Creating a Synopsis

The good news is I've made a lot of progress with my story and am now looking forward to submitting it to a publisher. The bad news is that it's time to draft the wretched synopsis, a task most writers dread. Although I've published two stories before with the Wild Rose Press, and successfully employed the query and synopsis, this part of the publishing process never seems to get any easier. I've found it helps to break the task into sections. I have five chapters in my story, and as each section is edited and completed, I include it in the synopsis (hint: focus on major plot points, not descriptive details, in your synopsis).

In the past, I've found Charlotte Dillon's website for writers to be one of the most helpful guides in writing a synopsis. Right now, I'm working with her "Writing a Synopsis" page, and though some of the links are broken, she still has a lot of information available. For instance, her "Synopsis Samples" page includes a variety of examples from published authors who generously agreed to share their synopses. I found Lucinda Betts' example especially useful, since it shows how to write an effective one-page synopsis.

I find that looking at examples of other writers' successful synopses is inspiring, so now I'm returning to crafting my own. Happy writing!

19th Century Women's Dress

Three (Affordable) Resources for Learning About Women's Fashions in the Regency Era:
When I first began researching women's dress of the Regency era, I looked up lists of books on the topic, only to find many of these resources were out of my price range. Hence, the list below for budding researchers who don't want to exceed their budgets.

1.Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen  is probably one of the most affordable books on this list. Although it is relatively brief, just 63 pages, Sarah Jane Downing includes numerous images to enhance the reader's understanding of the intricacies of Regency women's dress.

2.The Art of Dress was one of the first books I used when I began researching the history of women's dress. Jane Ashelford, a respected historian, uses the National Trust's costume collection to provide a broad survey of four centuries of fashion. The book contains a  treasure trove of images and includes information on different styles and materials.

3. Elizabeth Ewing's Dress and Undress  is essential if you wish to acquire a full understanding of the typical Regency woman's use of clothes. Ewing provides fascinating accounts of nineteenth century "bust improvers" and details on specific enhancement such as the divorce corset. This book will definitely assist romance writers and interest nineteenth century researchers in general.

Bonus Resource: The Regency Fashion Page
 Cathy Decker's website provides hundreds of images for the serious researcher. I especially enjoy Decker's Regency Style Year-by-Year page, which is helpful for writers with a specific date in mind.

Writing Challenge: 250 Words a Day

Recently, Debbie Ohi posted a writing challenge on her Twitter account: Set a daily writing goal and stick to it for a full year. She takes a low pressure approach, emphasizing that it's OK if you miss a day as long as you are trying your best to meet the word count each day. Her best advice is to be realistic in choosing your daily goal; in other words, choosing the 1000 words a day challenge is great, but not if you're going to consistently fall short and then feel guilty and perhaps even give up on your writing.

So, I'm taking Debbie up on her challenge and choosing the modest goal of 250 words a day. I'm currently working on my dissertation (and eventually hoping to get back to my short stories), so this challenge provides additional motivation and inspiration.

Time to get back to work! Happy writing!

New Twitter Account

After following some of my favorite authors' Twitter accounts, I've decided to experiment with Twitter. Please join me at: http://twitter.com/SaraFreeze

I will be posting relevant and up-to-date news on the romance industry, as well as useful writing links. In addition, I'm trying out Twitter's new list function and have already posted lists of publishers/agents, romance authors, and general writing help.

Wild Rose Press: Paranormal Month

October is Paranormal Month at The Wild Rose Press, and all paranormal titles are on sale now. Both of my stories, "The Earl's Enchantment" and "A Seaside Enchantment," are 10% off this month. While you're visiting the website, you may also want to sign up for Rose Clippings, the Wild Rose Press Newsletter, which includes all the latest news and events for the publisher.

Happy reading!

MyRomanceStory.com: New Paperback Line

Given my interest in new directions for the romance novel, I was intrigued by a recent press release by MyRomanceStory.com. The press release notes that the company is making the transition from being an online publisher to a print publisher as well with a new line of graphic romance paperbacks. As we've seen over the past few years, audiences are certainly intrigued by comic books and their big screen adaptations, and I'm interested to see how much this trend of graphic romance paperbacks will catch on with romance readers.

