Yesterday I exposed my heart and spoke about my personal bout with low self esteem, and how it can beat a person up no matter how much the person tries to stay positive. I had so many responses, by e-mail and on my blog, and it warmed my heart to know I’d touched so many people. Some of you opened up about your own moments of low self-esteem, others tossed out some great advice, but what struck me the most was the love and the compassion that came pouring out of every one who responded. It hit me last night how truly blessed I am. My words were read by 136 people yesterday. That’s a lot for me. Over half of those 136 responded. My e-mail had 21 more messages this morning, thanking me for opening up my heart and letting the world see ‘me’. I even picked up a few new followers who said they would have never heard about me if it hadn’t been for this post. I guess whoever said ‘write what you know’ knew something about this writing business.
Today I awoke with a whole new outlook. I’m wrapping up my short story and starting on the dreaded synopsis and query for it. I’d rather give birth to a fourteen pound baby, but it is something I have to do. I have 9 paperback books in front of me, all flipped to the back cover. I’m taking notes on the blurbs, trying to decipher the code that makes the hooks work. There is a rhythm that I found in each one, a cadence, that reads like a finely choreographed waltz of words. It is an art, a whole different style of writing.
It’s marketing. It’s selling the story. It’s
writing at its best. No pressure there, right?
I found Charlotte Dillon’s site an amazing source of information on writing queries and synopses, as well as Rachelle Gardner’s. I’m sure I will be referring to them a lot today and tomorrow as I wrap this piece up.
Are you good at writing synopses and queries? What’s your secret?
YA Chit Chat 