A very productive day indeed

62. Tuesday 14 April 2026

I have impressed myself more than I could have imagined possible. Not only have I now written a two-liner I’m happy with, reduced from 37 words to 32 words, I have written THREE synopses, for 500, 400 and 300-word limits. Every single time I’ve written synopses for my books, I’ve spent WEEKS working on them; I’ve skimmed through my manuscript, made notes, stressed myself out about the highlights, etc. This time, I didn’t refer to my manuscript, I just read advice from ten agents about the synopses (in one article) and got on with it.

                I wrote out that I needed to include who, when, where, catalyst and resolution, to identify whose story it is, why the reader would want to follow their story and how their story ends. I emphasised the need to incorporate the most intriguing elements. I then read the story arc that Marie, the crime writing tutor in my novel, gives the class. Using both that and the advice of another agent who said to write numbers 1 to 10 in a list, fill out what happens at the beginning (1) and end (10) then fill in the rest, I basically handwrote the ten key waymarkers in my plot. I wrote my 500-word synopsis by considering the ten points but going through my/Marie’s 14-point story arc. Next thing I know, I’ve got a 592-word first draft.

                I managed to get it down to just below 500 words. I then copied it into a 400-word document and cut it by just over 100 words. Then again for the 300-wor synopsis. I am genuinely pleased with myself.

                AND Chris is reading the previous draft of Crime Writing for Beginners at the moment and, although we both know it’s not the kind of book he’d ever choose to read, he’s told me he’s genuinely enjoying it and wants to find out what happens. He’s a good critic (he usually upsets me – but in a constructive criticism kind of way) and neither of us had expected him to enjoy the story in the way he is. I have no idea if he’ll find the ending satisfactory, but I’m really happy that he’s surprising both of us with his enthusiasm.

                Narissa, who read an earlier version and read a few versions of my last novel, Infinite Possibilities, is adamant that this one is significantly better and more polished. I thought Infinite Possibilities was “the one”, but it wasn’t (at least not yet). Maybe Crime Writing for Beginners will hit the spot? It’s really, really good to feel a surge of possibility at this stage, shortly before the dreaded agent submission phase.

                I still can’t believe I’ve written a two-liner I’m pleased with and three versions of a synopsis I think will end up being sent out, subject to rereading and tweaking tomorrow.

In other news, I had the best night’s sleep in ages, possibly because I love sleeping in my cabin, and loved waking up and going outside to discover pretty frost and sunrise. I also finished reading Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod, who’s a Japan-based writer, photographer and walker I’ve followed for years. I loved this walking memoir and it inspired me to go for a long walk over the hills opposite the house while the sun was still out this morning. And my sourdough is proving so there’ll be warm bread and butter for lunch tomorrow. I needed a day like today and I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly.