In which we find Arcie commenting on the growing popularity of BigCloset and making a request of the authors.
The discussions about commenting led me to think that I have not been living up to my responsibility in this area. However, it also made me realize how few stories I have read recently. In curiosity I started clicking on each page seeing if it held a story I had read. It was rather surprising to see that I read one posted on August 1st and a chapter posted on June 29th.
Now this lack of reading is not due to some dire lessening of writing quality, I can guarantee that I have missed a number of great stories during this time. No it is because, I believe, BigCloset has become a daunting place for a reader.
In one thread Erin mentioned that the number of submissions here are as high as FM and it now shows. As a reader, it has become very difficult to make a selection from the riches available. And for me it has become easier to retreat back to writing then to make a decision on what to read.
Now this great selection is definitely not a bad thing. Its great to see so many people will to share their creativity.
However, there is one request I would make to authors, which may help the readers in their choice. Please, when posting a story, supply a short synopsis/teaser, not the first paragraph(s) or title, for the title block on the index pages. I understand that a synopsis is one of the hardest paragraphs to write, but I believe it is a valuable tool for your readers.
How to create a Teaser:
- Navigate to the Body edit block
- Spin your chair around 4 times
- Type synopsis/teaser
- Shout Hail Britannica
- Click the icon with the A over a dotted line, which in turn is over a B
- Spin your chair around 2 times
- Paste your story, title and all
- Profit
Comments
Oh!
I was told to shout "Ying tung iddle eye po!", not "Hail Britannia!"
No wonder synopses are so hard for me to write.
A Goon Show Fan?
Yeah, someone else other than me remembers BBC radio's The Goon Show - where Peter Sellars first became famous.
I can't stand this tropical heat. Fred, throw some more ice on the fire would you please? ...
is a crude paraphrase of a typical Major Bloodnoch line, one of Sellar's recuring characters -- known for his cowardice, thievry and, um, embarassing gastro-intestial problem.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
My point also
I've made this point in PM's to several authors, and the response has been pretty nearly universally negative. The ones that don't write a teaser or synopsis seem to be proud of the lack.
As I pointed out to one writer, when her story rolls off the home page some days or weeks down the line, that synopsis is the only thing a new reader has to go by when deciding if he or she should read the story. If the synopsis doesn't hook them, the story will go unread.
My other pet peeve is for those who write a multi-part story and use the same one sentence synopsis for every chapter. I see this a lot on FM and other sites, which may be due to the system used there for posting stories. But there is no reason for it here.
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way."
College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Though mine are writen to be humorous I try to be informative
Writing a synopis is tricky but I agree, a general idea of what is going on is useful to the reader.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
The Bad News
If writing your synopsis is tricky, you might be receiving a strong signal that your work lacks a central theme or is constructed improperly. More than one book I've read about writing query letters states such a theory. Those writers believe that authors many times get to the point of querying literary agents, only to discover their book is without a core story.
If you don't believe this, think of some of your favorite books, and then try to describe them each in a three sentence synopsis. I'm sure you will find this easy to do.
Or, you might just have trouble writing a good synopsis.
Years ago, Amelia R told me the most important tool for attracting readers is to have lots of themes and plot devices (TG elements) listed. She suggested the more you could indicate, the better chance a search would bring up your story. I laughed at her, but I was wrong.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Could be either, thanks
A lack of a true story, pure descrition you might call it wouild be hard to condense into a synopsis.
Trying not to give away the plot could make it hard too.
Where mine fall, don't tell me, or maybe do tell me.
A well writen sysnpisis sells your story to the reader yet does not lie to the reader.
Not easy to do and I tend to rush my snyopisises.
Synopsi?
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Synopsis - synopsissesss
Hard to do without giving the game away in some instances. I like twists in my stories, though not always, but trying to formulate a short paragraph or sentence that sums up what's going on without revealing the plot is not always so simple.
I wrote one for one story and ended up telling the reader what was going to happen half way through. Talk about telegraphing.
Nick B
Learning by example
Would anyone care to nominate a synopsis/teaser they feel is a good example of how they should be written?
I try to write mine to give some idea of what's happening (or going to happen) in the story/chapter without actually tipping plot details. Maybe that's why some folks find it hard to write a synopsis/teaser for their story -- that's a really hard line to walk. Too little information, and the teaser is no help, too much and people know what's going to happen, so why read it at all?
Some recent teasers I like:
For Caveat Emptor by Jamie Lou:
"Mike’s purchase on TG-Bay has unexpected features and consequences."
For Strange Therapy by Lisa Caitlin Grey:
"A woman seeks to help her friend overcome his low self-esteem. She ends up taking him on vacation to Bikini Beach, where he seems to thrive. But what will happen when the vacation ends? How can the two achieve lifelong happiness?"
