This post is the first of a series on writing the novel. I'll be drawing from my experiences and providing advice on a range of topics that might interest you.
When I was just beginning as a writer, the publisher guideline request “submit a synopsis and sample chapters” struck fear into my heart. There was something terrifyingly daunting about writing and sending a succinct compelling summary of my novel packaged in just a few pages. As author Katherine Eliska Kimbriel said, “The instinctive response [of the author] is to clap on a helmet and start digging a trench.” I had a right to be terrified. In some ways the synopsis is the hardest thing for a novelist to write. Yet it is the first thing most publishers and agents want (and have time) to see of your cherished project (aside from those sample chapters, of course—more on that later).
