If it's any consolation, Anne, I was describing my WiP's rewritten, entirely revamped plot to my husband the other day, and while I was talking I felt very excited and animated about it and thought how much better it sounded -- how compelling and funny and kid-friendly. My husband listened politely and then said that he couldn't quite see what a kid might find interesting about it. I've forgiven him -- it's my fault for using him as a springboard for my ideas when he's thinking about all the work he has to do -- but it was a tough moment.
Writing up a synopsis is like explaining a joke: a really hard slog. There's a real science to getting the perfect combination of pith and fun into it, and a lot of the story's magic can be lost in the process. You know your book is good, but when you're writing a synopsis, it's easy to forget because you can't put in all of the wonderful details that make your story special. That's what I'm telling myself right now -- I know the story is worth something and I've just got to hang onto that trust until I work through the whole process of condensing it for others. (Especially those awkward b*ggers like my husband.)
I managed three paragraphs yesterday. Two days ago, I wrote 28 words, so I'm calling three paragraphs progress. Just remember: we're all in this together.
