Remember me?

Time flies...I hadn't realised how long it had been since I last posted. I'm having a break from my medical treatment due to nasty side effects.

On the writing front, I've completed my first synopsis and have received feedback from my writing teacher. Basically, I've got a looonnngggg way to go in learning the skill of synopsis writing. My frustration with this ms is immense. After working on this story for over a year (and during this writing course), having brainstormed with my Course Coordinator, and having submitted my first three chapters there are STILL problems with my character's goals, motivations and conflict. Can you sense my frustration?!!

So the feedback from my writing teacher on my synopsis can be summed up like this:

• I haven't demonstrated that my hero and heroine are made for each other, despite the obstacles that stand in their way (internal and external conflict). The motivation for the romance is not explained.


• The question was asked why my hero needed his father's wishes to force him to marry? Why doesn't he decide he needs this by himself? (In my ms, hero is heir of his father's hotel. My hero wants nothing more than to take over the running of the hotel and, by doing so, preventing a merger with their competitor. His father is CEO and is stepping down, but requires his son to marry in order to take over as CEO. His father has a reason for this, but it's not explained in the synopsis.)
• My heroine's motivation for the MOC was questioned. I thought I had got this right, but obviously not...


• I also need to show how my heroine's initial perceptions about the hero shift and demonstrate exactly the events and actions that reveal to her the opposite qualities about the hero. Qualities that she admires in him and that make her fall in love with him.
• I have to make it clear what the wound in my heroine is that my hero heals, how it happens and how it further complicates things between them.


• The Black Moment - there needs to be a change in the hero leading up to this, ie. I need to show that he is starting to change his views about not getting emotionally involved with my heroine.

I've been struggling with getting my characters' motivations for the MOC believable, but it seems I still haven't managed this. I mean, it's not as if I'm writing a Modern/Sexy/Presents where the hero can just blackmail my heroine to marry him for some reason. So I've decided the MOC hook has got to be abandoned. I've wasted too much time on what has felt like trying to force my characters fit this hook which was meant to increase the stakes (rather than just a fake fiance which was what it was initially). Have re-written the first three chapters twice (second time I started completely from scratch), I'm now prepared to abandon the MOC since it's not working and my characters have stopped speaking to me and the writing has stalled. So I'll hand in my final assignment (the query letter), then start from scratch. The only constant in all this has been the characters whom I love, and I want to tell their story and their romance.

It's a struggle trying to write a synopsis when I'm an organic writer and the ms has not been completed. I think that's why it's been lacking so much. Yet I know this is an expectation of published writers so it's something I have to learn how to do.

I don't expect to get things right the first time, but when I've spent so long trying to get the story elements right and the GMC, it's discouraging after so long to realise that I haven't. I feel like I've wasted my time. Anyway, I know it's all a learning curve.

On a more positive note, I'll leave you with someone who has gone into my Hero Inspiration files recently.


I absolutely loved Russell Crowe in Robin Hood. Also loved him in Gladiator. Give me a warrior any day.

For those of you that prefer a younger-looking hero, maybe this pic might float your boat instead: