Concerning the novel guidelines

[Rush Limborg]

Here's a question for the writers.

The Trek-novel submission guidelines from Pocket request a "detailed synopsis of the entire plot (8 to 12 pages)".

Is this range "without exception"--or will, say, a 15-page synopsis be allowed?

How detailed is "detailed"?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

If they said 8-12 pages then I would assume they mean 8-12. As for detailed I assume they want you to run down the general story beats to give them a flavor for the kind of story you want to tell.

 

[Christopher]

Here's a question for the writers.

The Trek-novel submission guidelines from Pocket request a "detailed synopsis of the entire plot (8 to 12 pages)".

Is this range "without exception"--or will, say, a 15-page synopsis be allowed?

Part of the point of the submission process is assessing your ability to follow instructions and meet someone else's requirements. A little leeway might be granted -- a page or so either way -- but you're expected to do your best to meet the parameters asked of you. Don't expect to be given license to bend the rules until you've proven you know how to follow them.

How detailed is "detailed"?

Enough to show that you have a clear sense of the workings of the story. Enough that the outline makes sense to the readers, so that they understand how you intend action A to lead to result B. For instance, if your story involves Kirk rescuing Spock from prison, specify how it's done. You don't have go into every detail of the rescue, but don't leave it unspecified and say "I'll figure it out later." Show the editors you've thought the story through and are able to construct a complete, coherent narrative on your own.

 

[JarodRussell]

About the synopsis I'm wondering. Is it just a neutral, factual description of the story, or can you actually create some suspense. For example when a character carries a secret that is only to be revealed in the climax and that in retrospect explains his motivations... do you in the synopsis plainly state his secret right in the beginning or... well, you know.

 

[DonIago]

I can't imagine that leaving the people who have the authority to print (or not) your book in suspense is advisable.

 

[Christopher]

About the synopsis I'm wondering. Is it just a neutral, factual description of the story, or can you actually create some suspense. For example when a character carries a secret that is only to be revealed in the climax and that in retrospect explains his motivations... do you in the synopsis plainly state his secret right in the beginning or... well, you know.

The outline should give a feel for how the flow of the narrative progresses. You're summarizing the story as you intend to tell it. Therefore, if the story's structure is that the secret isn't revealed to the reader until the last chapter, then it shouldn't be revealed in the outline until the last chapter. However, if it's revealed to the reader in the middle of the book but kept secret from the other characters, then it should be revealed in the middle of the outline. The editor needs to get a sense for how the story will play out in order to assess how well it will work.

 

[JarodRussell]

About the synopsis I'm wondering. Is it just a neutral, factual description of the story, or can you actually create some suspense. For example when a character carries a secret that is only to be revealed in the climax and that in retrospect explains his motivations... do you in the synopsis plainly state his secret right in the beginning or... well, you know.

The outline should give a feel for how the flow of the narrative progresses. You're summarizing the story as you intend to tell it. Therefore, if the story's structure is that the secret isn't revealed to the reader until the last chapter, then it shouldn't be revealed in the outline until the last chapter. However, if it's revealed to the reader in the middle of the book but kept secret from the other characters, then it should be revealed in the middle of the outline. The editor needs to get a sense for how the story will play out in order to assess how well it will work.

Thanks!

 

[Rush Limborg]

Enough to show that you have a clear sense of the workings of the story. Enough that the outline makes sense to the readers, so that they understand how you intend action A to lead to result B. For instance, if your story involves Kirk rescuing Spock from prison, specify how it's done. You don't have go into every detail of the rescue, but don't leave it unspecified and say "I'll figure it out later." Show the editors you've thought the story through and are able to construct a complete, coherent narrative on your own.

Well, to be frank, Chris--that's kinda my problem. The synopsis I'm cooking up is action-to-action basis--and my fear is it'll go over the upper limit in short order....

But, I have been including brief summaries of character moments in the scenes--for the reason that said character interactions are rather important to the strength of the story. But...how should "characterization" be treated, as far as the synopsis is concerned?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Enough to show that you have a clear sense of the workings of the story. Enough that the outline makes sense to the readers, so that they understand how you intend action A to lead to result B. For instance, if your story involves Kirk rescuing Spock from prison, specify how it's done. You don't have go into every detail of the rescue, but don't leave it unspecified and say "I'll figure it out later." Show the editors you've thought the story through and are able to construct a complete, coherent narrative on your own.

Well, to be frank, Chris--that's kinda my problem. The synopsis I'm cooking up is action-to-action basis--and my fear is it'll go over the upper limit in short order....

Lance Parkin wrote that the synopsis for a Doctor who novel needs to be a thousand words, roughly. The outline for The Eyeless was two pages.

One thing Keith DeCandido said to me years ago was that my outlines were too detailed. Too much stage setting, unnecessary snatches of dialogue. In my head, I have to see it all. I have to see beginning, middle, end. I have to see the detours, I have to see the wallpaper. But that doesn't need to be on an outline someone else sees. My first outline for "Make-Believe" was twelve pages long. The story itself is only thirty!

Write the outline. Then chop the bloody hell out of it.

Save the long outline. Set it aside. You may find that you won't actually need it. You may find that the more skeletal structure develops in other directions when you sit down to write.

