Dr. Death, the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr.
>
>> Death, falls, somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him
>> with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the world."
>>
>> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
>> enthusiastic.
>> Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick up the
>> manuscript
>> and find out how this happens!
>> How can you make your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main
>> character and his or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote
>> briefly from the novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's
>> emotions and motivations, those points that explain why a character
> does
>> something, but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste
> of
>> it
>> into the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
>> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
> the
>> story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
> summary by
>> using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a sample of
> your
>> writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel will be like,
> so
>> give it your all.
>>
>> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
>> story
>> that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your cover
>> letter.
>> Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only will it
> pique
>> their interest, but it's something they can use when presenting the
> novel
>> to
>> the buying board. It's also something you can use, the next time
> someone
>> politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
>>
>> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good
>> as
>> the
>> novel!"
>>
>>
>> Shalts and Shalt Nots
>> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>>
>> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
>> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be
>> longer than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and
>> agents, busy people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten
>
>> pages. The busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider
>> two pages ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight
>> page. If you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry
>> if it's ten or more pages long
>> -- but it had better be gripping.
>>
>> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
>> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
>
>> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
>> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>>
>> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the
>> first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four.
>> Don't leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to
>> request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens. What
>> they will do is decide you're an amateur.
>>
>> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
>
>> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
>> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>>
>> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should
>> single- or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side,
>> double-space; it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your
>> synopsis much as you did your novel, or a short story.
>>
>> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
>> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
>> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
>> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's
>> also advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view
>> character by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the
>> character's name.
>>
>> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this
>> way:
>> not
>> only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your
>> writing
>> skills at the same time.
>>
>>
>> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
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>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:21:12 -0400
> From: Donna Hill <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,  Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <4CBF08E8.1080803 at epix.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi Joe,
> Thanks so much for finding and posting this. It's excellent. I haven't
> yet re located the section in Sarah Parsons Zackheim's "Getting Your
> Book Published for Dummies" about query letters and synopses for
> fiction, but, if memory serves, this article is in agreement with her
> perspective.
>
> My gut reaction in creating my own synopsis, which isn't done yet, is
> that I'd like to keep it between 500 and 800 words. That would be in
> line with the author's preference for 2 pages. I think my reasoning
> stems from my indoctrination as a writer for Suite 101; they tout
> research claiming that readers respond best to pieces that are between
> 400 and 800 words.
>
> Donna Hill
>
> Read Donna's articles on
> Suite 101:
> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
> Ezine Articles:
> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
> American Chronicle:
> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Connect with Donna on
> Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
> LinkedIn:
> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
> FaceBook:
> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
> Apple I-Tunes
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=25924437
> 4
>
> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
> On 10/20/2010 8:49 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>> How to Write a Synopsis
>>
>> by Marg Gilks
>>
>> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then
>> marketing a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment
>> like "I hate writing synopses."
>>
>> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
>> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
>> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself.
>> Now I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to
>> write than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd
>> words into a few pages. But it's important.
>>
>> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package
>> and, as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished
>> with the same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with
>> the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the
>> manuscript. If they don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they
>
>> won't even glance at your chapter samples.
>>
>> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
>> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
>> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is
>> purchased), and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual
>> bookstore browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far
>> from actuality.
>>
>> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and
>> do well. But how?"
>>
>>
>> One Step at a Time
>> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it
>> down. Do it step by step.
>>
>> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
>> write a synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The
>> best time to realize this is just before you sit down with your
>> manuscript for the final reading preparatory to declaring the thing
>> completed.
>>
>> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
>
>> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph
>> summary of what happened where, and to which character, in that
>> chapter.
>>
>> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
>> Symbolism you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you
>> were slogging away at the computer for all those months? (The
>> subconscious mind is a wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You
>
>> may just discover your one-line story summary that agents and editors
>> like so much, if you didn't know what it was before. Or even if you
>> thought you knew what it was, before (surprise, says the Muse, you
>> were wrong).
>>
>> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
>> outline, what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading,
>> and since chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor
>
>> with editors and agents, this will likely remain one of your most
>> valuable writing tools, and that's about it. Don't throw this away
>> when you've done your synopsis, either. You may know the story
>> intimately now, but you do forget details over time. You may decide to
>
>> revise the novel in the future, and this outline will help you. I've
>> used mine to make sure I'm not duplicating character names from one
>> project to the next. (The subconscious mind can also booby-trap you.)
>> Reading an outline is much easier than leafing through or rereading an
>
>> entire novel.
>>
>> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are
>> doing, basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more
>> manageable packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important
>
>> plot points in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>>
>> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only
>> those events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major
>> way. We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones
>> your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right
>> now, we are striving for bare-bones.
>>
>> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
>> ever."
>>
>> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
>> that right now.
>>
>>
>> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
>> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
>> synopsis:
>>
>>
>> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that
>> will pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to
>> buy the book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a
>> feel for how it's done.
>>
>>
>> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your
>> friend. You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot
>> him and that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that
>> sounds like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things
>> like, "The good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the
>> evil Dr. Death, the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr.
>
>> Death, falls, somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him
>> with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the world."
>>
>> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
>> enthusiastic. Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to
>> pick up the manuscript and find out how this happens! How can you make
>
>> your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main character and his
>> or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote briefly from the
>> novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's emotions and
>> motivations, those points that explain why a character does something,
>
>> but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into
>
>> the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
>> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
>> the story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
>> summary by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a
>> sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel
>
>> will be like, so give it your all.
>>
>> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
>
>> story that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your
>> cover letter. Editors and agents like having this distillation; not
>> only will it pique their interest, but it's something they can use
>> when presenting the novel to the buying board. It's also something you
>
>> can use, the next time someone politely asks you, "What's your novel
>> about?"
>>
>> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good
>> as the novel!"
>>
>>
>> Shalts and Shalt Nots
>> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>>
>> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
>> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be
>> longer than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and
>> agents, busy people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten
>
>> pages. The busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider
>> two pages ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight
>> page. If you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry
>> if it's ten or more pages long
>> -- but it had better be gripping.
>>
>> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
>> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
>
>> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
>> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>>
>> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the
>> first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four.
>> Don't leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to
>> request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens. What
>> they will do is decide you're an amateur.
>>
>> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
>
>> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
>> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>>
>> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should
>> single- or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side,
>> double-space; it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your
>> synopsis much as you did your novel, or a short story.
>>
>> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
>> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
>> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
>> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's
>> also advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view
>> character by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the
>> character's name.
>>
>> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this
>> way: not only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're
>> honing your writing skills at the same time.
>>
>>
>> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org<http://www.nfb-writers-division.or
>> g/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40e
>> pix.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
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> _______________________________________________
> stylist mailing list
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>
>
> End of stylist Digest, Vol 78, Issue 36
> ***************************************
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:14:35 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Self Publishing
> Message-ID: <8FC367AC4A3A4442A3380F52433F0ABE at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Donna,
>
> Thanks for the book mention.  I'm going to definitely check it out.
> From
> what I've been gathering, even authors who get picked up by major
> publishers
> wind up doing and paying for their own marketing in the current economy,
> which makes me want to do a cost comparison.  I hope folks with more
> information on book marketing will chime in, as this would be an
> important
> point of discussion for self-publishing.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Donna Hill
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 4:14 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Self Publishing
>
> Hi David,
> Congratulations for getting this far in the process! There are many
> things to think about with self-publishing, and unless you already have
> done so, I would advise reading "Getting Your Book Published for
> Dummies" which is available as digital download and cassette
> from NLS or
> some other book about how the publishing industry works.
>
> I think that I Universe still makes you sign an exclusive contract,
> whereas Amazon, for instance, doesn't. I'm in the  midst of researching
> this for my novel and it is a mind-numbing process. The other thing you
> need to keep in mind is that the writer, regardless of whether it's
> self-published or picked up by a publisher, is nowadays responsible for
> more and more of the promotions. I recently bought an accessible e-book
> called "Purple Snowflake Marketing" by Dave and Lillian Brummit, which
> is a great resource.
>
> BTW, what's a nonfiction novel?
>
> Donna Hill
>
> Read Donna's articles on
> Suite 101:
> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
> Ezine Articles:
> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
> American Chronicle:
> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Connect with Donna on
> Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
> LinkedIn:
> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
> FaceBook:
> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
> Apple I-Tunes
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=
> 259244374
>
> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
> On 10/20/2010 2:51 PM, davidw wrote:
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> I have been researching self publishing company's and there are so
>> many to choose from.  Being a first time author of my non-fiction
>> novel I'd like to make the right choice.
>>
>> Can someone recommend a company for printing paperback's with the
>> advantages of distribution.
>> and or company's that don't shy away from first time author's.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> David Wermuth
>> dwermuth1 at earthlink.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
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> rk%40epix.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>> Database version: 6.16120
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>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
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> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
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> info for stylist:
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> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:14:41 -0500
> From: Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
> To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] Changes plot synopsis
> Message-ID: <BLU0-SMTP1466F20C05BD78E826B8547C45C0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Katie,
>
> Ah, ala Twilight?  Vampires and werewolfs are very big right now!
> *smile*
>
> I love fantasy and this is interesting, but it is more of a chapter
> outline than a plot synopsis.  Try this, if you had to sum the book up
> in one sentence, how would it read?  Write this before expanding a bit
> to give your synopsis.  One sentence will help flesh out the central
> point.
