Synopsis!
You'll be so proud of me, gang!
Only 8 hours later, and I have the word Synopsis, in 12 pt. bold, at the top of the page; to the lower left of that, the title of my novel; underneath that, my name.... AND NOTHING ELSE. Total blank-page-ville, daddy-o.
But I'm working on it...
My big question is: What is it? What is it about? I made a ton of notes, trying to answer that question. I took a shower trying to answer it; did yoga trying to answer it.
I have to put it into 2 incredibly compelling sentences, and then go from there. Crikey, it's hard. I can almost feel it at the edge of my brain there, but can't quite grab it. I don't want people to think they're going to get a 560-page history lesson, even though that's exactly what they'll be getting. But how else to say it without making the reader flee in the opposite direction?
You know, when I was a teenager, I did everything I could to avoid reading The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner because I thought it was going to be some dry as dirt weighty tome about, I don't know, some sort of military ocean voyage from the 18th century, or something god-awful like that; where your eyes roll up in your head from boredom and you fall out of your chair and die. Then when I was in my 20s and finally read it, it turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time. Sex & incest & suicide & scandal & familial crises & tragedy. And then I devoured everything by Faulkner. Couldn't get enough Faulkner. Practically had orgasms reading Absalom, Absalom! and As I Lay Dying. (No, wait, I did have orgasms reading those; they were incredible books.)
Anyway, my point is, yes it's history, yes it's "The Jazz Age" and not a hugely popular topic like, say, a good-old legal slasher mystery comedy thriller; yes, it's about movies before there was sound & it's about Hollywood landmarks that aren't even close to existing anymore. But it's also about sex & scandal & fashion, I don't know, cool cars, for chrissakes. How do I freakin' say that?
I think I have to eat some chocolate. Methinks that could help... We shall see, gang.
Only 8 hours later, and I have the word Synopsis, in 12 pt. bold, at the top of the page; to the lower left of that, the title of my novel; underneath that, my name.... AND NOTHING ELSE. Total blank-page-ville, daddy-o.
But I'm working on it...
My big question is: What is it? What is it about? I made a ton of notes, trying to answer that question. I took a shower trying to answer it; did yoga trying to answer it.
I have to put it into 2 incredibly compelling sentences, and then go from there. Crikey, it's hard. I can almost feel it at the edge of my brain there, but can't quite grab it. I don't want people to think they're going to get a 560-page history lesson, even though that's exactly what they'll be getting. But how else to say it without making the reader flee in the opposite direction?
You know, when I was a teenager, I did everything I could to avoid reading The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner because I thought it was going to be some dry as dirt weighty tome about, I don't know, some sort of military ocean voyage from the 18th century, or something god-awful like that; where your eyes roll up in your head from boredom and you fall out of your chair and die. Then when I was in my 20s and finally read it, it turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time. Sex & incest & suicide & scandal & familial crises & tragedy. And then I devoured everything by Faulkner. Couldn't get enough Faulkner. Practically had orgasms reading Absalom, Absalom! and As I Lay Dying. (No, wait, I did have orgasms reading those; they were incredible books.)
Anyway, my point is, yes it's history, yes it's "The Jazz Age" and not a hugely popular topic like, say, a good-old legal slasher mystery comedy thriller; yes, it's about movies before there was sound & it's about Hollywood landmarks that aren't even close to existing anymore. But it's also about sex & scandal & fashion, I don't know, cool cars, for chrissakes. How do I freakin' say that?
I think I have to eat some chocolate. Methinks that could help... We shall see, gang.
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