How I Deal with Writing a Synopsis

As a novel author, I usually write 50,000 - 90,000 words to each of the manuscripts that I create. It depends on the story line as to how long the story will be and I go with every twist and turn that my characters will give me. So, if I’m used to producing this many words, it’s mind boggling for a published or editor to ask me to summarize all of that into a two page synopsis. You want me to what?? Can you make War & Peace into a three page synopsis? So here’s how I deal with these little gems of hair pulling insanity. And remember that I’m more of a pantser than I am a plotter, so twist this any way that it will help you.

 Outline/Highlight - Yep, a pantser can outline things in a free flow thinking type of way. I jot down a few things that are the main point of each chapter and then go back to highlight the most crucial parts of that outline. These will be my items of interest that have to be on my synopsis.

Make sure that these points are things that will grab the attention of the publisher/editor/agent. You won’t need anything about secondary characters unless it’s crucial to the story line or the main characters developing.

No matter what anyone says, put the ending of your story in the synopsis. I know… Wench Lady, say what? Yes, if you’re going to pitch the story then the person interested in it needs to know how it ends. No one likes giving away all the juicy points once you’ve made the story one of your “children” but leaving it at a cliffhanger can piss off the person trying to see if you have what it takes. Most of the editors/agents/houses that I’ve spoken with are not going to call you just because you ended at a point where we don’t know what happens. It just leaves them wanting to toss it and go to the next candidate. You don’t want this to happen. (If there happen to be any of these professionals out there that like being left in the fictional lurch, please let me know who you are. :-))

If you are able to use this info, then try using the top items of your highlighted list to make an elevator pitch for your story. Run it down and reread it a few hundred times to see if it would stop the seller in their tracks. What can it hurt? Sometimes it can be the tiny little slip that makes your dressy manuscript shine. I did it and it seemed to go over well. Good luck :-)

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

Random things about me

Sometimes you guys are actually interested in who I am. If you are, then keep reading. If you're not, then maybe you'll have a laugh at my nonsense. (Shrug :-)

1. I'm allergic to bananas. I don't have to carry an epi-pen but they make me sick, literally. Every time my folks made me eat one as a child, I gave it back. Years later I found out that I don't process potassium as I should so I have to avoid anything rich in the stuff and watch myself for signs of dehydration. Yipee!

2. I wanted a boob job until I was in my mid thirties. Back in my teens, I was a pale Scottish girl with poached ages for breasts. Then, as I had more and more hormonal issues, they got larger. Now, I laugh at the old me as the new me has to look over the cleavage to see if my shoes are tied.

3. I started cooking at a very young age. We're talking that I couldn't even see over the counter. My dad would pick me up and set me on the counter so we could mix biscuits together.As that progressed (and I didn't cover him in flour) I made brownies and dumplings. I still remember it with fondness.

4. When I was ten years old, I wanted to be a flight attendant. It was the only way that I thought I would be able to travel around the world. Seeing as I was small for my age, I was told that I would meet the weight requirements that they had back then. I wanted fancy luggage and a chic uniform as I got to look at the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Hawaii, and the Rocky Mountains.

5. I had it figured out that I wanted to be married at 21, have my first kid by 23, and my second child by 26. Giggle. Silly me. I wanted a boy and a girl but never could figure out which I wanted to have first. Either way, my mom told me that the marriage had to come first.

6. As well as cooking, I was taught at a young age to crochet, sew, cross stitch, and do needle point. Later, I taught myself to knit and I have made several items for myself and loved ones. Many years later, corsets are still my favorite thing to sew even with them being intricate, layered, and hard to alter. It's a challenge that I love to meet.

Well, that's what I can think of right now. If you have any questions, you only have to ask.

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

Second Week Snippets

This is from a series that I'm writing. It's unpublished and I'm working on the second book as I look for a house that will accept it. Right now, it's plotted to be six books but I can easily turn it into eight as it's my favorite out of the items I have written so far. I'm so invested in it that I have slogans, and visions of it on a larger screen. It's my baby, so far, and I hope you will enjoy it.

***

“You said to make myself at home,” Silas said as he walked around my bedroom. “I haven’t seen it since you moved in. Nice digs.”

“Thanks, I guess it was a bit cliché to go with earth tones and animal prints, but I like it all the same,” I shrugged and tossed the clothes over the made bed as I took another bite of my sandwich.

He saw the leggings slide to the floor and bent to catch them. “Slinky, me like.”

“You sound very cavemen,” I laughed at him.

“Wow, do these really fit you? No offense, but you have way too many curves for a tiny pair of pants like this,” he remarked as he kept scanning them. He then grabbed up the top to glance over it as well.

“What are you doing?”

He laughed and simply stated, “I’m looking for the dangerous curves sign.”

I was thankful that I’d already swallowed my sandwich because Juan Valdez would’ve had company. “Land’s sake, gimme those.”

He handed me the outfit but didn’t let go. I just stared at him, then I felt his finger slide over my fingertips. I shivered. He let go. I tossed the pants back onto the bed.

“It was a joke, hun.”

I nodded, “I know.” I took a sip of water. I turned around and gasped when a spasm shot up between my shoulder blades.

“What’s wrong? Did you pull a muscle working out?” Silas asked as he put his sandwich down next to mine.

“No, it’s been stiff and I thought I‘d get by until I could book a massage,” my voice ended in a whisper as I felt his warm hands on my shoulders.

He turned me so my knees were touching the mattress of my mahogany canopy bed. My eyes closed as he felt for the knots under my clothes. I bit back a moan as he hit the worst one at the bottom of my sensitive neck. He positioned himself closer, the toes of his shoes touching the heels of mine.

