In an episode of Happy Days, a time comes when Fonzi needs to admit that he was wrong. And he tries, but he can't get the phrase out. "I was wrrr...", I was rrrraaww..."
And finally another person helps him out: "You mean, you were wrong?" "Yeah, that's it."
I can do better: I was wrong. But I'm glad I was.
I did manage to get the whole manuscript of Saving Atlantis polished and submitted two days before the deadline.
Now I get to wait up to twelve weeks to get a response.
As I mentioned before, one standard synopsis seldom works. I had two synopses prepared for Saving Atlantis. One was a detailed chapter-by-chapter nine-pager and the other was a more standard two-pager. Avon Books is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers and they want a three-to-five page synopsis. I tried cutting the long one, but that didn't work. So I expanded the short one to four pages. The hard part is deciding what characters and plot points should be included and which ones can be left out.
And after I submitted all the required documents I realized I screwed up.
In the synopsis I referenced a reference that's in the manuscript about a conversation between two characters. But when I was editing it for more romance and less thriller, I took that conversation out. When I was writing the synopsis I reminded myself that I needed to put that conversation back in, though in a shorter version.
I forgot.
If the publisher decides to publish I'll mention that little error and it will be fixed...if they feel it's important enough. They may assume that the readers will either not notice or that the conversation itself wasn't important enough to include.
I'm going to relax just a little now from the writing...but just a little. I won't try to do anything with rewriting Saving Atlantis as a fantasy thriller until I know if Avon will accept it. No sense in trying to make name changes and such unless necessary.
So I'll go back to the fantasy series, which I've been itching to get back too anyway.
Getting away from writing for a moment: it is football season. I'm a Denver Broncos fan. I grew up in the Denver area. I recall once about a hundred years ago, (okay, maybe sixty) my brother and I walked about a mile or more from home and played in a vacant lot right in the shadow of what was then Bears Stadium. I think that spot is part of the parking lot for Mile High Stadium now.
Sunday against the Bears, the Broncos got hosed by the zebras. (Hmmm...that could imply a comedic but slightly gross image.) Maybe twice in the last minute, but the for-sure bad call was roughing the passer on Bradley Chubb. My opinion, yes. But not just my opinion. Not just the Broncos' opinion. Mark Schlereth, color commentator for the game, said it was a horrible call. Three of the four participants on Around the Horn on Monday said it was a terrible call. One called it egregious...another called it ridiculous and another said it was horrible. Thanks a heap, zebras. It just this minute occurred to me that a zebra is a kind of horse, and these human almost-horses, during that last thirty-one seconds of playing time, resembled their own back ends.
If the zebras don't call that penalty that wasn't one, the Bears don't get an extra fifteen yards, they don't get a first down, they don't get the clock stopped and they probably don't have the opportunity to kick that field goal. As Broncos' head coach Vic Fangio said, the penalty was not called as written.
Still, the Broncos let down on one play and that was just enough.
So much for this time. My free advice, worth what it costs: If you want to know what's going on the world, do not listen to the news, except maybe your local news cast. Don't trust any cable news network!
Instead, read, and access two or three sources.
Thanks for reading.
And finally another person helps him out: "You mean, you were wrong?" "Yeah, that's it."
I can do better: I was wrong. But I'm glad I was.
I did manage to get the whole manuscript of Saving Atlantis polished and submitted two days before the deadline.
Now I get to wait up to twelve weeks to get a response.
As I mentioned before, one standard synopsis seldom works. I had two synopses prepared for Saving Atlantis. One was a detailed chapter-by-chapter nine-pager and the other was a more standard two-pager. Avon Books is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers and they want a three-to-five page synopsis. I tried cutting the long one, but that didn't work. So I expanded the short one to four pages. The hard part is deciding what characters and plot points should be included and which ones can be left out.
And after I submitted all the required documents I realized I screwed up.
In the synopsis I referenced a reference that's in the manuscript about a conversation between two characters. But when I was editing it for more romance and less thriller, I took that conversation out. When I was writing the synopsis I reminded myself that I needed to put that conversation back in, though in a shorter version.
I forgot.
If the publisher decides to publish I'll mention that little error and it will be fixed...if they feel it's important enough. They may assume that the readers will either not notice or that the conversation itself wasn't important enough to include.
I'm going to relax just a little now from the writing...but just a little. I won't try to do anything with rewriting Saving Atlantis as a fantasy thriller until I know if Avon will accept it. No sense in trying to make name changes and such unless necessary.
So I'll go back to the fantasy series, which I've been itching to get back too anyway.
Getting away from writing for a moment: it is football season. I'm a Denver Broncos fan. I grew up in the Denver area. I recall once about a hundred years ago, (okay, maybe sixty) my brother and I walked about a mile or more from home and played in a vacant lot right in the shadow of what was then Bears Stadium. I think that spot is part of the parking lot for Mile High Stadium now.
Sunday against the Bears, the Broncos got hosed by the zebras. (Hmmm...that could imply a comedic but slightly gross image.) Maybe twice in the last minute, but the for-sure bad call was roughing the passer on Bradley Chubb. My opinion, yes. But not just my opinion. Not just the Broncos' opinion. Mark Schlereth, color commentator for the game, said it was a horrible call. Three of the four participants on Around the Horn on Monday said it was a terrible call. One called it egregious...another called it ridiculous and another said it was horrible. Thanks a heap, zebras. It just this minute occurred to me that a zebra is a kind of horse, and these human almost-horses, during that last thirty-one seconds of playing time, resembled their own back ends.
If the zebras don't call that penalty that wasn't one, the Bears don't get an extra fifteen yards, they don't get a first down, they don't get the clock stopped and they probably don't have the opportunity to kick that field goal. As Broncos' head coach Vic Fangio said, the penalty was not called as written.
Still, the Broncos let down on one play and that was just enough.
So much for this time. My free advice, worth what it costs: If you want to know what's going on the world, do not listen to the news, except maybe your local news cast. Don't trust any cable news network!
Instead, read, and access two or three sources.
Thanks for reading.
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