Writing a book is difficult enough, but getting it edited, published and marketed adds three additional jobs to the process. A new author must go through a tremendous learning curve and expend a lot of time and effort to get their book completed to a professional standard. Luckily, there are some places to turn to for help. I have listed three organisations I have used for support, advice and information.
The Institute of Professional Editors IpEd
“Editors work with writers for the benefit of readers. They help writers get their message across with greater clarity, elegance, forcefulness and insight.”
The Institute of Professional Editors encompass editors, of all types from both Australia and New Zealand. They offer some excellent services for writers.
Check out their website for helpful articles about what editors do, the three types of editing and how editors are trained and accredited. They also cover the skills needed to be an editor. They even have advice on self-editing.
The IpEd. web site offers information about how to brief an editor and how to make a contract with one.
The Find an Editor Service is an invaluable way of finding the right editor for your project, whether it’s a romance, a history book or an academic paper. The search engine asks you some simple questions and then provides a number of editors that will fit your criteria.
I have used this service and found a wonderful editor who whipped my two novels into shape.
For more information go to the web site: Click on the link here.
The Australian Society of Authors (A.S.A.)
This professional organisation has been established for over forty years. A.S.A. provides services to aspiring, emerging and established authors and illustrators.
Services Include:
• On-line courses on a wide range of topics. • Providing advice on subjects such as copyright, royalties and contracts. • Supplying information about fair rates of pay for authors and illustrators. • Offering mentorships and manuscript appraisals. • Providing guidelines and templates for contracts. • They make submissions to Parliament about issues affecting authors and illustrators. • A find service for creators and illustrators. • Speed dating – 3-minute sessions to pitch your work to an agent or publisher. ($30 fee)
Annual membership fees (2024) Associate – $160 Full member – $215
This is a state wide service for authors, both aspiring and published. They are located in the Institute Building on the corner of Kintore Road and North Terrace. Right next door to the State library.
People can join for an annual fee of $98. Concession card holders and young writers can join for $60.
They offer courses, workshops writing festivals and other activities both on-line and in-person. There are fees for all activities but members get a 30% discount.
In addition, Writers SA provide manuscript assessments, pre-submission assessments, mentorship programs, feedback, consultations and synopsis audits. All these services are provided at a cost. The fees are negotiable depending on the scope of the service and size of the manuscript.
It is certainly a good idea to browse through Writers SA web site. Look at Opportunities to discover competitions and publishers seeking submission. They also have a list of Writer’s groups throughout South Australia. You can also subscribe to their free newsletter and read their blog.
If interested in joining Writers SA contact them on 0476999002
“The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.” – Vincent Van Gogh. “I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.”
[The Sunflower; a Van Gogh icon (c) L.M. Kling 2018]
A current example of those discouraging times when our books don’t sell; I recall my experience during two years in art exhibitions of not selling—not one, not even a cheaper unframed painting. So, at the time, I could relate to Vincent Van Gogh.
As writers we too feel disheartened when our books don’t sell. We’ve spent hours, weeks, months, maybe years writing, refining and producing our “babies” just to see them sit there on the shelf, unloved, unwanted, buried under millions of competing books in the Amazon ranking list.
Perhaps you were one of those authors who attempted to take the traditional route, sending query letters to potential agents or big-name publishers, only to receive the rejection letter months down the track. And this happened over and over again.
Or maybe like me, you saw the writing on the wall, bypassed all that palaver; went straight to Amazon, Draft to Digital, (or some other online publishing service) and self-published. Whichever way, the result is the same, the product must be sold. Even in traditional publishing, we are selling our books to the publisher then, if we are successful, they expect us to promote our books at book launches, speeches and signings.
Advertising, it’s all about marketing and advertising.
So, here I was, I had my “baby”, (actually “babies” — five books now), and to advertise, I have my blog, my website and most recently, Indie Scriptorium Self-Publishing Collective. Week in, week out I blog and post. I try and keep up with my followers by reading, liking, and following their blogs. Sometimes I offer my books for free on Kindle. I’ve tried a bit of advertising too. Slowly my contingent of followers has grown.
