I have successfully completed five synopsis versions. Note, I did not say I have completed five successful synopsis versions. 
I’m happy with the final one, though I’ve gone according to the 1 page per 10,000 words rule. I’m going to let it sit for a couple of days then get back to it… mainly because I’ve signed up for some one-on-one synopsis help with the wonderful Mary Buckham (who gives wonderful in-person and online workshops), and am waiting for feedback from her.
Not one to simply kick back and wait, I figure it’s time to look ahead to the next project. I have an “Ideas” file loaded with… well… ideas. There are stories in there waiting to be written, characters eager to be brought to life on the page. And then there’s me – just a little gun shy after having completed a book only days ago.
I’m not exhausted. If anything, I’m energized from the ride of the last story. I’m not numb creatively. I have new and interesting scenes playing out in my head.
I am however, torn.
Which story do I work on next? The ideas pull me in all directions. I want to write. I want to get back to what I was doing just a week ago, and hammer out the story, feel the very last rush of words spring off my fingers and onto the page.
Alas… that’s called “finishing”.
This… is called ‘starting’.
Plotting – whether in detail or denial – is a long process. I’m in denial right now – insisting I’m a pantser through and through when actually, I desperately need a balance of plotting and pantsing. So, while I’d rather sit here and type away, showing my family how busy I, as writer, can be, I’ll be thinking and no doubt convincing them I’m simply goofing off.
I’ll spend the next couple of weeks turning scenarios over in my mind, picturing the worst obstacles I can throw in my new hero’s way, measuring how high my herione can leap and building hurdles twice that height. I’ll be plotting without paper. Watching the story develop. Seeing the sway of my heroine’s hips, the swagger of my hero’s purposeful gait. And I’ll be dreaming, hearing their voices. Eager for the moment a blank page turns into the first page of a brand new chapter.
FIVE!!! You wrote 5?! Wow, I’m impressed.
The start of a project is always fun to me, all the ideas floating around in your head, getting to know your characters and figuring out where the story will go. Take your time, this is the funest part.
Beth,
Well… yes, five, BUT… four suck. lol.
You’re right about this being a fun part. I’m enjoying the creation of this new story. I see some hitches to smooth out but even they should be exciting.
~Debbie
Am I the only one who seems to find whatever part of the process I am currently working on is the WORST part? Though I admit there is a certain excitement about starting a story, a delightful sense of urgency about getting it on paper and a thrill of completion when I reach the end. (I always feel a little bit like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally–ready to cheer, full of release though no one else can see the cause. LOL). But there are also times in each stage when, as Debbie says, I bleed from the ears. The agony and the ecstasy of writing.
Linda
Linda,
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… so it is with the process of writing. lol. And no, you’re not the only one who feels the current part is the worst part. I feel that way but have shoved that feeling aside. It’s a saboteur. I keep reminding myself how thrilled I was while on a roll with my last story. It’s that excitement I intend to keep while inching through this one. Rah-rah, cheering myself on kind of like you describe with Meg Ryan. But don’t worry… you will hear me grumble and moan as often as I normally do. What fun would I be otherwise? 😀
~Debbie
Hello Debbie, Beth and Linda– isn’t it something that we all agree on the challenge of the synopsis. It is important, we all know it! Debbie, I commend you for your diligence!
Kathleen,
I have a feeling agents and editors know how much we dislike the synopsis… but I agree, they are important. How else do you answer the question “What’s your story about?”
~Debbie