>
> Good job and I look forward to reading more.
>
> Bridgit
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of stylist-request at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 12:00 PM
> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
> Subject: stylist Digest, Vol 78, Issue 36
>
>
> Send stylist mailing list submissions to
> stylist at nfbnet.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> stylist-request at nfbnet.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
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>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
> "Re: Contents of stylist digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>   2. Re: synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   3. Re: synopsis (Barbara Hammel)
>   4. Re: synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>   5. synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   6. Re: synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>   7. Re: synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>   8. Re: synopsis (Judith Bron)
>   9. Re: Synopsis (Watson, Katherine M)
>  10. Changes: a plot synopsis (Watson, Katherine M)
>  11. Re: Changes: a plot synopsis (Danielle Montour)
>  12. How to Write a Synopsis (Joe Orozco)
>  13. Re: Changes: a plot synopsis (Judith Bron)
>  14. Re: How to Write a Synopsis (Judith Bron)
>  15. Re: How to Write a Synopsis (Donna Hill)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:04:51 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <EC7B391371074A3D991A588BB5EC0806 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>
> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.  This is
> what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a quick
> Internet search:
>
> ***
>
> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult series
> about observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
> mainstream world. One may think that this is a topic for a niche
> audience, but Judith doesn't agree. "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing its
> ugly head again. But what do people hate?" She hopes to answer questions
> about observant Judaism, their unique lifestyle and give her readers a
> page turning reading experience that contains mystery, intrigue, good
> guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life, and yes, death. This book will
> give her readers a riveting novel that the young adult, or perhaps adult
> reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>
> ***
>
> That, I think, is intriguing.
>
> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if the
> synopsis you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>
> 1. It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of incidents.
> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character reacted
> like this...
>
> 2. Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much enthusiasm.
> You
> wrote:
>
> ***
>
> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>
> ***
>
> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
> Remember the novel audience is significantly different from your
> synopsis audience.
>
> 3. The themes laid out in the Internet search result is fascinating.
> Flush out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in should
> not be a shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a
> chapter-by-chapter outline.  The synopsis, according to what I
> understand you need to submit, should be a panoramic view of the themes,
> trials and brief character sketches the reader might encounter.  If I
> may offer a bit of advice, try to aim for the tone of a movie trailer.
> Think of the words the narrators use to convince you to watch the
> upcoming movie!
>
> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state.
> Because of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional relationship.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether. Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron"
> <jbron at optonline.net> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is more along the lines
> everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you think it sells the book?
> Thanks, Judith Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York,
> begins our
> novel with a
> near death experience and questions about her identity. Her
> foster mother,
> Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the accident.
> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer,
> her parents
> and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school
> football team.
> Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that
> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands
> more about
> her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
> identity as a
> Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey
> to find out
> just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned
> when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to
> bring her out
> of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since entering her
> present school the year before. Pessi's life is complicated by
> the poverty
> shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has
> ravaged her
> body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an
> Almighty she has
> believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has taken a
> mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time
> in her life
> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome
> her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has
> only been a
> part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually
> her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an observant
> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about
> her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp intent on
> living as an
> observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a
> family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi Levy,
> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove,
> and the lives
> of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York
> become entwined forever. The small book and letter left by her
> parents has
> become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her darkened
> bedrooms Jennifer
> clings to these possessions left by her parents and talks to them. She
> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the
> small book and
> letter are written in. She is able to learn from the letter
> that her Hebrew
> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah. The
> principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the
> small packet
> out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these things and
> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him
> later that day
> to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his
> safety deposit box
> at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will never
> accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi
> who, since her
> mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences more
> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get
> hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street. They
> take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
> the criminals
> proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on one of the
> beds, tries
> to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors' drinking party and
> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind. When her
> abductors fall
> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her
> arms off, slides
> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
> the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel
> brings her
> into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
> police, but
> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter
> becomes known to
> Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly revealed
> identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she
> has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of
> who and what
> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt. Painful
> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lorista
> y%40aol.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
> 0optonline.net
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
> info for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:20:18 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <0D09DA54256B406E99980896779B5052 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> Joe, I don't even remember which article or write up that excerpt was
> taken
> from.  I don't think it's a bad memory, just a selective one.  I'll take
>
> this version back to the drawing board.  Thanks, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 1:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
>> Judith,
>>
>> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.  This
>> is what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a
>> quick Internet search:
>>
>> ***
>>
>> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult series
>> about observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
>> mainstream world. One may think that this is a topic for a niche
>> audience, but Judith doesn't agree. "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing
>> its ugly head again. But what do people hate?" She hopes to answer
>> questions about observant Judaism, their unique lifestyle and give her
>
>> readers a page turning reading experience that contains
>> mystery, intrigue, good guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life, and
> yes,
>> death. This book will give her readers a riveting novel that the young
>> adult, or perhaps adult reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>>
>> ***
>>
>> That, I think, is intriguing.
>>
>> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if the
>> synopsis
>> you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>>
>> 1. It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of incidents.
>
>> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character
>> reacted like this...
>>
>> 2. Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much enthusiasm.
>
>> You
>> wrote:
>>
>> ***
>>
>> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
>> the criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>>
>> ***
>>
>> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
>> Remember the novel audience is significantly different from your
>> synopsis audience.
>>
>> 3. The themes laid out in the Internet search result is fascinating.
>> Flush
>> out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in should not
> be
>> a
>> shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a chapter-by-chapter
>> outline.  The synopsis, according to what I understand you need to
> submit,
>> should be a panoramic view of the themes, trials and brief character
>> sketches the reader might encounter.  If I may offer a bit of advice,
> try
>> to
>> aim for the tone of a movie trailer.  Think of the words the narrators
> use
>> to convince you to watch the upcoming movie!
>>
>> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
>> all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Judith Bron
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
>> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state. Because
>> of her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional
>> relationship.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
>> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>>
>> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether.
>> Lori On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron"
>> <jbron at optonline.net> wrote:
>>
>> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
>> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
>> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
>> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
>> <stylist at nfbnet.org> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is
>
>> more along the lines everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you
>> think it sells the book? Thanks, Judith
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our
>> novel with a
>> near death experience and questions about her identity. Her
>> foster mother,
>> Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the
> accident.
>> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left by
>> Jennifer's
>> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer,
>> her parents
>> and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>>
>> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
>> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
>> reveals that
>> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands
>> more about
>> her own identity.
>>
>> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
>> identity as a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her
>> journey to find out
>> just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
>> being orphaned
>> when she was two.
>>
>> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
>> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring
>> her out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
>> entering her present school the year before. Pessi's life is
>> complicated by the poverty
>> shrouding her once affluent family.
>>
>> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
>
>> her body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an
>> Almighty she has
>> believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has taken
> a
>> mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time
>> in her life
>> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
>> to overcome
>> her devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only
>> been a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
>> Eventually
>> her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an observant
>> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about
>> her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp intent on
>> living as an
>> observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a
>> family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi
> Levy,
>> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
>> Jenna, New York
>> become entwined forever. The small book and letter left by her
>> parents has
>> become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her darkened
>> bedrooms Jennifer
>> clings to these possessions left by her parents and talks to them. She
>> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the
>> small book and
>> letter are written in. She is able to learn from the letter
>> that her Hebrew
>> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She
>> shyly tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
>> Channah. The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls
>> the small packet
>> out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these things
> and
>> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>>
>> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him later that
>> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his
>> safety deposit box
>> at the bank.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will
>> never accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi who,
>
>> since her mother's illness and death has become a class leader,
>> experiences more turmoil over the change that is about to take place
>> in her family.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
>
>> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
>> street. They
>> take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and
>> the criminals
>> proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on one of the
>> beds, tries
>> to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors' drinking party and
>> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind. When her
>> abductors fall
>> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her
>> arms off, slides
>> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
>> the door.
>>
>> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
>
>> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
>> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
>> police, but
>> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>>
>> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
>> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
>
>> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the
>> same person she
>> has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
>
>> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
>> Painful questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/lorista
>> y%40aol.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%4
>> 0optonline.net
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
>> o%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonli
> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:50:51 -0500
> From: "Barbara Hammel" <poetlori8 at msn.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <SNT139-ds7B69B7A04A828024CBC73EB5B0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=response
>
> This is the idea I was thinking of though for ordering things.  Has
> Jennifer
> even bonded with her foster family?  If not, you could just say
> something
> about her feeling out of place in the world and leave Randy out and
> Sheila
> out.
> This attempt was much better than the first.
> Barbara
>
> ...
> Yesterday is
> A path well-trod,
> A familiar lane
> Through sacred sod,
> A road we travel
> Too often, I fear,
> For there are the good times
> When things are hard here,
> ...
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 11:04 AM
> To: <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>> Hi Joe,  Here's my latest attempt.  I think this is more along the
>> lines
>> everyone was talking about.  Bottom line, do you think it sells the
> book?
>> Thanks, Judith
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our novel
> with
>> a near death experience and questions about her identity.  Her foster
>> mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after the
>> accident. Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects
> left
>> by Jennifer's long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about
>> Jennifer, her parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to
> their
>> daughter.
>>
>> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
>> team.
>> Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer reveals
> that
>> she can't begin an emotional relationship until she understands more
> about
>> her own identity.