“You are tense.”

“I believe I covered that already,” I said through my gritted teeth. This was torture, in a good way.

“How bad do you need it?” he asked in his own whisper.

I straightened my unconsciously stooped body.

“The massage, how bad do you need it?”

“Oh, badly, very badly,” Was he kidding?

“Lay down. I’ll give it to you. It’ll have to be a quick one since I still have stuff to do before opening.”

My mind went south. “Um, what?”

“It would be much easier for me with this out of the way,” Silas plucked at my baggy t-shirt.

I wanted his hands on me in a bad way and for more than just a massage. Was I willing to let him touch me, considering I was horny as hell? I was already letting him touch me and it felt good, too good. I shrugged at myself and stiffened when the spasm hit my spine again.

“Okay, big boy. Be gentle with me,” I yanked off the shirt and lay with my face pointed to look at him.

I guess I threw him because he had to shake his head before getting that dark look out of his eyes. True to his kind spirit, it didn’t take him long to regroup.

“Do you really want me to be gentle?” He asked in a husky voice, as he stood between my lower legs.

“No, I don’t.” I answered honestly. I hated lies. “There’s lotion on the nightstand.”

“Good thing you said that or I was going to start rifling through your drawers.”

This banter was actually quite fun, until.

“I have a slight problem, Constance. Your bra is in my way,” he said as he slowly straddled me.

Right, I was wearing a front closure racer back bra and it was right below where he’d been massaging. This would be interesting.

“Well, in for a penny in for a pound,” I said as I slid my hands under me to pop the clasp.

The click was muffled in the 600 thread count cover, but I sure felt it. I pulled the warm cotton cups away from my breasts and shivered as my erect nipples brushed the cool fabric under me. He had to have felt that. I slid my hands backward and clasped them behind my back.

“Um, nice trick,” he said as he slid the fabric down my arms and placed the bra on the pillow to his right.

I slid my hands under my chin and waited. He cleared his throat, grabbed the vanilla lotion and got to work on my stiff muscles. It was heaven. I sighed deeply and let my full weight sink into the bed as I relaxed into his touch. If I hadn’t been so turned on then I would’ve fallen asleep. I even told myself to ignore the slight bulge I felt against my butt, to no avail. Once he was leaning harder against my lower region, to reach further up my body, I involuntarily shimmied my butt against that bulge. At least, I think it was involuntary.

“Excuse me ma’am but I can’t work on you if you do that again,” Silas said in a low whisper by my right ear, his face close to mine.

“Ah, no happy ending?” I couldn’t resist, there was no way.

He popped me on the butt as he slid off of the bed, and chuckled. I sighed, guess not.

***

Well, Whatcha think?

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

Wench Writer and her corsets

Corsets. Oh how I love corsets.  

This was the first one that I ever made and that was going on twelve years ago. And yes, she's still this pretty.

They can be short lined, long lined, heart shaped, Victorian, Edwardian, Modern Redo, Pinup, waist training.....all of it. I have had a passion for corsets since I was maybe eight years old. When I was small, I would get a week of every summer break to spend with my grandparents in Columbus, Georgia. My grandmother had tons of old Sears Roebuck Catalogs and I would sit for hours and just stare at the old ads. It wasn't that I wanted to have a eternally 19 inch waist but I loved the aspect of something sexy that made you look better than a Coke bottle in the slimmest of dresses. It was feminine and appealing to me. 

I know there are plenty of feminists that will argue over the need for any woman wearing something so constrictive to attract a man. They are allowed that opinion but that's not why I adore them. Nope. They just scream for me. It's like a woman who has to buy ten shoes all in different colors so an outfit will have different options. You can say it's my apparel weakness, of it makes you feel better. 

Add Granny Boots and an adorable little jacket and I am in clothing heaven. 

That being said, I took an offer to work at the Georgia Renaissance Festival again this year. I won't be at the pirate ship like a couple of years ago but I'm still excited about being out there in my gear. Like most of the people working there, I have my own costumes that I switch around depending on the them of the weekend. I have different styles but nowhere near the types that I'd like to add to my collection. This year I hope to make a couple more before the season starts but I have to get my patterns figured out so I can make these babies all my own. 

This one (below) was made especially for me to be Jessie from Toy Story for our Memorial Day Salute to Disney. Sadly, the material, although lovely, was not strong enough for flat steel boning. This was a learning experience as I could make one of these to fit my figure but had to do better with my fabric choices.

This red one was my first attempt at a zipper front version and I need to get a stronger zipper for it. It's sitting aside as I order what I need from a store in Norcross that can give me a reversible heavy duty zipper that will match my fabric nicely.  

 Below is a newer one that I had to do in this bonsai garden fabric. It's a green pinstripe on the other side, as that's my fav color. I have enough of this fabric to try one more version and then I have to move on to other patterns.

This bronze (with the other side being leopard) is my favorite out of all the ones that I have made to date. It's thick, sturdy, and makes a puuurfect addition to my wardrobe.

My hubby loves the green one that is Japanese brocade on one side and sage green faux suede on the other. After the rough days on board the ship (wood catching at it), I usually wear this one when I'm with my guy as I'm trying to make it last longer. 

Here are some ideas that I want to change up for my figure type. Eventually, I'll make the patterns out of newspaper and get to drafting up something special. It takes time, effort, and a lot of measuring to get these to fit you properly. And 

knowing that I could use a few years of sewing/designing lessons, I'm happy with what I've created so far. Yes, I sell them but right now I have a few orders to keep me busy for the rest of the year. When I start selling them again, I'll post it on here and Facebook.

Thanks and )))Corset Hugs((( 

Ginny Lynn, Wench Writer