Anyone else have teasers they think work well?
Randalynn
Teaser Peasy
Mine were always written as a last comment after posting. They were meant to tease rather than inform. I am vain enough to think that the later ones worked well enough, but that is probably because I enjoyed doing them. Work was done and one could be permitted a little light relief. Practice making perfect .... well perhaps not perfect but good enough. :) Perhaps it is different with a serial though in so much as one already has a base from which to tantalise. Starting from scratch perhaps calls for a different approach
I have always regarded synopsis/teasers in general as revealing more about the author than about the story.
It would perhaps make the subject of a competition. Try to identify the authors/stories from a selection of them. Alternatively ask authors to each anonymously provide one for a given story or play and see if readers can guess their identity.
Hugs,
Fleurie.
I love lucidity
This is an emmanently sensible suggestion, Arcie.
Helps the reader, helps the writer, and it's fun.
But then again (see below).
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
Nick's Concern
I'd say it's a rule of thumb, Nick.
If it's gonna wreck the story,
don't. Or be very vague.
I'm having a hell of a time with
one... if I even mention that
it's an SRU (the wizard) fantasy,
it gives away the whole thing...
So I might skip it on that one.
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
The Difficulty of the Synopsis
I do know what people mean when they say how difficult it is to write a good synopsis. Not saying I write good ones, but I always feel the ones that are my worst are the ones that I leave until its too late. Those are the ones that I have not thought about until I am ready to post the story.
The problem is that I have already ripped the wrapping off the story at that point. No longer do I want to think about it, now it is time to play. However, this can short-change a story that I have invested hours of myself into.
Therefore, the best recommendation I can offer is to think about your synopsis well before you post. It may not even a bad thing to have it mapped out before you begin writing your story. You may also ask your proofers to make an attempt. Or you can borrow Dumas' chapter teaser technique, 'In which we find...'
One good synopsis technique
Ask the question the story answers. Sort of like playing Jeopardy. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
The Question
I agree with Erin. I always try to raise a question, in each synopsis that I have written, in the reader's mind that can only be answered by reading the story.
Hugs and love,
Cindy
Nice analogy
I really like the analogy of the wrapped present, Arcie, but to me it seems that often the synopsis is like store or brand stickers some places put on gift boxes. They mar the paper and diminish the surprise inside.
I know that is very unfair to the reader, they need to know something, but we walk a very fine line between to much and to little; between titillating and spoiling. Added to that is an aversion to blowing one's own horn. I know I find it very hard to do.
Writing Synopses
Jenny Walker is the best at this I've seen in our genre.
Here's her synopsis for Chasing Hope ---
Sarah Munro, a partner in a growing public relations firm, enjoys a quiet life in New Hampshire. Few know the lengths she's gone to in pursuit of her goals. Believing she's escaped her past, Sarah longs for the one thing that's eluded her, but a long-buried secret haunts her dreams of love.
Mark Hamilton, a little-known U.S. senator, believes America needs a change. His friends, recognizing that his strength of character and principled ethics are just what their country needs, have persuaded him to seek his party's nomination for president. Now they fear he won't be able to rise above inhibitions born out of past personal tragedy.
As their lives intersect and entwine in the heat of a national political campaign, Mark and Sarah reach out to each other. Mark wonders if Sarah is the one who might release him from his past hurts. Sarah faces the possibility that to realize her greatest hope, she may need to confront her deepest fear.
It's said you can't tell a book by its cover, but a good dust-cover has sold many a book.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Well I wasn't
going to respond to this thread but ... Okay Angela is right the dust cover does sell many a book, but first things first. The first thing is the cover, picture, graphic or whatever. A pretty picture to catch the unsuspecting readers attention. With luck it has something to do with the contents of the story! LOL. This applies here at BC as well for just look how many hits "Girlery" has gotten not to mention the wonderful illustrations Heather Rose did for "Skate Grrls"
Next does the title seem interesting? If so our dear unsuspecting reader turns the book over to check the dustcover or for BC the teaser. Jenny Walker's are indeed great. How do you say enough to make it sound intriguing without presenting 'spoilers"? I've experience some frustrations here folks and this thread wouldn't have 16 comments so far if others hadn't as well. How many of us have a story we really liked and had fun writing but the readers at large ignored it? Argh! I've learned some lessons already during Erin's contest when everyone out of a sense of obligation went back to read those stories they had missed reading the first time so they could vote. Did anyone receive more hits/comments? A clue maybe that spending a little more time on the teaser might be worthwhile instead of like me trying to write at the time of posting giving little time or thought to it. If you've spent hours,days, weeks, or months writing the 'beep' 'beep' thing it is surly worth a little more work to seduce someone to read it.