Yet, I see my friends or associates on social media pumped up with successes and bestsellers to their name. There’s influencers who have monetised their websites and now own a portfolio of properties. Then there are the bloggers who have 100,000-plus followers.
How do they do it?
All the while, here’s you and me, the wallflowers, missing out.
Believe me, being a wallflower is discouraging.
But, fellow wallflowers, don’t be discouraged.
Don’t give up.
Persevere.
I keep reminding myself that those success-stories often start with struggle. The people who are successful in sales, most often put themselves and their products out there. They spread the net far and wide, so to speak. They don’t give up when faced rejection. They keep on going. They have goals. And when they fail, they pick themselves up and keep on running.
True, there are some for whom success falls in their laps. But for most of us, we need to make the effort to reap the rewards.
The comment Van Gogh makes resonates with me. Although he sold only one painting in his life, he believed in his work, and the timeless quality of his art, as one can see from his quote at the beginning of this post.
I believe that’s how it is for me when I am writing, and also painting. I feel alive. And echoing what so many of my fellow “creators” say, I would rather be creating than getting bogged down in all the marketing and advertising. Like Van Gogh, I can’t change the fact that my books or paintings don’t sell…
Quaint English villages are the typical settings for Cosy Mysteries, but any small, interesting community will suffice.
I admit that I’d never heard about Cosy Mystery novels until I attended a wonderful presentation by Morgana Best at the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Adelaide 2024. Cracking the Cozy Mystery session opened my eyes to this delightful, popular genre.
I personally love crime books, especially Nordic noir, the darker the better but even this avid reader sometimes finds the desperate situations, vivid descriptions and awful outcomes too much to bear. Waking up in the middle of the night with detailed images of beheadings, disfigurements and accompanying gore is unsettling. Psychopathic villains can haunt my nightmares and leave me looking for a good romance at the library the next day.
Maybe it’s time to read some Cosy Mysteries instead? A murder without mess, a whodunit solved by an untroubled, clever amateur sleuth with a happy outcome.
But there are conventions for writing these very popular tales.
The sleuth must be likeable, unexpectedly clever and an amateur. They might want to hide their brilliance under a bushel.
The investigator must have a strong motivation to solve the crime; a sense of justice, a desperate relative, someone falsely accused or police incompetence.
The mystery must be cleverly crafted with copious red herrings, but the reader discovers all the clues in the end.
Good research is essential into murder techniques, police procedures, coronial enquires, autopsies and medical assessments.
No blood, gore or graphic descriptions of the crime.
No blasphemy, cursing or coarse language.
No sex but a touch of sweet romance is allowed.
The victim must be flawed and/or unlikeable but must still engender some sympathy to warrant the investigation.
The setting is a small, appealing community with lots of quirky residents.
No animals or children should be harmed.
You can add smart dogs, strange cats and unusual but endearing pets/wildlife.
The police should not be involved unless they get it wrong and need to be enlightened.
The mystery/murder must be solved, and everyone live happily ever after until the next victim bites the dust.
These books sell in their millions every year. There are many sub-genres including romantic, historical and paranormal themes. Many Cosy Mystery writers do a series of books and get a following of avid fans.
The genre can be traced back to Agatha Christie, who introduced readers to her clever sleuth, Miss Marple in the 1930s. Other famous historical mystery writers are Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. These four ladies were the Queens of Crime in the early to mid-twentieth century.
Cosy Mystery books have engendered many television series: Death in Paradise, Agatha Raison, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Father Brown and Sister Boniface to name a few.
I certainly will be looking out for some cosy entertainment at the local library. As for writing one, the ideas are circling. A murder of crows over a distant field …
For more reading, I found the following articles informative:
Ingram Spark—What is a Cozy Mystery and why is it so popular? An article by Debbie Young September 2019
Crime reads – Cozy Mysteries aren’t going anywhere, in fact, There’re as Popular as ever. By Olivia Blacke February 2021.