>>
>> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's
>> identity as
>> a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find
>> out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since being
>
>> orphaned when she was two.
>>
>> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
>> reclusive personality.  Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring
> her
>> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
> entering
>> her present school the year before.  Pessi's life is complicated by
> the
>> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>>
>> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
>
>> her
>> body.  Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she
> has
>> believed in her entire life.  She questions why the Almighty has taken
> a
>> mother away from her two younger siblings.  For the first time in her
> life
>> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to
>> overcome her devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only
>> been a
>> part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
>> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in
> an
>> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent
>> on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting
> her
>> placed with a family in Jenna, New York.  This family doesn't work
> out,
>> and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their
> home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna,
>> New York become entwined forever.  The small book and letter left by
> her
>> parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  In her darkened
>> bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her parents and
>> talks to them.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language
> that
>> both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to learn
> from
>> the letter that her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She
> shyly
>> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
>
>> packet out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
>> things and tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>>
>> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker.  The principal asks him later that
>
>> day
>> to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit
>> box at the bank.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
>> never
>> accept this change in their family.  More problems for Pessi who,
> since
>> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more
>> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
>> Criminals
>> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street.
>> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
>
>> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  Jennifer, lying on one of
> the
>> beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her abductors'
> drinking
>> party and spends the time reviewing school work in her mind.  When her
>
>> abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding
> her
>> arms off, slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins
>> hopping to the door.
>>
>> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
>> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her
>> into his room where the guest's wife is packing.  He calls the police,
> but
>> Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>>
>> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
>> known
>> to Jennifer.  But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed
>> identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person
>> she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>
>> lifestyle.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who
> and
>> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful
>> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/poetlori8%40msn
> .com
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:29:58 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbdf1d0.4bfde50a.4d6e.fffff01b at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi,
> I like the synopsis a lot better now, however, the view keeps
> switching between Pessy and Jennifer, and then some other
> characters, and the transition between them is a little rough.
> Maybe Making it flow a little better might help.
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:04:51 -0400
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Judith,
>
> You previously mentioned being an established freelance writer.
> This is
> what I found with regard to you and your novel while performing a
> quick
> Internet search:
>
> ***
>
> "She is currently working on her first novel in a young adult
> series about
> observant Jewish young adults that she wants to market in the
> mainstream
> world.  One may think that this is a topic for a niche audience,
> but Judith
> doesn't agree.  "Today, anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head
> again.  But
> what do people hate?" She hopes to answer questions about
> observant Judaism,
> their unique lifestyle and give her readers a page turning
> reading
> experience that contains
> mystery, intrigue, good guys, bad guys, issues surrounding life,
> and yes,
> death.  This book will give her readers a riveting novel that the
> young
> adult, or perhaps adult reader, Won't be able to put down!"
>
> ***
>
> That, I think, is intriguing.
>
> Now, with that in mind, look over your synopsis and tell us if
> the synopsis
> you've prepared lives up to this claim?
>
> 1.  It's very dry.  You may as well write a bulleted list of
> incidents.
> First this happened, and then that happened.  Then the character
> reacted
> like this...
>
> 2.  Find a balance between what is intriguing and too much
> enthusiasm.  You
> wrote:
>
> ***
>
> "They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party."
>
> ***
>
> Are you writing to an editor, or are you writing to a teenager?
> Remember
> the novel audience is significantly different from your synopsis
> audience.
>
> 3.  The themes laid out in the Internet search result is
> fascinating.  Flush
> out those themes in your synopsis.  What you are turning in
> should not be a
> shopping list, unless the publisher is requesting a
> chapter-by-chapter
> outline.  The synopsis, according to what I understand you need
> to submit,
> should be a panoramic view of the themes, trials and brief
> character
> sketches the reader might encounter.  If I may offer a bit of
> advice, try to
> aim for the tone of a movie trailer.  Think of the words the
> narrators use
> to convince you to watch the upcoming movie!
>
> It's looking good, but I recommend a bit more surgery.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:41 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state. Because of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional
> relationship.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis
> altogether.
> Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt.  I think this is
> more along the
> lines
> everyone was talking about.  Bottom line, do you think it sells
> the book?
> Thanks, Judith
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York, begins our novel
> with a near death experience and questions about her identity.  Her
> foster mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be with her after
> the
> accident.
> Sheila's flashback to the day she received the only objects left
> by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer, her
> parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that she can't begin an emotional relationship until she
> understands more about her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's identity
> as a Jew.  This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer
> and a
> reclusive personality.  Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her
> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since
> entering her
> present school the year before.  Pessi's life is complicated by the
> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
> her body.  Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life.  She questions why the Almighty has
>
> taken a
> mother away from her two younger siblings.  For the first time in her
> life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to
> overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only been
> a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant
> Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer something
> about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp intent on
> living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting her
> placed
> with a
> family in Jenna, New York.  This family doesn't work out, and
> Rabbi Levy,
> Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York become entwined forever.  The small book and letter left
> by her parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  In her
> darkened bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her
> parents and talks to
> them.  She
> eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language that both the small book
> and letter are written in.  She is able to learn from the letter that
> her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school
> principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.
> She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
> packet out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
> things and
> tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker.  The principal asks him later that
> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit box at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never
> accept this change in their family.  More problems for Pessi who, since
> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more
> turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her
> family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  Jennifer, lying on
> one of the beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her
> abductors' drinking
> party and
> spends the time reviewing school work in her mind.  When her abductors
> fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works the ropes binding her arms
> off, slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping
> to the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still
> tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing.  He calls the
> police, but Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer.  But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed
> identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same person
> she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity
> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in
> their
> lifestyle.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful
> questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for
> stylist:
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> y%40aol.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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> stylist:
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> 0optonline.net
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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> stylist:
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> o%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
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> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
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> for stylist:
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> er%40gmail.com
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <60CC3B4167884551BB4B4C55A061BA03 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks around
> the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a corridor that
> seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly her long deceased
> mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the
> constant anti Semitic derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with
> her mother.  But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are,
> and what you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but
> minutes later slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her injured
> foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers the strange
> messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only possessions left
> by Jennifer's parents, a little book with an inserted paper written in
> foreign writing.  The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.  After
> closing the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man
> walking away from the house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival
> of what should have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the
> items in her possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer
> on her seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is talking
> to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive personality, Pessi
> disagrees with her mother about getting involved with the girls at
> school.  Pessi insists that it's her life and if she wants to be alone
> so be it.  She stomps out of the house like a belligerent child leaving
> her mother on the sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken
> home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.  Her
> classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the protective shell
> Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is a bout to change
> forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to help
> her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the mattress.
> Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's remains begging her to
> say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she has
> believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life she has her
> solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to overcome her
> devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in
> getting her placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work
> out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their
> home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in Jenna
> become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a fixture in
> Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew language
> that both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to
> learn from the letter her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She tells
> the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal asks her how she knows
> this and Jennifer pulls the small packet out of her backpack.  The
> principal pales when she sees these things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet in a
> safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
> never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.  Criminals
> get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna street.
> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  When her abductors fall
> into a drunken slumber Jennifer works off the ropes binding her arms,
> slides off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to
> the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
> another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
> identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing with her
> newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not
> the same person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lives.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and what
> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula
> questions experienced by teenagers everywhere.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:15:24 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <5DC2A634551B4807ACD3A794DC14C921 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>
> It's coming along really well.  I would start off by informing the
> reader that that there are two characters so they know not to get
> side-tracked by the mention of two girls.  Maybe you could relocate the
> last paragraph to the top of the synopsis.  Rephrase it of course so
> that it reads more smoothly.
>
> Also, this sentence is positioned rather randomly:
>
> *Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
> never accept this.*
>
> I think I get the back and forth you're trying to achieve, but it's a
> little dizzying.  I would focus on one girl, then the other, and then
> tie it up neatly with ominous tones of, "what will happen to these girls
> who must struggle to find their identity..."  If I weren't in a rush,
> I'd give you a better sample, but I think you get what I mean.
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam
> Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judith Bron
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 5:02 PM
> To: Stylist
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car,
> looks around the strange place she ended up in.  In front of
> her is a corridor that seems to be lit with flickering candles.
> Suddenly her long deceased mother is talking to her.
> Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the constant anti Semitic
> derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with her mother.
> But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who
> you are, and what you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her
> mother's mind, but minutes later slams back into her body,
> aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with
> her injured foster daughter.  While heading to her car she
> remembers the strange messenger a few months earlier who
> delivered the only possessions left by Jennifer's parents, a
> little book with an inserted paper written in foreign writing.
> The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.  After closing
> the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a
> man walking away from the house.  Now she thought about
> Jennifer's survival of what should have been a deadly accident.
> She wondered about the items in her possession that the
> messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her seventeenth
> birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery surrounding
> an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg
> is talking to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive
> personality, Pessi disagrees with her mother about getting
> involved with the girls at school.  Pessi insists that it's her
> life and if she wants to be alone so be it.  She stomps out of
> the house like a belligerent child leaving her mother on the
> sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.
