Seriously… I mean, I get the point. I do. No agent nor editor wants to read through an entire manuscript just to find out the plot falls apart or the ending sucks, but it’s just so….tedious….formulaic. Things I don’t like.
I’m not an outline type of gal. I have a basic premise for a book or a story, and I start writing. I see where it goes. I fix continuity as I see problems arise. So far, I’ve been lucky enough to have characters with certain qualities that come in handy later on. I don’t plan these things—they just happen. I’ve never been an outline fan.
I am, I must say, working on a basic plot, from beginning to end, for the sequel to Avalon (which I had NO intention of writing but so many ideas came to mind and I’m not ready to let these people go, so I’ll give them a bit more life…). So yeah, there’s a sequel…and it just kind of happened. I was like, ‘what about this, though?’ – ‘oh, and this could soooo easily happen.’ So now I’m forced to write it. I’m not in control….these dang characters are. Sometimes I swear they’re more real than I am 
Back to the point, though… When I started the first book, I had an idea and I figured out the ending, but the middle, well, it just came as I wrote. I saw the scenes play out in my mind and I typed away, writing what was happening. This time, though, I have a more defined idea of what will occur. One, because I can’t not think about it, and two, because I have a bit more experience writing and I know the process will go quicker this way. Most likely I’ll drift off the path a bit as the characters go their own way, but I’m looking forward to it 
The main difference between this book and the first is that I have NO idea what the ending is…so that will be interesting to see what comes about. In fact, I literally just wrote down something else that came to mind. Something that wasn’t dealt with in the first book. Avalon is definitely a stand-alone novel, but there are issues that can be dealt with in another story, so that’s what I’m doing…. O.K., enough of that.
Back to the *original* point. Formulas. Synopses. These things suck! Queries, eh, not so much. I like mine. I have a few versions, depending on who I’m submitting to, but this whole synopsis thing. It’s for the birds, as my grandma would say (and actually did yesterday, while talking about this Ridiculous heat wave we have going on!).
My favorite are the agents who don’t require them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m working on mine and I’ll have it ready—I have to since I’m submitting a partial tomorrow, but I just had to vent that I don’t like them at all. I want to write. Not put together a proposal, or presentation, in order to sell something. I’m not a salesman. I’ve worked retail…I’m the type that’s honest. If something isn’t right for the person, I’ll tell them. So how am I supposed to sell my book.
Oh yeah, that’s right. I’m beyond in love with it and have confidence and faith that others will see the spark it contains. So we’ll see. Now I’m off to pretend I’m back in college, writing an outline for some stupid paper I don’t have any desire to write. Wait, that’s not true. I like writing…no matter what it’s about. It’s the outlines that I hate.
And the synopses. So there ya go.
xx -e*
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