And please have a look at the cat inspired web site of Morgana Best – writer of paranormal cosy mysteries and the lovely lady who inspired this blog.
For many of us, the word “swamp” doesn’t have much in the way of appealing connotations with its implications of boggy, muddy, and probably smelly too. Many a frustrated mother has applied the word to a child’s bedroom along with orders, “Clean it up! Or at least keep the door shut! Please!”
The Macquarie Dictionary tells us that a swamp is: “a piece or tract of wet spongy land; marshy ground; an area of still, often stagnant water, infit for cultivation”.
Nothing appealing there, is there?
Words are powerful. How we use them; the pictures we get in our head when hearing them are often beyond our conscious control—we hear, we respond (and at times react. Sometimes in quite unexpected ways!)
In the far South East of our state of South Australia, “swamp” has a vastly different meaning. Here the land is flat, seemingly as level as a tabletop. Apart from the many acreages that were cleared and planted with pines, the country is studded with magnificent, giant red gums: Eucalyptus Camaldulensis.
You could see this part of the world as upside down; a reverse of “normal” where usually so-called “flat land” is actually a series of low, rolling hills and shallow valleys. Here, mile after mile of the South East however, there is not a hill to be seen, not even a gentle rise. Instead of the “gentle rises” there are dips: downs rather than ups, huge shallow bowls in the land surface. As it is so flat there are no rivers of streams but in winter all those lower parts can function as drainage sumps. Again, due entirely to that word “sump”, a less that appealing picture.
The very earliest settlers must’ve found these vast stretches of winter water an impediment, their animals could well have trampled round and in and through creating bog holes while areas for cultivation and cropping were dictated by the sheets of water impeding their workaday world. To those folk, “swamp” would surely have been seen as appropriate.
Late settlers, however, learned to work around all the water. They learned to appreciate the myriad of water birds that flocked to their swamps. They saw beauty in all those clear, still sheets reflecting the giant gums so often standing alongside.
The children of these settlers had a magical childhood where they could catch tadpoles and tortoises; paddle around in homemade rafts; climb the nearby trees; construct cubbies; build boats; and, on a convenient bank, dig out dockyards for those boats.
This was also my childhood too and it was truly magical. Along with that magical childhood, I also learned how words can be used in a way that varies their meaning—there is much more to them than mere definitions in a dictionary.
“Lake” would be far more appropriate word for the magnificent sheets of water teeming with life that were an integral part of my younger years. But “swamp”, for South Easterners like us stuck.
Such is life!
Those of us who write, however, must always be careful with our words. We cannot assume our reader will interpret what we have written in the same way that we intend. And yet we mustn’t go into long, convoluted explanations—a sure and certain way to ensure we’ll have not readers! It is truly a balancing act demanding skill, awareness, and sensitivity.
Nobody has ever said that skillful writing, effective writing is, to put it colloquially, a walk in the park. It takes time, care. And consideration—lots of that! The rewards: the satisfaction; the sense of achievement outweigh the pain and frustration many times over though, don’t they?
I have been mulling over what stops us. What makes us stall from reaching our potential? Our potential to write that novel in our heads. Finish that story. Take up the challenge we are given and run with it to the end. Often, it’s the way we see ourselves. Our limitations. When faced with the challenge, our song is, “I can’t. I’m not good enough.” We reinforce our self concept with the chorus, “I failed that (insert challenge) at school.” Or “I was sacked when I did (that particular challenge)”. It got me thinking that when we define ourselves by our limitations, we work ourselves into a corner.
One fun activity that our Writers’ group found useful was the 100-word challenge. This little task helps fire up the creative juices, refine writing skills, and simply work around the limitations we writers put on ourselves.
Below is an example from my collection.
Worked…
…Into a Corner
All afternoon, our backyard echoed with the hum of the cement-mixer, and intermittent scraping. Dad, armed with a trowel, smoothed the cement over an area pegged to become the back patio. Metre by metre, he pasted his way back.