> Her classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the
> protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life
> is a bout to change forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room
> to help her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on
> the mattress.  Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's
> remains begging her to say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her
> life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she
> tries to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish
> identity.  Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting
> her registered in an observant Jewish summer camp hoping that
> the camp can teach Jennifer something about her roots and
> identity.  Jennifer returns from camp intent on living as an
> observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting her
> placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work out,
> and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into
> their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove,
> and the lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish
> Girls' school in Jenna become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a
> fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn
> the Hebrew language that both the small book and letter are
> written in.  She is able to learn from the letter her Hebrew
> name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew
> name.  She tells the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal
> asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small packet
> out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet
> in a safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from
> a Jenna street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like
> a hunted animal and the criminals proceed to have a drinking
> party.  When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer
> works off the ropes binding her arms, slides off the bed and,
> braced on her now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall
> where another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's
> true identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time
> dealing with her newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with
> the fact that she is not the same person she has lived with for
> the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic
> changes in their lives.  Both characters have to come to an
> understanding of who and what they are in a world filled with
> danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula questions experienced by
> teenagers everywhere.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
> info for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
> o%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:50:08 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbe20b9.a26fe50a.587a.30d4 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Nice! That's really good! I like it.
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net
> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>
> Does this work?  Judith
>
> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks
> around the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a
> corridor that seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly
> her long deceased mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life
> is dismal due to the constant anti Semitic derisions by her
> classmates, wants to stay with her mother.  But her mother tells
> her that its not yet her time to stay.  She has to learn, "To
> live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are, and what you
> are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but minutes
> later slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>
> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her
> injured foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers
> the strange messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only
> possessions left by Jennifer's parents, a little book with an
> inserted paper written in foreign writing.  The messenger handed
> Sheila the items and left.  After closing the door Sheila ran to
> her window to watch him drive away, but no car appeared on the
> street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man walking away from the
> house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival of what should
> have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the items in her
> possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her
> seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>
> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is
> talking to her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive
> personality, Pessi disagrees with her mother about getting
> involved with the girls at school.  Pessi insists that it's her
> life and if she wants to be alone so be it.  She stomps out of
> the house like a belligerent child leaving her mother on the sofa
> in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>
> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.
> Her classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the
> protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is
> a bout to change forever.
>
> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to
> help her only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the
> mattress.  Totally bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's
> remains begging her to say something.
>
> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she
> has believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life
> she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered
> in an observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach
> Jennifer something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer
> returns from camp intent on living as an observant Jewess.  Again
> Sheila is helpful in getting her placed with a family in Jenna.
> This family doesn't work out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father,
> agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and
> the lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls'
> school in Jenna become entwined forever.
>
> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a
> fixture in Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn
> the Hebrew language that both the small book and letter are
> written in.  She is able to learn from the letter her Hebrew name
> is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high
> school principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew
> name.  She tells the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal
> asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small packet
> out of her backpack.  The principal pales when she sees these
> things.
>
> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet
> in a safe place.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she
> will never accept this.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
> Criminals get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a
> Jenna street.  They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a
> hunted animal and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party.
> When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works off
> the ropes binding her arms, slides off the bed and, braced on her
> now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
> another hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the
> police.
>
> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
> identity are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing
> with her newly revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact
> that she is not the same person she has lived with for the past
> 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their
> identity throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic
> changes in their lives.  Both characters have to come to an
> understanding of who and what they are in a world filled with
> danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula questions experienced by
> teenagers everywhere.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:46:47 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <949B2C8F3C0D4EDE9BFEDBC5FB65E005 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=response
>
> Thanks Danni, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Danielle Montour" <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 6:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
>> Nice! That's really good! I like it.
>>
>> Danni
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net
>> To: Stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:01 -0400
>> Subject: [stylist] synopsis
>>
>> Does this work?  Judith
>>
>> Jennifer Rabinowitz, unconscious after being hit by a car, looks
>> around
>> the strange place she ended up in.  In front of her is a corridor that
>
>> seems to be lit with flickering candles.  Suddenly her long deceased
>> mother is talking to her.  Jennifer, whose life is dismal due to the
>> constant anti Semitic derisions by her classmates, wants to stay with
> her
>> mother.  But her mother tells her that its not yet her time to stay.
> She
>> has to learn, "To live.  To love.  To hope.  To know who you are, and
> what
>> you are!"  Jennifer tries to change her mother's mind, but minutes
> later
>> slams back into her body, aware of the pain.
>>
>> Jennifer's foster mother, Sheila, spent most of the day with her
>> injured
>> foster daughter.  While heading to her car she remembers the strange
>> messenger a few months earlier who delivered the only possessions left
> by
>> Jennifer's parents, a little book with an inserted paper written in
>> foreign writing.  The messenger handed Sheila the items and left.
> After
>> closing the door Sheila ran to her window to watch him drive away, but
> no
>> car appeared on the street or driveway.  She couldn't see a man
> walking
>> away from the house.  Now she thought about Jennifer's survival of
> what
>> should have been a deadly accident.  She wondered about the items in
> her
>> possession that the messenger told her to give to Jennifer on her
>> seventeenth birthday.  The story begins with all this mystery
> surrounding
>> an orphaned Jewish girl from Curtis Cove, New York.
>>
>> Meanwhile, on the same day in Jenna, New York Pessi Goldberg is
>> talking to
>> her very ill mother.  Shrouded in her reclusive personality, Pessi
>> disagrees with her mother about getting involved with the girls at
> school.
>> Pessi insists that it's her life and if she wants to be alone so be
> it.
>> She stomps out of the house like a belligerent child leaving her
> mother on
>> the sofa in the dining room of their poverty stricken home.
>>
>> That afternoon Pessi decides to attend a lecture at her school.  Her
>> classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her out of the protective shell
> Pessi
>> has shrouded herself in.  Pessi's life is a bout to change forever.
>>
>> One morning a few months later Pessi goes to her mother's room to help
>
>> her
>> only to discover a cold motionless body lying on the mattress.
> Totally
>> bereft Pessi gently shakes her mother's remains begging her to say
>> something.
>>
>> Heart broken, Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty she has
>> believed in her entire life.  For the first time in her life she has
> her
>> solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries to overcome her
>> devastating loss.
>>
>> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her depressing Jewish identity.
>> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in
> an
>> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
>> something about her roots and identity.  Jennifer returns from camp
> intent
>> on living as an observant Jewess.  Again Sheila is helpful in getting
> her
>> placed with a family in Jenna.  This family doesn't work out, and
> Rabbi
>> Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into their home.
>>
>> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
>> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna
>> become entwined forever.
>>
>> The small book and letter left by her parents has become a fixture in
>> Jennifer's backpack.  She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew
> language
>> that both the small book and letter are written in.  She is able to
> learn
>> from the letter her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
>>
>> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
>> principal Mrs.  Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name.  She
> tells
>> the principal her Hebrew name.  The principal asks her how she knows
> this
>> and Jennifer pulls the small packet out of her backpack.  The
> principal
>> pales when she sees these things.
>>
>> Later that day the principal asks Rabbi Levy to put the packet in a
>> safe
>> place.
>>
>> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry.  She vows she will
>> never
>> accept this.
>>
>> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section.
>> Criminals
>> get hold of this information and kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna street.
>> They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal and the
>
>> criminals proceed to have a drinking party.  When her abductors fall
> into
>> a drunken slumber Jennifer works off the ropes binding her arms,
> slides
>> off the bed and, braced on her now free hands begins hopping to the
> door.
>>
>> With her legs still tightly bound she hobbles into the hall where
>> another
>> hotel guest brings her into his room and calls the police.
>>
>> Eventually the contents of the letter containing Jennifer's true
>> identity
>> are disclosed to her.  But she has a hard time dealing with her newly
>> revealed identity.  She can't deal with the fact that she is not the
> same
>> person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>>
>> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
>> throughout the novel.  Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
>
>> lives.  Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what
>> they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.  Painfula
>
>> questions experienced by teenagers everywhere.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:45:36 -0500
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu>
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Synopsis
> Message-ID:
> <EDBE9878551309429B866E05149A18ED4AC3A0A867 at exchmb1.uww.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Judith,
>     This is better, although some sentences still sound awkward. (I.E.
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she has lived with for the past 17 years. Could be: Eventually,
> Jennifer is freed and finds out about the contents of the letter.
> Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly revealed identity. She
> struggles with the fact that she is not the same person she thought she
> was for the past 17 years.)
>     Think about your main conflict. (This was the "hook" you used in
> your query letter to that publisher.) Base everything in your synopsis
> off that main theme. I don't think you will need to mention the readers
> or the novel itself in the synopsis. Just start with the main conflict,
> stating it, along with the resolution, in a few sentences at the
> beginning of your synopsis, then go from there. I hope you find this
> helpful. --Katie
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 27
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:40:50 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Message-ID: <C9B70F9E06084868A7C2DB20A46E8CE5 at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> I want it in there to demonstrate Jennifer's emotional state.  Because
> of
> her identity problems, she can't commit to an emotional relationship.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "loristay" <loristay at aol.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 12:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] synopsis
>
>
> I still think you could leave Randy out of the synopsis altogether. Lori
> On Oct 19, 2010, at 12:04:39 PM, "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> wrote:
>
> From:   "Judith Bron" <jbron at optonline.net>
> Subject:    Re: [stylist] synopsis
> Date:   October 19, 2010 12:04:39 PM EDT
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, "Writer's Division Mailing List"
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Hi Joe, Here's my latest attempt. I think this is more along the lines
> everyone was talking about. Bottom line, do you think it sells the book?
