Synopsis is a four letter word

It’s known as the ‘dreaded synopsis’, but it’s still a critical part of a submission to an agent or publisher. But just how do you compress a novel into a paragraph or one page and capture the essence of the work? There is plenty of general advice, but why has no one been brave enough to publish ‘those that worked’. I suspect that there is no right answer and we are all doomed to trial and error.

Best job in the world

Tourism Queensland know their stuff - the marketing for job as island caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef was excellent and I fell - hook line and sinker. But cramming everything I wanted to say in 60 seconds felt impossible - 60 hours maybe, just - but 60 seconds? I had to write (and perform) the synopsis of my life. I cut like a tailor at the end of a nudist convention. It's done though and I'm waiting to hear it's been accepted. Watch this space.

Eating frogs in traffic

Brian Tracy's book Eat That Frog! lists time management ideas. One is to use the time you spend travelling productively. A 12 mile journey in heavy traffic that took over 50 minutes wasn't a great experience, but when I arrived at my destination I had some good ideas for my blog.

Brain race

We are members of one the most successful species on Earth. Our brains evolved to solve essential survival problems, so I therefore assume 03.00 was a good time to process all that stuff. I tell myself this when my brain starts up at 02.59 – it doesn’t help.

Happy New Year!

Will 2009 be a turning point for you? Keep positive and keep trying.