Mum stood on the porch, and with hands on her hips, remarked, ‘And how are you going to get out of this one?’
In an ocean of soft cement, Dad looked around him, lost. ‘Er…um…I’ll work it out.’
Tracks back to the lawn-edge smoothed, Dad stood and admired his DIY job.
Next morning, paw-prints made their way to the rainwater tank.
[Last Tuesday the Indie Scriptorium team were part of the Spring into books Wordfest at our local library in Woodcroft. We hope to have a more detailed reflection on the event in the near future–once we’ve recovered…One thing that stood out for me were the number of aspiring authors who had written a book, but needed guidance on what steps to take next.
With this in mind, here’s a re-blog; a cautionary tale by Mary McDee.]
A Cautionary Tale
We have just discovered that a writer friend of ours has been taken in by a couple of publishers. She has lost a lot of money (nearly $30,000), is confused upset and angry. All she’s got out of it is one single copy of the book of which she was so proud.
“She must be pretty thick” I hear you saying.
Not so. Not at all. She’s vibrant, intelligent, educated; a businesswoman all her working life and still, in her retirement, involved in theatre. But she’s been conned by experts. It could happen to any of us which is why we feel it is important to fill you in.
Let me tell you how it happened.
Long ago writing became an interest for her but only as a sideline, an enjoyable hobby. For a long time, she operated on a “lone wolf” basis but a few years ago she joined our writing group. Occasionally she referred to a book she had written and the publisher with whom she was dealing. We never took her up on any of the details; our group concentrates on works in progress and critiquing each other’s efforts. That book of hers was done and dusted – on to the next level so beyond our current concerns.
However, a couple of days ago she made another comment and was obviously unhappy about things. We’d finished our readings and given our feedback early so this time took her up on it: who was the publisher, what was going on… And, eventually, how on earth did this happen?
Very easily as it turned out.
Publishing was a foreign field to her, so she did what most of us do these days – she went on the internet. Not long after her internet search, she began getting phone calls. There were people in the USA who were interested in her work; keen to look at it; keen to publish!!
She was thrilled, sent her stuff to them – it was a children’s story illustrated with her own delightful artwork. They rang and talked terms, explained the “situation” and were enthusiastic about possibilities. The world opened up; she was thrilled, excited.
But she was an innocent abroad, abroad in a world of which she knew nothing; nothing at all. She sent them money as requested (Pay Pal is a wonderful innovation when dealing with those who are far away!) and waited expectantly. There were phone calls relating progress. She paid more money.
Things dragged on. The months became years. She began to have concerns; to worry. But reassuring phone calls, explanations, progress reports allied her fears. She received a single copy of her book.
She was told it was in bookshops in the UK; bookshops that were part of a large chain with stores all over the country and that it was selling well. But she was getting paid only a few cents very occasionally. She wondered and began to worry again.
With friends and family in the UK, she asked them to go to a few of these bookshops and check them out. No sign of any copies of her book anywhere. Then she somehow found out that Amazon was supposed to be involved – she’d had no contact with Amazon; none at all.
At no time throughout this saga had she been offered a contract; at no time had she been asked to sign anything. All she’d ever had was phone contact. So, she asked for them to communicate with her in writing. Despite repeated requests, they never have.
She realised there was something seriously wrong; that she had been conned. She was hugely embarrassed and loath to admit to what she saw as her own stupidity. We keep telling her that action coming from lack of knowledge can never be classified as stupidity. She’s finding that hard to accept though and still feels dreadful about the whole thing.
Sadly, there are many out there operating this way; skilled in taking advantage of the uninformed; the unwary; those of us with dreams. In the world of publishing, they are labelled “Vanity Publishers”. It is doubtful if what they do is illegal – they’d be very sure it wasn’t!! But it is certainly immoral. All they will ever do is flatter you; con you; extort money from you. In short, use you then spit you out,
Our Indie Scriptorium Team has been busy this week preparing for a fantastic local author event, Wordfest. If you happen to be in Adelaide, come to Woodcroft Library, 3 to 7pm this Tuesday September 10.