> Thanks, Judith Jennifer Rabinowitz, living in Curtis Cove New York,
> begins our novel with a near death experience and questions about her
> identity. Her foster mother, Sheila has rushed to Jennifer's side to be
> with her after the accident. Sheila's flashback to the day she received
> the only objects left by
> Jennifer's
> long dead parents leaves the reader wondering about Jennifer, her
> parents and the mystery surrounding the letter left to their daughter.
>
> Jennifer's best friend is Randy, captain of her high school football
> team. Randy wants more from Jennifer than friendship, but Jennifer
> reveals that she can't begin an emotional relationship until she
> understands more about her own identity.
>
> The reader is introduced to the bigotry surrounding Jennifer's identity
> as a Jew. This bigotry is all she knows about Judaism on her journey to
> find out just who and what she is in the world she has lived in since
> being orphaned when she was two.
>
> Pessi Goldberg begins the story with a mother dieing of cancer and a
> reclusive personality. Pessi's classmate Chavy Levy starts to bring her
> out of the protective shell Pessi has shrouded herself in since entering
> her present school the year before. Pessi's life is complicated by the
> poverty shrouding her once affluent family.
>
> Eventually Pessi's mother passes away from the cancer that has ravaged
> her body. Heart broken Pessi now questions the motives of an Almighty
> she has believed in her entire life. She questions why the Almighty has
> taken a mother away from her two younger siblings. For the first time in
> her life she has her solid faith in the Almighty challenged as she tries
> to overcome her devastating loss.
>
> Jennifer continues to puzzle over her Jewish identity that has only been
> a part of her life during the chiding of anti-Semitic classmates.
> Eventually her foster mother is helpful in getting her registered in an
> observant Jewish summer camp hoping that the camp can teach Jennifer
> something about her roots and identity. Jennifer returns from camp
> intent on living as an observant Jewess. Again Sheila is helpful in
> getting her placed with a family in Jenna, New York. This family doesn't
> work out, and Rabbi Levy, Chavy's father, agrees to take Jennifer into
> their home.
>
> The lives of Jennifer from the public schools of Curtis Cove, and the
> lives of Pessi and Chavy from an observant Jewish Girls' school in
> Jenna, New York become entwined forever. The small book and letter left
> by her parents has become a fixture in Jennifer's backpack. In her
> darkened bedrooms Jennifer clings to these possessions left by her
> parents and talks to them. She eventually begins to learn the Hebrew
> language that both the small book and letter are written in. She is able
> to learn from the letter that her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother
> Channah.
>
> The day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashannah, the high school
> principal Mrs. Newman asks Jennifer if she has a Hebrew name. She shyly
> tells the principal her Hebrew name is Breindle and her mother Channah.
> The principal asks her how she knows this and Jennifer pulls the small
> packet out of her backpack. The principal pales when she sees these
> things and tells Jennifer to put them in a safe place.
>
> Rabbi Levy is an investment banker. The principal asks him later that
> day to put the packet in a safe place and he places it in his safety
> deposit box at the bank.
>
> Pessi learns that her father intends to remarry. She vows she will never
> accept this change in their family. More problems for Pessi who, since
> her mother's illness and death has become a class leader, experiences
> more turmoil over the change that is about to take place in her family.
>
> Unbeknownst to Jennifer, the letter has a financial section. Criminals
> get hold of this information and they kidnap Jennifer from a Jenna
> street. They take her to a hotel room, tie her up like a hunted animal
> and the criminals proceed to have a drinking party. Jennifer, lying on
> one of the beds, tries to block out the sounds and odors of her
> abductors' drinking party and spends the time reviewing school work in
> her mind. When her abductors fall into a drunken slumber Jennifer works
> the ropes binding her arms off, slides off the bed and, braced on her
> now free hands begins hopping to the door.
>
> She prays her abductors do not awaken and, with her legs still tightly
> bound, makes it into the hall where another guest in the hotel brings
> her into his room where the guest's wife is packing. He calls the
> police, but Jennifer's abductors try to get her back into their custody.
>
> Eventually Jennifer is freed and the contents of the letter becomes
> known to Jennifer. But Jennifer has a hard time dealing with her newly
> revealed identity. She can't deal with the fact that she is not the same
> person she has lived with for the past 17 years.
>
> Both Pessi and Jennifer have to overcome problems with their identity
> throughout the novel. Both have to deal with drastic changes in their
> lifestyle. Both characters have to come to an understanding of who and
> what they are in a world filled with danger, fear and self doubt.
> Painful questions experienced by teenagers all over the world.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu>
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID:
> <EDBE9878551309429B866E05149A18ED4AC3A0A869 at exchmb1.uww.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hello everyone,
>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw mine
> out there for critique. It is for my young adult, fantasy novel, titled
> "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think. Does this make you
> want to read the book? --Katie
>
>
> Changes Plot Synopsis
>
> Main Conflict:
>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
> person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf. She avoids
> phasing unless it is the time of the full moon-or unless absolutely
> necessary. While attending college in present-day Denver, Colorado,
> circumstances force Casey to accept her duel nature.
>
> Synopsis:
>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
> Justine, invites Casey to go to a club with her and her boyfriend, Tony,
> that night. Casey agrees to go. She meets Tony at a restaurant
> beforehand. She is horrified when she discovers that Tony isn't human.
> He doesn't eat anything at dinner, and his scent is too sweet. Casey
> struggles to keep her inner wolf in check, so she doesn't change into a
> wolf in the middle of the crowded restaurant.
>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob. She is
> rescued by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb. Casey is attracted to Nate;
> this is the first time she meets others of her own kind.
>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf when
> Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her, her mood
> shifts to one of a giddy romantic. Casey warns Justine, but it doesn't
> change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown, and
> come across Nate and Seb. Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf, and he
> knows that she is, too. She is glad to have found another like her. Nate
> also tells Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with him when he phased
> once. He fears that he may have bitten her, and that Marissa may be a
> werewolf. They go to Marissa's dorm and discover she is still human.
> Nate accidently phases in front of Marissa. Marissa faints, and Casey
> hopes Marissa will just wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream. She finds
> Marissa working at the ice cream shop. Marissa has figured out that Nate
> is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey about it; Casey is reluctant
> to share, although she likes Marissa.
>
>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina, from a
> vampire.
>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is similar to
> that of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine that he is a
> hybrid-half human, half vampire. Justine's love for him is unchanged.
>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date". Georgina
> tells Casey that she is moving out immediately because she knows about
> Casey's duel nature. Casey accidentally phases in front of Georgina,
> almost killing her.
>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf. Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa. In need of a
> new roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with her. Marissa
> agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging around Casey. She gets in
> a car accident while moving her things to Casey's apartment. Nate gives
> Marissa his blood, saving her life, but the blood changes Marissa into a
> werewolf.
>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes Alpha. She
> discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's emotions, and she has an
> influence over whether the twins change forms.
>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as Alpha.
>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of a
> guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs. His body was found in
> a dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey. Casey is made aware of how
> different she is from humans because of her instincts, and wonders if
> werewolves have an immortal soul. Marissa and Nate come up with no
> concrete evidence proving that they have souls. Casey is concerned about
> where she will spend eternity, and whether she can still be friends with
> Justine, even though they are members of different species.
>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from Justine's
> cell phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina. Georgina informs Casey
> that she has captured Justine, and Casey figures out that Georgina is
> now a vampire. Casey and the twins are able to save Justine before
> Georgina drinks her blood, but Georgina has bitten her. Georgina also
> bites Casey, but Tony arrives and is able to suck both of their blood
> clean.
>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack Marissa and
> she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since Casey is her Alpha.
> When Casey arrives, she finds another werewolf, Jenae, waiting with
> Marissa. Tony and Justine arrive. Tony thanks  Casey for saving Justine
> and invites her and Nate to go out with them that night. Casey accepts,
> although she is suspicious of Tony's true motives. Later that night,  he
> gets Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her. Casey sends her
> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just in
> time. He kills Tony. Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey that he
> plans to go home and work at a hospital to earn money for medical
> school.
>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for saving
> her from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him. Later that
> morning, Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and admits his love
> to her. This makes Marissa angry because she feels like Nate is leading
> Casey on. Casey goes out for coffee with Jenae to find out more
> information about her, since Jenae wants to join Casey's pack.
> Meanwhile, Marissa attacks Nate, forcing him to leave before originally
> planned.
>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and while they
> are at the restaurant, Rob shows up. He points a gun at Casey, but Jenae
> jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet instead. Casey accepts Jenae
> into her pack as she dies.
>     Casey spends the next month in a daze. She meets Savannah, a human
> who likes to party. Depressed and inebriated most of the time, Casey
> tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself, and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual wolf
> who almost instantly guesses what she is. He explains the differences-in
> his mind-that exist between humans and wolves. Casey decides she likes
> being human better, because she feels the human world gives her goals to
> achieve and a more purposeful life. That night, the vampire attacks Nate
> while he is at work. Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to
> Casey.
>     The next day, Nate returns. Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing Casey that a vampire is looking for her. The vampire captures
> Savannah, and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's rescue.
>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space. Everyone
> except for Casey falls into a similar state. Casey is unaffected because
> she is blind and cannot see the illusions created by the vampire.  When
> Casey attacks the vampire, his movement frees the others from his
> visions. Casey's pack destroys the vampire.