An Ebook Revolution?

With all the bad news circulating in the publishing industry these days (think HarperCollins and declining book sales), I was happy to see the article "E-book Revolution Favors the Agile" on the Christian Science Monitor website. As a longtime reader, I admit my preference for the traditional book, I am also intrigued by the potential of ebooks. Can the ebook revolution revitalize the publishing industry? I think the interviewees in the article are leaning toward 'yes.' Interestingly, when I raised this idea in a literature class I'm teaching, my students expressed their preference for traditional books. However, I wonder if 10 years from now, when I enter a classroom I'll see rows of students with digital readers rather than textbooks.

Of course, I'm biased in favor of the digital revolution since I'm published with an online publisher, the Wild Rose Press. Given the recent financial turmoil in the publishing world, I'm hopeful that the digital revolution will push readers and writers in a new direction.

Romance Novels & New Covers

Last year, when I was standing in line at Walgreens, I was happy to see Julia Quinn's new novel on the book stand but was surprised at the new design of the cover, which features a different type of artwork for the models. I visited Quinn's website to find out more, and she had posted information about one of the models who graced the cover of The Lost Duke of Wyndham. The face of the model had looked familiar, so it all clicked into place when I found she's an actress on a soap opera. Although I don't watch this particular show, the actress has appeared on the cover of other magazines, and I wonder if this is a new trend in the romance cover industry. Having actresses as the models could stimulate some interest in the genre. I know I wouldn't mind seeing my favorite actors, such as the stars of Supernatural, appearing as models. :)

If you're curious about romance covers, the Times-Reporter has an article out this week on how covers for romance novels are arranged, and you can find out about the process of locating models and arranging the backgrounds.

The Shadowlands

Anyone who reads my stories knows how much I am fascinated by ghosts and by the supernatural, which is the name of one of my favorite shows. I was excited to discover The Shadowlands website, which includes hundreds of informative stories and articles for those who share my fascination. The Haunted Places index is especially valuable, since it lists haunted locations around the world. While researching the realm of the supernatural for my latest story, "Charlotte's Ghost," I enjoyed reading about various ghostly sightings around the world. I highly recommend this website to others who are interested in hauntings and ghost hunting.

Jane Austen Festival: Louisville, KY

In the latest email from the Jane Austen Society of North America, I received word that Greater Louisville Region will be holding its second annual Jane Austen festival. I've copied and pasted the press release below. The Regency Style Show sounds especially interesting. Since it will be held during the summer, families will be able to use the summer break to take their kids for what sounds like a very fun and educational event.

2nd Annual Jane Austen Festival to take place July 18 & 19, 2009 at Historic Locust Grove, Louisville, KY

The 2nd Annual Jane Austen Festival will take place July 18 & 19 at Historic Locust Grove, a circa 1790 National Historic Landmark in Louisville, KY.

This event is hosted by the Greater Louisville Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America. The festival will include Afternoon Tea; a Regency Emporium with lovely fabric, shawls, patterns, bonnets, jewelry and everything needed to create a Regency outfit; as well as antiquarian books; a Regency Style Show and you can have your shadow cut! Plans for a Grand Ball are being made.

Guest speaker will be Margaret Sullivan, author of THE JANE AUSTEN HANDBOOK and editrix of Austenblog. Her talk is entitled "Five Things a Janeite Heroine (or Hero) Needs to Know."

Historic Locust Grove (www.locustgrove.org) is located six miles from downtown Louisville and sits on 55 parklike acres. There are many stone and log buildings on the property that will temporarily house the shoemaker (live demonstration), the Mantua-Maker & Daughter (seamstresses with Regency dresses for sale) and other delights.

Admission to the festival is $6 which includes a tour of the circa 1790 Georgian House. Afternoon Tea (four courses) is $25 (includes admission). Reservation required for tea.

For more information, contact Bonny Wise, Regional Coordinator at 812-923-7808, visit www.jasnalouisville.com or email wises4@insightbb.com. For anyone traveling to the area, advice gladly given about hotels, B&B's, etc.