Indie Scriptorium Self-Publishing Collective Anthology 2024 will be available in print from this date.
As well as the anthology, we will be selling our print copies of our books which include:
[I was scheduled to do a post on the wonders of research via podcast. Ah, how the times have changed! But time, the last few weeks has been in short supply in the world of Lee-Anne Marie Kling. What, with an anthology to put together, my latest ghost-writing project, family history research and our local library “Spring into Books —Wordfest” in which Indie Scriptorium has embroiled ourselves…
Speaking of which, especially harking back to the anthology and having it ready to be available at the “Wordfest”, I came across this post that I wrote a few years ago. Reminded me of a certain member of our team’s mantra: “Computers, you can’t trust them.”
So, here’s a story based on my work experience in the 1980’s. Note: names have been changed for privacy.]
PEARL IN THE SAND
I slumped in my chair and slammed the report on the desk.
‘What’s wrong?’ my colleague, Gerry asked.
‘The boss’s not happy with the report and I have to do the formatting all over again.’
‘Glad it’s you and not me.’
‘Hmmm.’ I fished out the exercise book of computer commands from my pile of books on the desk and leafed through my handwritten notes on commands to do with formatting a document.
My colleague leaned back in his chair and slurped his fourth coffee for the day. ‘I don’t know how you do it. I don’t think I’ll ever get the hang on these computers.’
‘It’s the eighties, they’re not going away,’ I muttered.
‘They’re not user-friendly, you know.’ Another slurp.
‘I know! And the boss thinks I can wave my word-processing wand and poof! Formatting all done.’ I pressed the button on the tower, and then stood up. ‘Third time this week! Third time this week I’ve handed in the report, and he throws it back at me. More work to do. I’m getting a coffee.’
Gerry held out his cup. ‘You wouldn’t mind getting me another one, would you?’
I sighed. ‘Yeah, okay.’
By the time, I returned, the computer was just at the stage it was thinking about starting. Gerry blathered on the phone and the tech guy crouched over another computer, parts scattered over the floor of our office come passage.
Our manager opened the door and poked his head through. ‘How are you going with those changes?’ he asked me.
‘Getting onto it,’ I said and glanced at the screen still blank in contemplation.
My manager raised an eyebrow.
‘It’s starting up.’
‘We have a deadline, you realise. I want that report on my desk tonight.’
‘Yes, sir.’
I turned to the computer. It had decided to have a day off, its blank screen smug, stared at me.
Late spring, not so warm, but beads of perspiration gathered on forehead. I glanced around the small office area. Another workmate, Paul tapped away on a live computer.
I approached him. ‘Would I be able to borrow your computer sometime today? I have to fix up my report and have it delivered to the boss.’
Paul shook his head. ‘I have a document that must be done asap.’ He turned to me. ‘Isn’t there another computer?’
I surveyed the scene of devastation behind me; the tech guy’s handiwork of a dismembered computer lay scattered on the rug. ‘No,’ then with desperation in my tone, ‘I have to finish my report today, but…The launch is in two weeks.’
‘I too, have a deadline. Tomorrow.’ Paul turned back to his computer and resumed tapping away on the keyboard.
Tech guy entered the office holding his cup of tea in one hand and sandwich in the other. He stepped over the computer bits.
I looked at Tech guy. ‘I need a computer. Mine’s not working.’
‘The boss’ll just have to wait,’ Tech guy said.
I shuffled out of the office and to the café for lunch. Gerry lounged on a couch having an extended lunch.
‘Have to wait my turn for a computer,’ I grumbled to him.
He laughed. ‘Glad it’s you and not me.’
Back at the office, Tech Guy had my computer running. What is it with Tech Guys, they have this way with computers? I settled down to work when I heard sniffling from the PA’s office next door. I glanced at her. She wiped her eyes and hid her face from me.
I opened my mouth to ask her what’s wrong.
Tech Guy zoomed up to me and whispered, ‘The boss’s decided he doesn’t trust computers and he’s asked her to type out your report on her electric typewriter.’