>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the vampire
> killed, including those of werewolves. Convinced she isn't damned for
> eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted herself as a werewolf.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:25:58 -0400
> From: Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID: <4cbe6f6f.8e4ee50a.33fd.0675 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi,
> Well, this synopsis seems more like a list of events than a
> flowing transitional piece between each character's life.  I
> would like to read the book, and understand what you are saying,
> however, I'd deliver it different, for example, even
> "Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
> person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf."
> might be a good starting sentence to your main synopsis.
>
> HTH
>
> Danni
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu
> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>
> Hello everyone,
>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw
> mine out there for critique.  It is for my young adult, fantasy
> novel, titled "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
> Does this make you want to read the book?
> --Katie
>
>
> Changes Plot Synopsis
>
> Main Conflict:
>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a
> blind person, but she has trouble accepting herself as a
> werewolf.  She avoids phasing unless it is the time of the full
> moon-or unless absolutely necessary.  While attending college in
> present-day Denver, Colorado, circumstances force Casey to accept
> her duel nature.
>
> Synopsis:
>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
> Justine, invites Casey to go to a club with her and her
> boyfriend, Tony, that night.  Casey agrees to go.  She meets Tony
> at a restaurant beforehand.  She is horrified when she discovers
> that Tony isn't human.  He doesn't eat anything at dinner, and
> his scent is too sweet.  Casey struggles to keep her inner wolf
> in check, so she doesn't change into a wolf in the middle of the
> crowded restaurant.
>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob.  She
> is rescued by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb.  Casey is
> attracted to Nate; this is the first time she meets others of her
> own kind.
>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf
> when Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her,
> her mood shifts to one of a giddy romantic.  Casey warns Justine,
> but it doesn't change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown,
> and come across Nate and Seb.  Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf,
> and he knows that she is, too.  She is glad to have found another
> like her.  Nate also tells Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with
> him when he phased once.  He fears that he may have bitten her,
> and that Marissa may be a werewolf.  They go to Marissa's dorm
> and discover she is still human.  Nate accidently phases in front
> of Marissa.  Marissa faints, and Casey hopes Marissa will just
> wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream.
> She finds Marissa working at the ice cream shop.  Marissa has
> figured out that Nate is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey
> about it; Casey is reluctant to share, although she likes
> Marissa.
>
>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina,
> from a vampire.
>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is
> similar to that of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine
> that he is a hybrid-half human, half vampire.  Justine's love for
> him is unchanged.
>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date".
> Georgina tells Casey that she is moving out immediately because
> she knows about Casey's duel nature.  Casey accidentally phases
> in front of Georgina, almost killing her.
>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf.  Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa.  In need
> of a new roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with
> her.  Marissa agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging
> around Casey.  She gets in a car accident while moving her things
> to Casey's apartment.  Nate gives Marissa his blood, saving her
> life, but the blood changes Marissa into a werewolf.
>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes
> Alpha.  She discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's
> emotions, and she has an influence over whether the twins change
> forms.
>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as
> Alpha.
>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of
> a guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs.  His body was
> found in a dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey.  Casey is made
> aware of how different she is from humans because of her
> instincts, and wonders if werewolves have an immortal soul.
> Marissa and Nate come up with no concrete evidence proving that
> they have souls.  Casey is concerned about where she will spend
> eternity, and whether she can still be friends with Justine, even
> though they are members of different species.
>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from
> Justine's cell phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina.
> Georgina informs Casey that she has captured Justine, and Casey
> figures out that Georgina is now a vampire.  Casey and the twins
> are able to save Justine before Georgina drinks her blood, but
> Georgina has bitten her.  Georgina also bites Casey, but Tony
> arrives and is able to suck both of their blood clean.
>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack
> Marissa and she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since
> Casey is her Alpha.  When Casey arrives, she finds another
> werewolf, Jenae, waiting with Marissa.  Tony and Justine arrive.
> Tony thanks  Casey for saving Justine and invites her and Nate to
> go out with them that night.  Casey accepts, although she is
> suspicious of Tony's true motives.  Later that night,  he gets
> Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her.  Casey sends her
> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just
> in time.  He kills Tony.  Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey
> that he plans to go home and work at a hospital to earn money for
> medical school.
>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for
> saving her from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him.
> Later that morning, Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and
> admits his love to her.  This makes Marissa angry because she
> feels like Nate is leading Casey on.  Casey goes out for coffee
> with Jenae to find out more information about her, since Jenae
> wants to join Casey's pack.  Meanwhile, Marissa attacks Nate,
> forcing him to leave before originally planned.
>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and
> while they are at the restaurant, Rob shows up.  He points a gun
> at Casey, but Jenae jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet
> instead.  Casey accepts Jenae into her pack as she dies.
>     Casey spends the next month in a daze.  She meets Savannah,
> a human who likes to party.  Depressed and inebriated most of the
> time, Casey tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself, and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual
> wolf who almost instantly guesses what she is.  He explains the
> differences-in his mind-that exist between humans and wolves.
> Casey decides she likes being human better, because she feels the
> human world gives her goals to achieve and a more purposeful
> life.  That night, the vampire attacks Nate while he is at work.
> Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to Casey.
>     The next day, Nate returns.  Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing Casey that a vampire is looking for her.  The vampire
> captures Savannah, and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's
> rescue.
>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space.
> Everyone except for Casey falls into a similar state.  Casey is
> unaffected because she is blind and cannot see the illusions
> created by the vampire.  When Casey attacks the vampire, his
> movement frees the others from his visions.  Casey's pack
> destroys the vampire.
>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the
> vampire killed, including those of werewolves.  Convinced she
> isn't damned for eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted
> herself as a werewolf.
>
> _______________________________________________
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> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>
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>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:49:41 -0400
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <BCCAD78B50754350BB9C924F58412AF0 at Rufus>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> How to Write a Synopsis
>
> by Marg Gilks
>
> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then marketing
> a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment like "I hate
> writing synopses."
>
> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself. Now
> I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to write
> than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd words into
> a few pages. But it's important.
>
> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package and,
> as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished with the
> same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with the cover
> letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the manuscript. If they
> don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they won't even glance at
> your chapter samples.
>
> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is purchased),
> and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual bookstore
> browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far from
> actuality.
>
> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and do
> well. But how?"
>
>
> One Step at a Time
> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it down.
> Do it step by step.
>
> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
> write a synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The
> best time to realize this is just before you sit down with your
> manuscript for the final reading preparatory to declaring the thing
> completed.
>
> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph summary
> of what happened where, and to which character, in that chapter.
>
> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
> Symbolism you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you
> were slogging away at the computer for all those months? (The
> subconscious mind is a wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You
> may just discover your one-line story summary that agents and editors
> like so much, if you didn't know what it was before. Or even if you
> thought you knew what it was, before (surprise, says the Muse, you were
> wrong).
>
> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
> outline, what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading,
> and since chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor
> with editors and agents, this will likely remain one of your most
> valuable writing tools, and that's about it. Don't throw this away when
> you've done your synopsis, either. You may know the story intimately
> now, but you do forget details over time. You may decide to revise the
> novel in the future, and this outline will help you. I've used mine to
> make sure I'm not duplicating character names from one project to the
> next. (The subconscious mind can also booby-trap you.) Reading an
> outline is much easier than leafing through or rereading an entire
> novel.
>
> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are doing,
> basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more manageable
> packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important plot points
> in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>
> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only those
> events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major way.
> We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones your
> reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right now, we
> are striving for bare-bones.
>
> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
> ever."
>
> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
> that right now.
>
>
> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
> synopsis:
>
>
> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that will
> pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to buy the
> book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a feel for
> how it's done.
>
>
> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your friend.
> You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot him and
> that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that sounds
> like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things like, "The
> good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the evil Dr. Death,
> the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr. Death, falls,
> somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him with the Good Guy
> Death-ray to save the world."
>
> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
> enthusiastic. Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick
> up the manuscript and find out how this happens! How can you make your
> synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main character and his or her
> crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote briefly from the novel
> itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's emotions and
> motivations, those points that explain why a character does something,
> but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into
> the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
> the story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
> summary by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a
> sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel
> will be like, so give it your all.
>
> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
> story that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your
> cover letter. Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only
> will it pique their interest, but it's something they can use when
> presenting the novel to the buying board. It's also something you can
> use, the next time someone politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
>
> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good as
> the novel!"
>
>
> Shalts and Shalt Nots
> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>
> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be longer
> than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and agents, busy
> people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten pages. The
> busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider two pages
> ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight page. If
> you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry if it's ten
> or more pages long
> -- but it had better be gripping.
>
> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>
> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the first
> three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four. Don't leave
> out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to request the full
> manuscript in order to find out what happens. What they will do is
> decide you're an amateur.
>
> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>
> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should single-
> or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side, double-space;
> it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your synopsis much as
> you did your novel, or a short story.
>
> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's also
> advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view character
> by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the character's name.
>
> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this way:
> not only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your
> writing skills at the same time.
>
>
> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:02:03 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
> Message-ID: <8CE371F3E7A74E4AAA97CB5F8C83329D at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=response
>
> I agree that it sounds like a list of events.  What drove me nuts was
> the
> constant reference to days (Monday, Tuesday etc.).  It is a list of
> events.
