November Wrap Up

Writing

I finished edits on Valiant! I am hoping to query it in December. I wrote a few different synopses for it, but now I think they are all crap. So I wrote a new one:

Screen Shot 2017-11-30 at 10.06.19 PMLegend claims that the Verrukin is a monstrous, child-eating beast. Seventeen year old Ardinae isn’t concerned with legends. A former noble reduced to serving under an ailing princess, Ardinae is more concerned with maintaining her appearance and regaining her status. So when a secret mission to a neighboring realm and a near encounter with death throw her into the direct path of the mysterious creature of the forest, Ardinae doesn’t know what to think. As ancient curses, prurient motives, and subversive plots are laid bare, Ardinae must battle her selfish nature and find the courage within to save the lives of her princess, the Verrukin, and even herself.

It needs some work. But I’m already excited about it. To be fair, I’ll also share the one I wrote earlier today:

Once a member of the noble class, seventeen year old Ardinae is now the servant of the ailing Princess Chara. On a secret mission to a neighboring realm, Ardinae’s party is attacked, and the Verrukin, an ancient creature of myth and legend, saves her life. She befriends the legendary monster of the forest, renaming him Valiant, and the pair complete her perilous journey. Rather than seeking a betrothal for the princess as requested, Ardinae is tempted to betray Chara and arrange her own match with the Prince of Blyth. As ancient curses, hidden motives, and harmful machinations are revealed, Ardinae must find the courage within herself to save the lives of Chara, Valiant, and herself.

The new one is definitely more blurb-like. The second reads like a data sheet in comparison. What are your thoughts on what a synopsis in a query letter should look like? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Reading

I finished ten books in November. My favorite by far was The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. I also had a lot of fun finishing Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy. Next month, I’m hoping to read more fairytale type books, so I can find comp titles for Valiant. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

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For more on Valiant check out these posts: Writing a Fairytale; NaNoWriMo WIN!; October Wrap Up

4 thoughts on “November Wrap Up”

    1. So I needed someone to hold my hand and tell me the difference between a synopsis and a pitch within a query letter. I never thought about it actually being different. I was writing a synopsis, realized I needed to write a blurb, then realized the two things were ACTUALLY MEANT to be different when querying. You don’t always need to send a synopsis. Who knew.

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