Heroes Can't Wait

Heroes, Hunks and Hotties... Oh yes!

It's been a while since I featured one of my favorite Heroes To Die For. So watch out, today just might be the day... Hey, is that sexy Ben Browder (Farscape, Stargate) I see in that photo up there? Yeah. Another hero is coming your way.

Here’s a question for you. How do we choose the heroes for our stories? What kind of heroes do you like reading about? Are we attracted to certain types of heroes and why? Probe deep and see what you can find then let me know.

Kaye

The Days Following...

Congratulations to my writer friend, Christina Phillips!

Foretaste of Forever

is already at # 4 on the The Wild Rose Press (Wilder Roses)

Bestseller List!!!

Great! And we can't wait for more...

Pick up your copy of this tantalizing story at Wilder Roses

(And on Monday, visit Christina and Helen at http://helensheroes.blogspot.com/ for a taste of Ben, the hero in this story...)

The Dreaded Q and S

It's one of those great feelings to finish a story or novel, isn't it? But then the scare tactic kicks in-- oh no-- I have to write that dreaded Q and S. (query and synopsis) Have you ever met anyone who likes this part? Me neither. For most of us, it's panic time again... In keeping with the Halloween theme, it feels like a scary creature trying to swoop down on me for an attack!

Thankfully, Tana Starret from Harlequin has a few suggestions to tame the monster.

Keep your query letter short and sweet.

Give your hook in the first paragraph with a bare-bones overview of your main conflict. Imagine you're writing the back cover blurb for your book. What will grab the editor and make her look at your synopsis? (Hint: proclamations of your book's greatness won't help.) Also, try matching the tone of your letter to the tone of your book. For example if you're submitting to the Harlequin Flipside line, show your ironic and sassy wit; a query to the Harlequin Intrigue series should be tight and fast-paced — see what I mean?

Include a very brief description of your writing history in the second paragraph. Tell us about the number of manuscripts you have written, the writing classes you have taken, the contests you have participated in—, and the results, of course!

Above all, remember to keep it professional. While it is lovely to read about the fact that your Aunt Betty convinced you to start writing romance novels, that information doesn't belong in your query. Publishing is a business, and you want to be businesslike in all your communication with any publishing house. Follow up with an offer to send more material. And make sure you include your contact information!

Okay. You've made it this far. Now what about that dreaded synopsis? Few people enjoy writing a synopsis and it is true, it's not easy.

You should be able to break your manuscript down into a handful of major plot points. Like the hero/heroine meeting; the first point of contention; the black moment, etc. The points you come up with are what your story hinges on. Essentially, your synopsis should be a list of these points, along with a minimum amount of information stringing those points together. Don't worry about emotion or description — this isn't the place for that.

What the editor wants to see is how you've developed your plot, the twists you've used to make it unique and exactly how you've resolved it. The trick here is to keep your synopsis concise and make sure you mention all the important plot points.

It does take practice, and the more you write them, the better you'll get.

Finally, remember to double-check for spelling and grammatical errors. If you feel you need to, get a friend to read everything over.

If you have any other suggestions on how you tame the monster Q and S, we'd love it if you would share with us.

Kaye

If time is irrelevant, how come it can either fly or go by slowly? Good question. I had to be away for over a week and it seems I've been gone for months! But I'm back now and hope to catch up with everyone. Is that making up for lost time? And if time is lost, how do you make it up? Later on I must do a post on time, since I love time travel!

In the meantime, (pun) I have an interesting perception to share on a more serious note. I don't know if you've heard of newspaperman Jeff Rubin, NPD, but he believes people need to learn more about the importance of proper punctuation for communicating clearly. In his words, "Punctuation has been devalued by a generation of computer wizards who ask, 'What's the point? Nobody writes in complete sentences anymore.' But the rules of proper punctuation haven't changed just because of computers... Careless punctuation mistakes cost time, money, and productivity."

He's right, you know, and that, of course goes double for writers. Today, I've decided to share some basic grammar rules. I know we all can benefit from this kind of review, so here goes.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Agreement is a basic concept of English grammar. Some of the culprits of subject-verb agreement errors will be familiar to you: the indefinite pronoun, the collective noun and alternate and compound subjects.

The following sentences illustrate how closely related these two issues are:

Bucky tends his father's cows. The brothers tend their father's cows.

Note that both the pronoun and the verb change when the noun changes from singular to plural. "Bucky" is a singular noun. It takes the singular form of the verb—"tends"—and the singular pronoun "his." "Brothers" is a plural noun, taking the plural form of the verb—"tend"—and the plural pronoun "their."

Let's review these two grammatical rules. The pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent. The verb must agree in number and person with its subject.

Indefinite Pronouns

These pronouns, no matter how plural they may seem (everybody, everyone, etc.), are in fact singular and, therefore, always take a singular verb.

Collective nouns

These nouns refer to a group of things as a unit (team, band, and committee). It is usually preferable to use singular forms of the verb for such nouns. However, when you think of a group as a collection of individuals each acting individually, you must use the plural.

See, simple basic stuff.

Okay, now that I've bored you enough, I think I'll stop for now. What is it about grammar that stumps you? Do you have a grammar rule that gets you every time and if so, what is it?

Kaye