> Try to make it more creative.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Danielle Montour" <hypoplexer at gmail.com>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 12:25 AM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>
>
>> Hi,
>> Well, this synopsis seems more like a list of events than a flowing
>> transitional piece between each character's life.  I would like to
> read
>> the book, and understand what you are saying, however, I'd deliver it
>> different, for example, even      "Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is
> okay
>> with herself as a blind person, but she has trouble accepting herself
> as a
>> werewolf." might be a good starting sentence to your main synopsis.
>>
>> HTH
>>
>> Danni
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Watson, Katherine M" <WatsonKM05 at uww.edu
>> To: "stylist at nfbnet.org" <stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:13:27 -0500
>> Subject: [stylist] Changes: a plot synopsis
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>     Since we are on the subject of synopses, I thought I'd throw mine
>> out
>> there for critique.  It is for my young adult, fantasy novel, titled
>> "Changes." Enjoy, and let me know what you think.  Does this make you
> want
>> to read the book?
>> --Katie
>>
>>
>> Changes Plot Synopsis
>>
>> Main Conflict:
>>     Eighteen-year-old Casey Newman is okay with herself as a blind
>> person,
>> but she has trouble accepting herself as a werewolf.  She avoids
> phasing
>> unless it is the time of the full moon-or unless absolutely necessary.
>
>> While attending college in present-day Denver, Colorado, circumstances
>
>> force Casey to accept her duel nature.
>>
>> Synopsis:
>>     On a warm Thursday in September, Casey's human best friend,
>> Justine,
>> invites Casey to go to a club with her and her boyfriend, Tony, that
>> night.  Casey agrees to go.  She meets Tony at a restaurant
> beforehand.
>> She is horrified when she discovers that Tony isn't human.  He doesn't
> eat
>> anything at dinner, and his scent is too sweet.  Casey struggles to
> keep
>> her inner wolf in check, so she doesn't change into a wolf in the
> middle
>> of the crowded restaurant.
>>     Later, at the club, Casey is attacked by werewolf Rob.  She is
> rescued
>> by werewolf Nate and his Alpha, Seb.  Casey is attracted to Nate; this
> is
>> the first time she meets others of her own kind.
>>     The next day, (Friday) Justine discovers Casey is a werewolf when
>> Casey phases in front of her accidentally.
>>     Justine breaks down emotionally, but when Tony calls her, her mood
>
>> shifts to one of a giddy romantic.  Casey warns Justine, but it
> doesn't
>> change Justine's feelings for Tony.
>>     The following day, (Saturday) Casey and Justine go downtown, and
> come
>> across Nate and Seb.  Nate tells Casey he is a werewolf, and he knows
> that
>> she is, too.  She is glad to have found another like her.  Nate also
> tells
>> Casey that his twin, Marissa, was with him when he phased once.  He
> fears
>> that he may have bitten her, and that Marissa may be a werewolf.  They
> go
>> to Marissa's dorm and discover she is still human.  Nate accidently
> phases
>> in front of Marissa.  Marissa faints, and Casey hopes Marissa will
> just
>> wake up and think it was a bad dream.
>>     The day after that, (Sunday) Casey goes to get ice cream.  She
> finds
>> Marissa working at the ice cream shop.  Marissa has figured out that
> Nate
>> is a werewolf, and tries to talk to Casey about it; Casey is reluctant
> to
>> share, although she likes Marissa.
>>
>>     The next night, (Monday) Casey saves her roommate, Georgina, from
>> a
>> vampire.
>>     Later that night, Casey discovers that Tony's scent is similar to
> that
>> of the vampire, and he reveals to her and Justine that he is a
> hybrid-half
>> human, half vampire.  Justine's love for him is unchanged.
>>     The next day, (Tuesday) Nate and Casey go on a "date".  Georgina
> tells
>> Casey that she is moving out immediately because she knows about
> Casey's
>> duel nature.  Casey accidentally phases in front of Georgina, almost
>> killing her.
>>     Nate takes Casey to Ouzel Falls-where she was changed into a
> werewolf.
>> Casey remembers that it was Seb who bit her.
>>     The day afterward, (Wednesday) Casey finds Marissa.  In need of a
> new
>> roommate, Casey asks Marissa if she will move in with her.  Marissa
>> agrees, because she knows Nate will be hanging around Casey.  She gets
> in
>> a car accident while moving her things to Casey's apartment.  Nate
> gives
>> Marissa his blood, saving her life, but the blood changes Marissa into
> a
>> werewolf.
>>     A few days later, Casey kills Seb in a fight and becomes Alpha.
> She
>> discovers that she can feel Nate and Marissa's emotions, and she has
> an
>> influence over whether the twins change forms.
>>     Two weeks pass, and Casey is consumed by her duties as Alpha.
>>     Justine confronts Casey, saying that she has seen reports of a
>> guy-Seb--who looked  to have died from wild dogs.  His body was found
> in a
>> dumpster, and Justine suspects Casey.  Casey is made aware of how
>> different she is from humans because of her instincts, and wonders if
>> werewolves have an immortal soul.  Marissa and Nate come up with no
>> concrete evidence proving that they have souls.  Casey is concerned
> about
>> where she will spend eternity, and whether she can still be friends
> with
>> Justine, even though they are members of different species.
>>     A few nights later, (Thursday) Casey gets a call from Justine's
> cell
>> phone, but it isn't Justine-it is Georgina.  Georgina informs Casey
> that
>> she has captured Justine, and Casey figures out that Georgina is now a
>
>> vampire.  Casey and the twins are able to save Justine before Georgina
>
>> drinks her blood, but Georgina has bitten her.  Georgina also bites
> Casey,
>> but Tony arrives and is able to suck both of their blood clean.
>>     The next day, (Friday) the same vampire tries to attack Marissa
> and
>> she is able to transmit her memories to Casey, since Casey is her
> Alpha.
>> When Casey arrives, she finds another werewolf, Jenae, waiting with
>> Marissa.  Tony and Justine arrive.  Tony thanks  Casey for saving
> Justine
>> and invites her and Nate to go out with them that night.  Casey
> accepts,
>> although she is suspicious of Tony's true motives.  Later that night,
> he
>> gets Casey alone with him, and tries to kill her.  Casey sends her
>> memories of the attack to Nate and Marissa, and Nate arrives just in
> time.
>> He kills Tony.  Later that night, Nate reveals to Casey that he plans
> to
>> go home and work at a hospital to earn money for medical school.
>>     The following morning, (Saturday) Justine thanks Casey for saving
> her
>> from Tony and admits that Casey was right about him.  Later that
> morning,
>> Nate takes Casey Geo-Caching in the woods and admits his love to her.
>> This makes Marissa angry because she feels like Nate is leading Casey
> on.
>> Casey goes out for coffee with Jenae to find out more information
> about
>> her, since Jenae wants to join Casey's pack.  Meanwhile, Marissa
> attacks
>> Nate, forcing him to leave before originally planned.
>>     Justine suggests that the girls go out for burgers, and while they
> are
>> at the restaurant, Rob shows up.  He points a gun at Casey, but Jenae
>> jumps in the way, taking the silver bullet instead.  Casey accepts
> Jenae
>> into her pack as she dies.
>>     Casey spends the next month in a daze.  She meets Savannah, a
> human
>> who likes to party.  Depressed and inebriated most of the time, Casey
>> tries to cope with Jenae's death and Nate's absence.
>>     Casey has an epiphany; she realizes that she only half-knows
> herself,
>> and decides to spend some time in her wolf form.
>>     While in the woods running as a wolf, Casey meets an actual wolf
> who
>> almost instantly guesses what she is.  He explains the differences-in
> his
>> mind-that exist between humans and wolves.  Casey decides she likes
> being
>> human better, because she feels the human world gives her goals to
> achieve
>> and a more purposeful life.  That night, the vampire attacks Nate
> while he
>> is at work.  Nate survives, escapes and sends his memories to Casey.
>>     The next day, Nate returns.  Later that day, Savannah calls,
> informing
>> Casey that a vampire is looking for her.  The vampire captures
> Savannah,
>> and Casey and her pack run to Savannah's rescue.
>>     When they arrive, they find Savannah staring into space.  Everyone
>
>> except for Casey falls into a similar state.  Casey is unaffected
> because
>> she is blind and cannot see the illusions created by the vampire.
> When
>> Casey attacks the vampire, his movement frees the others from his
> visions.
>> Casey's pack destroys the vampire.
>>     The twins tell Casey they saw the souls of the people the vampire
>> killed, including those of werewolves.  Convinced she isn't damned for
>
>> eternity, Casey realizes she has accepted herself as a werewolf.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/
>>
>> stylist mailing list
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>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
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>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:23:27 -0400
> From: Judith Bron <jbron at optonline.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com, Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <51CDAD88BFAC446C86DF16A4C89A28EC at dell5150>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> reply-type=original
>
> Joe, This is fabulous!  I'm going back to try to do what she's
> suggesting.
> Later, Judith
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 8:49 AM
> Subject: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
>
>
>> How to Write a Synopsis
>>
>> by Marg Gilks
>>
>> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then
>> marketing a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment
>> like "I hate writing synopses."
>>
>> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
>> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
>> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself.
>> Now I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to
>> write than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd
>> words into a few pages. But it's important.
