The novel is to be called Time Light. It is a science fiction that will be more fiction than science. In other words, the story will be character driven with roots in science fiction premises, but not focused on scientific details or technology. The setting is Chicago in 1965. The plot device will relate to time travel, however the reader will probably not see much time travel in this first installment.
Yes, I said first installment, as I can already see the potential of a series stemming from this story. I intend to leave my options open. When I wrap this up at the end of November I may wish to never speak of it again. I think some of you know what I'm saying. For now I feel enthusiastic and I do see potential. Read the blurb and let me know what you think:
Time Light
John Proffitt is losing it. First he lost his job, then his house, and now his marriage is in jeopardy. Could he be losing his mind too? Increasingly obsessed with the suspicious activities in the abandoned building across the street from his apartment, he tries to unravel the mysteries of the sounds and lights that come from the building and the men he sees leaving each night. Are they visitors from another planet or something else? In his investigations he uncovers not only the identities of the strangers, but also the secrets within himself.
I will gladly accept any suggestions on this synopsis and would love to hear any other thoughts you might have about my story idea as it stands at this point.
How about you? Have you posted your synopsis on your NaNo profile? I plan to put up a word count widget on my site once I can catch the NaNo site working properly. Do you have a word count widget? If so, does it work okay for you? Have you been having difficulties with the NaNo website?
And by the way, I don't intend to post about NaNo every post day during November. Next Tuesday be here when I host Stephen Tremp on his Virtual Tour. I will also be having some other surprise topics so fret not non NaNo-ers.
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I've been having seven kinds of trouble with the NaNo site, though I'm sure they'll work it out eventually.
ReplyDeleteThis pitch definitely grabs me--it starts with the stakes high already. The guy's losing everything he cares about, one by one! One slight tweak (I'm trying to find one, since nothing's ever perfect) is that perhaps the repeat of 'mysterious' and 'mysteries' could be altered? That sentence runs a tiny bit long. Love it, though!
Sounds really in interesting! Good luck NaNoing!!!
ReplyDeleteI think Time Light sounds very interesting. I won't be doing NaNo, but it is fun to watch others take part!
ReplyDeleteCool, keep it going. It sounds super interesting. I'm cheering you on.
ReplyDeleteT
No NaNo for me...best wishes! It's quite an undertaking. Your blurg pulled me right in. I did however pause at "are they visitors from another planet..." I had to go back and re-read where you mentioned "strange men." Perhaps you want to be more specific there so it helps the reader understand why John Proffit suspects they are from another planet?
ReplyDeleteI got hung up in thought of 1965, "Death to the Hippie." :) Sounds very interesting and I can't wait to see how it unravels. :D
ReplyDeleteRAH, RAH, GO NANO-Writer!
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Your blurb is wonderful. It establishes immediate sympathy for your mc while piquing the reader's interest at the same time. Great job.
ReplyDeleteHa! I have been "hanging" around writers enough to figure out mc means "main character." It will be interesting to see where you will take this, or where it will take you.
ReplyDeleteI could almost hear Rod Serling reading that blurb creating a sense of excitement, urgency, and mystery.
Editorial suggestion: loose the "or something else" and ask a couple more questions. For example;
"Are they part of a secret government plan?" "Could it be the end of the world?"
Good job thus far.
I like how you first wrote the ending and the beginning and then continue with the rest of the book :)
ReplyDeleteAmie -- The NaNo site started working better after I wrote that. Hopefully they will fix some of the site quirks.
ReplyDeleteI took your advice and made some modifications, though that sentence still is a bit long and I don't know that I want to change it.
Candy -- Thanks for your support.
Matthew -- Keep writing anyway. Watching can be fun.
Teresa-- Thank you for being there.
Liza--I removed "strange" but it still doesn't reveal any more information about the men. The term "visitors from another planet" is a red herring I guess. I avoid giving too much away in the synopsis so a reader is encouraged to read the book to find out. Is this the right way to do it?
Jules -- I hadn't really thought about having any hippies in the story, but you've made me think of another angle I could add to the story.
Shellie -- Thank you for your positive assessment.
Gregg--Rod Serling was a big influence on me. I'm trying to keep the blurb short and provide only enough information to entice the reader. The other planet angle opens up the SciFi thinking. I don't know if I want to get overly detailed in the blurb, but these will certainly be thoughts that come up in the story.
Dezmond -- I like the begining and ending method because it gives me a general idea of the direction I need to go. I'll stop at points of interest as I travel through the story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an intriguing story to me!
ReplyDeleteI have a synopsis of my NaNoWriMo novel on the site (my username is smua) and a widget on my blog. The site is slow, but if you're patient enough, things do go through.
ARLEE BOID ~
ReplyDeleteThat's an intriguing, well-written blurb. You're off to a good start anyway.
