Learned-something-new-today - A Place To Put Cool Finds

Elven Leaf Clothing // Kalbelia on Etsy

Space Bars // Hirosart on Etsy

s’more bear macaroon by douglas x

Found this Devontai Evil Resurrection Boneyard Ossuary Skulls chandelier on Wayfair.com. 

https://www.wayfair.com/decor-pillows/pdp/the-holiday-aisle-devontai-evil-resurrection-boneyard-ossuary-skulls-sculpture-w009537585.html?piid=

How to Write a Synopsis

When querying literary agents or submitting to traditional publishers, you usually need a one-to-five page summary of everything that happens in your book.

I’m gonna be honest and say that this is my least favorite part of the process and I don’t at all profess to being good at it. I hate it, but I thought I’d share my process and a few tips to hopefully make the process a little less painful for you.

1. STEP ONE: The List

Go through your book chapter by chapter and jot down the important things that happen in each.

Everything that drives the plot or character development needs to be included. Remember that your synopsis contains all the spoilers. All the plot twists and character deaths. And definitely how the book ends.

You should use your discretion re the amount of detail for each scene. You don’t have to set out what happens or what the characters say step for step. You can just say something like: A and B talk about their fears for the future and discover they have more in common than they thought.

Think: what does the reader of the synopsis need to know to understand the rest of the synopsis?

2. STEP TWO: The Synopsis

Now that you have a list of notable events, you can start typing up your synopsis.

I suggest making each chapter a paragraph.

Usually, agents and publishers want single-spaced synopses, but be sure to check their individual guidelines.

When referring to a character for the first time, it’s good to put their name in all caps. Then, from the second mention onward, only the first letter should be upper case.

No matter the tense or POV of your novel, your synopsis should be in third person and present tense.

It’s important to understand that your synopsis is also a piece of writing on which you can be judged. It’s not just a list of events. You need to write well and employ the techniques you used in writing your novel.

Vary your sentence length and structure, use strong words, use connectors and emotive language. Very importantly, allow your voice to come through.

Think of how you tell a children’s story. It’s basically relaying a simple sequence of events, but you don’t just list them monotonously.

See your synopsis as a story in and of itself to some degree.

3. STEP THREE: Edit

Just like with your book, your first draft is not your final draft.

Go through the document at least twice once you’re done to check for bad writing, typos, inconsistencies etc.

Polish that synopsis till it shines.

4. STEP FOUR: Feedback

Try to get feedback on your synopsis from someone who has read your book and someone who hasn’t.

Ask the person who has read the book whether they think you covered all the important points and whether they think it captures the book well.

Ask the person who hasn’t read the book whether they found the synopsis at least somewhat interesting and whether they could follow the plot. Let’s be honest, your synopsis isn’t going to be your most riveting piece of writing, but it at least needs to be moderately entertaining and coherent.

Edit the synopsis based on their feedback.

5. STEP FIVE: Final Proofread

Do a final check for typos and you’re good to go!

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment with your own tips. Follow me for similar content.

Designing clothes for wheel chair users!

Clothes are mostly made to be worn while standing or walking, with little thought put into how comfortable they are while sitting. This post has a bunch of things to keep in mind while designing and making clothes.

New Leaf Designs

Designing for Wheelchair users

Designing garments for Wheelchair users Welcome to this resource page on designing knitting, crochet and sewing garments for wheelchair user

This blog post is from a wheelchair user, with styles and fabrics that she has found to work well and why they do.

Simply Emma

My Fashion Likes And Dislikes As A Wheelchair User - Simply Emma

Finding clothes that fit and look good when in a wheelchair can be a struggle. Here is my fashion likes and dislikes as a wheelchair user pl

🍑CUTE BOTTLES & CUPS🍑

Fiber Art

From the Blue Mountains on Etsy

The Author Speaks:  All My Original Writing Content

For your convenience, a masterpost of all (or most) of my original posts so far.  It will obviously be updated as I create and add more!

Enjoy, and thank you for reading!  <3

The Basics:  Plotting, Descriptions, and More

The Dos and Don’ts of Beginning a Novel

How to Write Good Dialogue

Notes on Chapters

My Top Tips for Sticking to That Damn WIP

How to Avoid Purple Prose

The Objective Correlative

Tips for Visual Thinkers

5 Ways to Name Your Novel

Romance

How to Write a Kiss Scene

How to Write a (Healthy) Romance

Mythology 

Angelic Cheat Sheet

Irish Mythology Resources

Academia

Masterpost for Writing Academic Essays

Horror

My #1 Tip For Writing Horror

Monster of the Week

Werewolves

Vampires

Zombies

Characterization

How to Get to Know Your Characters

Male Protagonists to Avoid in Your Writing

Female Protagonists to Avoid in Your Writing

More Female Protagonists to Avoid in Your Writing

The Importance of Antiheroes

How to Write Strong Female Characters 

The Many Faces of the Strong Female Character

The Traits of a Likable Hero

The Secret to a Relatable Villain

Types of Unreliable Narrators

How to Write (or Avoid) Abusive Parents

The Dos and Don’ts of Writing Smart Characters

Reference Masterposts

Depicting Deaf, Blind, or Mute Characters

Depicting Amputees

Depicting Wheelchair Users

Depicting Jewish Characters

Depicting Black Characters

Depicting ADHD

Depicting Autism

Depicting Trans Women

Depicting Trans Men

Depicting Nonbinary and Genderfluid Characters

Depicting Asexual Characters

Depicting Drug Addiction

Depicting Eating Disorders

Depicting Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Depicting Schizophrenia

Worldbuilding Masterpost

Publishing Resources:

Places to Post Original Fiction

Marketing Masterpost

My Published Fiction:

Gentlefolk - A timid woman faces her deepest fears in order to try and reclaim her stolen child from charismatic local Nature Gods. Only to discover that everything she’s been taught about them might be wrong. 

The New Gods - Society is populated by gods, new and old. Some are more frightening than others.

Gunpowder Sigil - In a windblown Western town, a young girl conducts a summoning ritual for a spectral gunslinger. Magical realism meets the Western.

The Undertaker’s Apprentice - A lovesick undertaker in training goes on a disastrous first date, with a corpse as a third wheel. 

The Young Immortal - A relatively youthful member of the immortal community reflects on his first century of life and his relationship with his oft-reincarnated soulmate. 

The Bear - An anxiety-ridden young man with a talent for avoiding his problems decides not to acknowledge the grizzly bear trapped in his bedroom during a busy a day.

Strange New Worlds Anthology - A compilation of my short fiction, including previously published and previously unseen works.  Set to release in 2022.

Happy writing, everybody!