‘What?’
‘Yeah, just after I spent the whole morning fixing up computers. I got yours going.’
The PA fed the paper into the typewriter. She then covered her face, stood up and raced out of the office.
‘No,’ Tech Guy scratched the bald spot at the back of his head, ‘I’m going to talk to the boss. She can’t do all the work for you. It’s just not right.’ He strode into the manager’s office.
A few minutes later, Tech Guy emerged, thumbs up and a smile spread across his face. ‘I made him see sense. The job is yours again.’
‘Thanks.’
Comforted by the fact that the PA had the load of my report lifted from her, but troubled that I must battle with the office computer, I gritted my teeth and spent the afternoon and into the evening tackling the formatting of my report.
When I handed my manager the report, he flicked through the pages and nodded. ‘Much better, well done,’ he said.
A week later I met with my Pastoral Care Worker. I’d been off work a week after succumbing to a virus.
‘Why did I have to go through all that? Why can’t things go smoothly?’ I asked him.
‘It’s the troubles,’ he said, ‘that refine and grow us. Like a pearl, the sand irritates it and eventually you get a beautiful pearl.’
Over the years, I’ve remembered those words of wisdom—the bosses that demand perfection, the prickly pears, the obnoxious computers that resist being user-friendly—all that irritates, has grown me.
And the “pearl”, one of my best memories after all those troubles in our office—the following week, a day before the launch of my report, unhampered by printers not able to print and collate the report for us, the team worked in unity and joy around the long table, collating and binding the report. I realised that projects are not a task we do on our own, but with others as a team.
A synopsis is like describing a photo and including every detail that the eye beholds in a couple of paragraphs. It has to be succinct, engaging and include the style and themes of the novel. A pitch is a very short synopsis. An elevator pitch even shorter.
A synopsis is mostly used to sell your novel to an agent or a publisher. It is also useful to summarise your novel for presentations and marketing. However, don’t use a synopsis with potential readers or you will be giving away too much information.
My critique group has recently tackled the difficult issue of writing a synopsis and it spurred me on to revisit this topic. A 300–800-word synopsis is a document that sells your work, hooks the agent/publisher and gets your manuscript out of the slush pile.
So, where do you begin? Start by defining what is happening (the status quo). Bring in the inciting incident, the developments leading to the crisis and finish with the resolution of the crisis.
When writing a synopsis, it is important to include:
A clear outline of your plot including the hook at the beginning, big moments in the narrative, plot twists and the ending. You are giving the publisher/agent a full account of your novel so don’t hide anything as they want to know everything and especially that you have a satisfying ending.
You should give a description of your main protagonists and reveal how they change and grow throughout the book. Character names can be underlined or made bold, so their importance is shown.
Start your synopsis with a strong hook.
Showcase how your novel is different with strong themes and unique ideas.
Write the synopsis in the 3rd person, present tense and use clear, easily read sentences with immaculate grammar and spelling.
Make sure the synopsis document contains your name, the title and synopsis so it is easily found by the agent/publisher.
Also include the genre, word count and who you think will be your readers.
Of course you cannot possibly publish the synopsis for your own novels. So, I decided to do a synopsis of a book that most people have read or know the ending through multiple movies and television shows. With abject apologies to Jane Austen, I will attempt a synopsis of Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice – Long Synopsis (462 words)
A historical romantic novel of 122,189 words. Suitable for readers of refined literature.
Elizabeth Bennett (Lizzy) is the second eldest of five unmarried sisters whose financial circumstances leaves them all in the unenviable position of needing to marry into money. Lizzy is bold, intelligent, reads extensively and declares she will not marry unless in love.
Mr Darcy an extremely rich, handsome, gentleman accompanies his friend Mr Bingley to Netherfield. The arrival of two eligible men rouses excitement in the Bennett household. While Bingley forms an attachment to older sister Jane, Lizzy quickly concludes that Darcy is cold and proud, and she spurns him despite his large fortune.