>>...Could he be losing his mind too?
Well, if so, let's just hope he doesn't lose it to a bag lady who will begin killing kids with a dead cat!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Crap! No, I haven't posted a synopsis. All I have now is a really long outline.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds awesome, Lee. I want to read it !
I wasn't able to log into Nano because traffic was to heavy the first couple days. Or my old PC is just too slow to keep up. Probably a combination of both. I'll try again this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteSounds Great Lee, good luck, I couldn't enter for obvious reasons , perhaps next time.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Your story sound so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI decided not to use a widgit, since I'm manually updating my total total word count (I.e. NaNo + Pre-NaNo).
I do have a synopsis on my profile, but I'm pretty sure mine says a lot less about what's going on. My book is still at that stage where explaining my book would take a book.
Good luck! :-)
Sounds great, Lee! Now I'm curious as to what is happening in the building...
ReplyDeleteSandra -- I'll have to check out your synopsis when the NaNo site comes up--currently it seems to be totally gone.
ReplyDeleteStMc -- Thanks Stephen and I encourage everyone to check out the wild story Stephen has on his blog right now.
Alex -- You need to put up a brief blurb so we can get a feel for your story.
Stephen Tremp -- It's the site I think. I tried a short while ago and it was totally down. I've been having a difficult time with the site.
Yvonne -- A 50,000 word poem would be quite an achievement.
Misha -- I'll check your synopsis when the site comes back up.
Karen--I hope someday there will be a book for you to read so you can find out.
I prefer character driven. Sounds intriguing, though just a little wordy. I liked the premise though :O)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an excellent idea to me....
ReplyDeleteCan I one day brag that I knew you back when?
I haven't read much sci-fi (love the movies though), but your synopsis has me intrigued. The only suggestion I would make is you should be more specific about the suspicious activity, and I think that would tie it all together. Otherwise, I look forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeleteI love to plan out my stories ahead, Arlee, but it's probably a waste of my time since I never stick to the plan.
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of all my blogger friends who are participating in NaNoWriMo -- I decided not to do it, so I'm enjoying a period of no stress, no pressure. It's nice, but I'm also not being very productive. :)
Interesting synopsis!
ReplyDeleteI haven't posted a synopsis, or anything about my book; I'd rather keep it off the internet. I do use a word count widget--some of them are fun.
I don't read a lot of science fiction becasue I'm not drawn to the sciencey part of it, but I LOVE it when it's character based and I LOVE Time travel stories. HEAPS. Although I've never been able to write a decent one yet.
ReplyDeleteI like the synopsis. It draws me in and makes me want to find out more :)
I haven't posted anything about my NaNo novel. I may have mentioned it was a YA steampunk fantasy. And yes I'm having trouble with the NaNo site too. I think it's under a lot of strain with all the people logging in.
ooooh....sounds exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteSig
Intriguing, I love the potential you have created, just in this paragraph! I look forward to hearing more...
ReplyDeletehey, Lee-I think your story sounds interesting, and as far as SCi-Fi goes, that is how I prefer it--I love it as a BACKGROUND but prefer character driven stuff.
ReplyDeleteI grabbed one of the NaNo widgets for the blog... sometimes it shows up and sometimes not--I have NO CLUE whether that is related to how well the NaNoWriMo site is working, or if it is a function of blogger and the fact that I put it in the same box as the NaNoWriMo BADGE.
As for the site... hit and miss, but I think it is traffic volume bound, so will improve as people give up... hate to wish for it to happen, but I know a lot of people join and give up right away.
Interesting synopsis Lee! I look forward to hearing more. I enjoy SciFi!
ReplyDeleteI like it! And I can see a lot of different possibilities for plot lines and character interaction.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very cool synopsis. I wouldn't say so if I didn't think so. Its a great hook and I want to read more!
ReplyDeleteMadeleine -- which is too wordy? The blurb or the story?
ReplyDeleteAndrew -- sure, we're all friends here.
Andrea -- I thought I should keep the blurb short and curiosity provoking. I guess it's not so much like a synopsis like one I would send to an agent. And actually I'm still trying to figure out the details of the suspicious activity myself. This is all seat of the pants style writing.
Patricia -- I can definitely see the advantage of planning things out. I think I'm already repeating some things.
Golden Eagle -- so I guess we'll find out about your novel when it gets published?
Lynda -- Yes, I think the site been having more visitors than expected.
Sig -- Let's hope it's exciting
Ellen - there's more to come!
Hart -- I've been so busy with trying to write and other more mundane things that I do that I haven't had time to play around with the technical aspects of my blog lately.
Paula -- Thank you!
Carol -- This story could go anywhere and I've already changed it up some. Hope I don't get too confused.
Stephen Tremp -- Thanks I appreciate it and I will have to give you credit for some of my inspiration.