If we still have their attention of our dupe, I mean our reader, they actually open the book and looks at the inside cover. For BC that more or less means the categories. This can be hard in and of itself because what is thought to be mature matter to one might not be to someone else. Angela had a good point that the more categories you toggle the greater chance it will show up on a search.
Sephrena has done a great job providing better title graphics for someone as non-technical as myself.
Let's face it as BC continues to attract writers and readers this is going to become more of an issue if we want anyone to read our stuff. I'm not advocating we all post graphics because just the bandwidth and such problems they take up would be daunting but perhaps some of our more savvy authors could direct some of my fellow tech clueless to workable solutions. Hope I haven't wandered too far off tropic!
Hugs
grover
Categories and Keywords
Mentioning these brings up a "thing" I have with those, several actually. A story with only one or two is likely to fail to attract my attention, unless the synopsis is good. On the other hand, one that has alot of them toggled makes me wary. I have to wonder how well written or in depth the story is. How can the author touch on so many categories and actually use them in the plot unless the story is very long? Example, if our heroine comments that she suddenly has long blonde hair after being magically changed, and that's all that is said, then IMHO the story doesn't merit having the "Hair or Hair Salon" category/keyword checked.
Now, for a pet peeve of mine: the "autobiographical" category. To me, this does not mean the story is written in first person, it means the author is relating a real, personal experience. I see stories that have categories such as "magical', "SRU", "Sci-Fi" and that sort of thing checked, then you see "autobiographical" checked. Sorry, but I don't think so.
So, in addition to a well-written synopsis, the writer needs to be realistic about their choice of categories and keywords. Erin has certainly helped there by allowing us to add our own keywords. Thanks, Erin!
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way."
College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
On Presumptive Failure to Tease Enough
Arcie, I should and shall take your plea to heart.
On August 9, I posted a 20,000 word, complete-in-itself beginning of a story that I and (as far as I can tell by the feedback) about 3 other people are enthusiastic about. I was deliberately low key about the introduction to Evelyn's Diary -- the boring title itself, the lack of a bunch of "tg" captions (perhaps thinking that their absence would inspire curiousity?), and the notion that the audacity of setting a coming of age TG story in 1906 Baltimore and written in the style of the times might intrigue the reader as much as it did me.
Well, it's bombed. 740 hits, three comments, one personal note. I'd like to think that's not because the story's badly written or lacks a lot of graphic sex or is inherently uninteresting to at least a substantial subset of BC visitors, but because the teaser's a poster child for what you say is all wrong.
Quite evidently, I could use some help in the art of teasing from you and other creative types. Maybe a contest to write the best new teaser for Evelyn's Diary Part I? Hugs, Daphne
Daphne
Niche Writing
Daphne, I think you have a situation where your story has a limited audience among the readers here. A turn of the twentieth century TG story is simply not going to appeal to as many readers as a story set in the current times that we can more easily relate to.
Then, when you couple it with the other factors you mention, the result is a lower reader turnout with only the most committed leaving a comment. However, I'm not sure it "bombed". 740 hits isn't bad. Remember, some of the top stories on BC may only generate 10 or so comments even if there are far more hits.
If you care about people reading and enjoying your story, then you have to convince them they want to invest their time to read it. There are plenty of new stories being posted every week; and you have the rolling over of older stories clogging up the home page and forcing the new stuff down out of sight. So show the potential readers there is a good reason for them to open your story.
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way."
College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
an old mountebank holds forth
Daphne, perhaps some variation on this for your great period piece EVELYN'S DIARY:
1906! The dawn of a New Century. Aeroplanes BLAHBLAH the automobile proving to be more than a novelty, president Roosevelt has begun a canal to join BLAH and BLAH... But for a boy named Edward it is a time of great crisis. Unexplicably his body is becoming more and more feminine. His Aunt's remedy is that he should dress as what he appears to be, a remedy he reluctantly accepts... BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH, he is brought to the renowned physician and alienist Dr. Meyer.
BLAHBUILDUP to:
"Tell me, Evelyn. Have you ever heard of the story of Hermaphroditus?"
That being the hook. Cheesy, but bookjackets usually are, and it seemed to work for E.L. Doctorow. Or maybe you shouldn't listen to someone who gets less hits than you do. (And on that count, I try not to compare my success to what other writers here are getting, but instead to how many people were reading my stories LAST YEAR at this time, where they basically went into file cabinets to feed the earwigs......then I feel happy, and grateful although the earwigs are mighty bummed.)
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.