>>
>> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package
>> and, as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished
>> with the same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with
>> the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the
>> manuscript. If they don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they
>
>> won't even glance at your chapter samples.
>>
>> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
>> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
>> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is
>> purchased), and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual
>> bookstore browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far
>> from actuality.
>>
>> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and
>> do well. But how?"
>>
>>
>> One Step at a Time
>> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it
>> down.
>> Do
>> it step by step.
>>
>> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
>> write
>> a
>> synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The best time
> to
>> realize this is just before you sit down with your manuscript for the
>> final
>> reading preparatory to declaring the thing completed.
>>
>> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
>
>> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph
>> summary of what happened where, and to which character, in that
>> chapter.
>>
>> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
>> Symbolism
>> you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you were
> slogging
>> away at the computer for all those months? (The subconscious mind is a
>> wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You may just discover your
>> one-line story summary that agents and editors like so much, if you
> didn't
>> know what it was before. Or even if you thought you knew what it was,
>> before
>> (surprise, says the Muse, you were wrong).
>>
>> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
>> outline,
>> what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading, and since
>> chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor with
> editors
>> and agents, this will likely remain one of your most valuable writing
>> tools,
>> and that's about it. Don't throw this away when you've done your
> synopsis,
>> either. You may know the story intimately now, but you do forget
> details
>> over time. You may decide to revise the novel in the future, and this
>> outline will help you. I've used mine to make sure I'm not duplicating
>> character names from one project to the next. (The subconscious mind
> can
>> also booby-trap you.) Reading an outline is much easier than leafing
>> through
>> or rereading an entire novel.
>>
>> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are
>> doing, basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more
>> manageable packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important
>
>> plot points in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>>
>> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only
>> those events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major
>> way. We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones
>> your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right
>> now, we are striving for bare-bones.
>>
>> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
>> ever."
>>
>> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
>> that right now.
>>
>>
>> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
>> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
>> synopsis:
>>
>>
>> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that
>> will pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to
>> buy the book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a
>> feel for how it's done.
>>
>>
>> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your
>> friend. You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot
>> him and that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that
>> sounds like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things
>> like, "The good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the
>> evil Dr. Death, the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr.
>
>> Death, falls, somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him
>> with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the world."
>>
>> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
>> enthusiastic.
>> Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick up the
>> manuscript
>> and find out how this happens!
>> How can you make your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main
>> character and his or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote
>> briefly from the novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's
>> emotions and motivations, those points that explain why a character
> does
>> something, but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste
> of
>> it
>> into the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
>> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
>the
>> story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
> summary by
>> using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a sample of
> your
>> writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel will be like,
> so
>> give it your all.
>>
>> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
>> story
>> that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your cover
>> letter.
>> Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only will it
> pique
>> their interest, but it's something they can use when presenting the
> novel
>> to
>> the buying board. It's also something you can use, the next time
> someone
>> politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
>>
>> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good
>> as
>> the
>> novel!"
>>
>>
>> Shalts and Shalt Nots
>> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>>
>> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
>> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be
>> longer than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and
>> agents, busy people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten
>
>> pages. The busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider
>> two pages ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight
>> page. If you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry
>> if it's ten or more pages long
>> -- but it had better be gripping.
>>
>> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
>> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
>
>> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
>> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>>
>> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the
>> first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four.
>> Don't leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to
>> request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens. What
>> they will do is decide you're an amateur.
>>
>> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
>
>> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
>> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>>
>> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should
>> single- or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side,
>> double-space; it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your
>> synopsis much as you did your novel, or a short story.
>>
>> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
>> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
>> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
>> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's
>> also advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view
>> character by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the
>> character's name.
>>
>> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this
>> way:
>> not
>> only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your
>> writing
>> skills at the same time.
>>
>>
>> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site: http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jbron%40optonli
> ne.net
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:21:12 -0400
> From: Donna Hill <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: jsorozco at gmail.com,  Writer's Division Mailing List
> <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis
> Message-ID: <4CBF08E8.1080803 at epix.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi Joe,
> Thanks so much for finding and posting this. It's excellent. I haven't
> yet re located the section in Sarah Parsons Zackheim's "Getting Your
> Book Published for Dummies" about query letters and synopses for
> fiction, but, if memory serves, this article is in agreement with her
> perspective.
>
> My gut reaction in creating my own synopsis, which isn't done yet, is
> that I'd like to keep it between 500 and 800 words. That would be in
> line with the author's preference for 2 pages. I think my reasoning
> stems from my indoctrination as a writer for Suite 101; they tout
> research claiming that readers respond best to pieces that are between
> 400 and 800 words.
>
> Donna Hill
>
> Read Donna's articles on
> Suite 101:
> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
> Ezine Articles:
> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
> American Chronicle:
> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>
> Connect with Donna on
> Twitter:
> www.twitter.com/dewhill
> LinkedIn:
> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
> FaceBook:
> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>
> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
> Apple I-Tunes
> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=25924437
> 4
>
> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
> www.padnfb.org
>
>
> On 10/20/2010 8:49 AM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>> How to Write a Synopsis
>>
>> by Marg Gilks
>>
>> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then
>> marketing a novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment
>> like "I hate writing synopses."
>>
>> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I
>> wrote sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones
>> sentences that did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself.
>> Now I hate writing synopses because they are much more difficult to
>> write than the novel ever was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd
>> words into a few pages. But it's important.
>>
>> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package
>> and, as such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished
>> with the same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with
>> the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the
>> manuscript. If they don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they
>
>> won't even glance at your chapter samples.
>>
>> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for
>> your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the
>> publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is
>> purchased), and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual
>> bookstore browser to buy the novel and read it. Which isn't too far
>> from actuality.
>>
>> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and
>> do well. But how?"
>>
>>
>> One Step at a Time
>> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it
>> down. Do it step by step.
>>
>> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to
>> write a synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The
>> best time to realize this is just before you sit down with your
>> manuscript for the final reading preparatory to declaring the thing
>> completed.
>>
>> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
>
>> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph
>> summary of what happened where, and to which character, in that
>> chapter.
>>
>> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading?
>> Symbolism you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you
>> were slogging away at the computer for all those months? (The
>> subconscious mind is a wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You
>
>> may just discover your one-line story summary that agents and editors
>> like so much, if you didn't know what it was before. Or even if you
>> thought you knew what it was, before (surprise, says the Muse, you
>> were wrong).
>>
>> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel
>> outline, what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading,
>> and since chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor
>
>> with editors and agents, this will likely remain one of your most
>> valuable writing tools, and that's about it. Don't throw this away
>> when you've done your synopsis, either. You may know the story
>> intimately now, but you do forget details over time. You may decide to
>
>> revise the novel in the future, and this outline will help you. I've
>> used mine to make sure I'm not duplicating character names from one
>> project to the next. (The subconscious mind can also booby-trap you.)
>> Reading an outline is much easier than leafing through or rereading an
>
>> entire novel.
>>
>> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are
>> doing, basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more
>> manageable packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important
>
>> plot points in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>>
>> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only
>> those events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major
>> way. We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones
>> your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right
>> now, we are striving for bare-bones.
>>
>> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as
>> ever."
>>
>> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about
>> that right now.
>>
>>
>> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
>> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that
>> synopsis:
>>
>>
>> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that
>> will pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to
>> buy the book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a
>> feel for how it's done.
>>
>>
>> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your
>> friend. You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot
>> him and that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that
>> sounds like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things
>> like, "The good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the
>> evil Dr. Death, the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr.
>
>> Death, falls, somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him
>> with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the world."
>>
>> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done:
>> enthusiastic. Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to
>> pick up the manuscript and find out how this happens! How can you make
>
>> your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main character and his
>> or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote briefly from the
>> novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's emotions and
>> motivations, those points that explain why a character does something,
>
>> but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into
>
>> the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
>> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand
>> the story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story
>> summary by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a
>> sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel
>
>> will be like, so give it your all.
>>
>> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the
>
>> story that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your
>> cover letter. Editors and agents like having this distillation; not
>> only will it pique their interest, but it's something they can use
>> when presenting the novel to the buying board. It's also something you
>
>> can use, the next time someone politely asks you, "What's your novel
>> about?"
>>
>> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good
>> as the novel!"
>>
>>
>> Shalts and Shalt Nots
>> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>>
>> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page
>> for every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be
>> longer than most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and
>> agents, busy people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten
>
>> pages. The busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider
>> two pages ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight
>> page. If you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry
>> if it's ten or more pages long
>> -- but it had better be gripping.
>>
>> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the
>> synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information.
>
>> Yes, this is the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the
>> adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>>
>> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the
>> first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four.
>> Don't leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to
>> request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens. What
>> they will do is decide you're an amateur.
>>
>> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
>
>> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to
>> Jerry went to the bullfight.)
>>
>> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should
>> single- or double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side,
>> double-space; it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your
>> synopsis much as you did your novel, or a short story.
>>
>> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
>> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by
>> referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the
>> first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's
>> also advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view
>> character by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the
>> character's name.
>>
>> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this
>> way: not only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're
>> honing your writing skills at the same time.
>>
>>
>> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org<http://www.nfb-writers-division.or
>> g/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40e
>> pix.net
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> End of stylist Digest, Vol 78, Issue 36
> ***************************************
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
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> ***************************************
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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