Jane and Bingley fall in love and a proposal is expected, then Bingley mysteriously leaves for London. Jane is heartbroken and Lizzy incensed by her sister’s rejection. Her anger intensifies when she is expected to marry her cousin, the incorrigible Mr Collins. She refuses and Mr Collins finds solace with Lizzy’s best friend.
The arrival of the militia to the district brightens the lives of the Bennett sisters. Lizzy meets Wickham an exceedingly handsome but poor Lieutenant and the son of Darcy’s late steward. Wickham accuses Darcy of cheating him out of a legacy. This firms Lizzy’s prejudice against Darcy.
While visiting Mr and Mrs Collins, Lizzy again encounters Darcy who is visiting his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bough. Lizzy is discombobulated to receive an ill-considered marriage proposal from Darcy. She angrily rejects him because he admits that he stopped Bingley marrying her sister.
Darcy realises too late that he has fallen in love with Lizzy. He makes such a hash of his proposal that he fears he has lost any chance of overcoming her prejudice. He does warn her about the sleezy Wickham who’d tried to elope with his younger sister.
An unexpected holiday in Derbyshire with her uncle and aunt allows Lizzy to visit Pemberton, Darcy’s stately home. She is mortified when Darcy arrives and finds her there. This second chance allows Darcy to reveal his love and admiration for Lizzy and her preconceptions mellow. During this renewed courtship Lizzy learns her youngest sister Lydia has absconded with Wickham and her family face ruin. Darcy forsakes Lizzy and their romance seems doomed.
But Darcy searches for, and makes Wickham marry Lydia. He apologises to Bingley for interfering in his courtship and encourages him propose to Jane. Bingley proposes and Jane accepts. Darcy’s actions prove to Lizzy that he loves her.
A visit from the formidable Lady Catherine de Bough, warns Lizzy that Darcy is contemplating marrying her against his family’s wishes. Lady Catherine claims Darcy is engaged to her daughter and demands Lizzy reject her nephew. Lizzy refuses and realises she has fallen in love with Darcy. When he proposes she gladly accepts.
Short Synopsis – 256 words
Historical romantic novel. 122,189 words.
When Mr Bingley brings his friend Mr Darcy to his new country house, Mrs Bennett expects one of them will marry one of her five unmarried daughters. Jane and Mr Bingley are attracted but Lizzy finds Darcy’s proud contempt insufferable.
Jane is jilted by Bingley leaving Lizzy incensed. Her mood intensifies when she is expected to marry her odious cousin, Mr Collins. Despite Mrs Bennett’s pressure, Lizzy resists, Mr Collins and he marries her best friend instead.
The arrival of the militia to the district brightens the lives of the Bennett sisters. Lizzy is attracted to Lieutenant Wickham, the poor son of Darcy’s steward. Learning that Darcy withheld an inheritance from Wickham firms Lizzy’s prejudice.
A visit to Mr and Mrs Collins forces Lizzy to again spend time with Darcy. He’s fallen in love and proposes but his admission that he stopped Bingley marrying Jane ruins his chances. He warns Lizzy Mr Wickham has a penchant for very young girls.
While holidaying in Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle, Lizzy visits the Darcy stately home. Darcy arrives unexpectedly and Lizzy is mortified but this second chance allows Darcy to court Lizzy. Her preconceptions mellow. Just as the romance blossoms Lizzy learns that Wickham has run off with her youngest sister. This means ruination for her family and Darcy abandons Lizzy.
But Darcy searches for Wickham and makes him marry Lizzy’s sister. He encourages Bingley to propose to Jane. His actions prove his love for Lizzy. When he proposes she gladly accepts.
Elevator Pitch – 19 words
A regency romance revealing that first impressions can be misleading and true love can overcome both pride and prejudice.
Shorter Elevator pitch – 3 words.
Love overcomes prejudice.
Jericho Writers has an excellent web site: How to Write a Novel Synopsis. It includes step by step instructions and clear guidelines.
Indie Scriptorium -- Self Publishing Collective 