Remember the father's advice from A River Runs Through It. "Again, half as long." Good writing advice; I use it often.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Well, to be frank, Chris--that's kinda my problem. The synopsis I'm cooking up is action-to-action basis--and my fear is it'll go over the upper limit in short order....

Then, to be frank, Rush, you'll need to be a little more careful (or ruthless) when paring down the word count. If you're trying to impress that poor reader of the towering slush pile, your proposal must fit the guidelines. Or it'll end up on the reject pile. The editors want a writer with talent, but also someone who can meet guidelines.

 

[Rush Limborg]

One thing Keith DeCandido said to me years ago was that my outlines were too detailed. Too much stage setting, unnecessary snatches of dialogue. In my head, I have to see it all. I have to see beginning, middle, end. I have to see the detours, I have to see the wallpaper. But that doesn't need to be on an outline someone else sees. My first outline for "Make-Believe" was twelve pages long. The story itself is only thirty!

Wow. Same here. I write it up--and suddenly an intense "moment" appears, which I must jot down....

Write the outline. Then chop the bloody hell out of it.

Save the long outline. Set it aside. You may find that you won't actually need it. You may find that the more skeletal structure develops in other directions when you sit down to write.

Remember the father's advice from A River Runs Through It. "Again, half as long." Good writing advice; I use it often.

Thanks a bunch, Allyn!



Now...next question:

The guidelines seem to demand the kind of story that is not coming out of Pocket's line-up lately. So...do stand-alones set during the shows have a shot as of now, or will new guys like myself have to wait until they become the fashion again?

Or am I missing something here?

 

[Thrawn]

This question has been answered before. The proposal guidelines are to prove that you can follow instructions and submit a professional proposal, as well as determine your creativity. If they like your proposal, but your specific story does not fit their plans, they will ask you to come in and pitch something more to their liking and/or possibly commission a specific story from you.

The submission you're sending is an audition; even if you do get hired to write a book, it very likely won't be the outline you send.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I write it up--and suddenly an intense "moment" appears, which I must jot down....

That's normal when writing any outline or a draft, but it doesn't necessarily have to be in the final version of the proposal you submit.

The guidelines seem to demand the kind of story that is not coming out of Pocket's line-up lately. So...do stand-alones set during the shows have a shot as of now, or will new guys like myself have to wait until they become the fashion again?

Or am I missing something here?

Gosh, we went through this with you a year or so ago. All proposals coming in from newcomers are supposed to fit the published guidelines. But, unlike the old days when completed "on spec" standalone manuscripts, like "Yesterday's Son", "Web of the Romulans" or "The Vulcan Academy Murders", sat around on slush piles awaiting the chance to be noticed, edited and published, today's ST novels are mostly commissioned from pitches from established authors. You are submitting a proposal (and sample chapters) for a standalone, in-series ST novel, based on the canonical characters. But that doesn't mean, if successfully selected to move onto the next stage of the process, that you'll necessarily be writing a novel manuscript of that original, "on spec", standalone novel proposal.

If your standalone is very, very good, and CBS and Simon & Schuster Marketing also approve, then of course they'll want it.

 

[JarodRussell]

1.) No stories primarily about a guest star or non-Star Trek regular. This means no stories about other crews, ships, or guest characters that become the focus of the story. The novels should always "star" Kirk, Picard, Sisko et al.

For clarification (about the phrase "focus of the story"): Would a story similar to DS9's "For the Uniform" (the one where Sisko desperately hunted the traitor Eddington) be allowed? Sure most of the time was spent on Sisko's personal dilemma, but the focus of the story was Eddington.

 

[Christopher]

For clarification (about the phrase "focus of the story"): Would a story similar to DS9's "For the Uniform" (the one where Sisko desperately hunted the traitor Eddington) be allowed? Sure most of the time was spent on Sisko's personal dilemma, but the focus of the story was Eddington.

That might work. The story has to focus on known characters, but of course they have to interact with other characters in the course of the story. Lots of standalone books involve heavy exploration of new planets, situations, and guest characters, but the focus should be on the established characters and how they're affected by those things.

But in general, you shouldn't try to game the guidelines, shouldn't approach this process in terms of finding ways to bend the rules to suit your wishes. Again, even if your outline catches the editors' eye, they probably won't hire you to tell that particular story. You're not selling the story, you're selling yourself. The outline you submit is meant to demonstrate two things: your talent as a writer and your ability to follow instructions. It's a job interview, essentially.

If you crave to tell a story about Eddington (say), then save it for later. Save it until you've proven yourself and established a relationship with an editor who's willing to listen to pitches from you. What you submit through the basic submission process is your audition, your demo. Make it a story that fits the guidelines and demonstrates your ability to tell a good story within those guidelines. Save the more unusual stuff for later.

 

[Greg Cox]

If you crave to tell a story about Eddington (say), then save it for later. Save it until you've proven yourself and established a relationship with an editor who's willing to listen to pitches from you. What you submit through the basic submission process is your audition, your demo. Make it a story that fits the guidelines and demonstrates your ability to tell a good story within those guidelines. Save the more unusual stuff for later.

Good point.

True story: the very first outline I submitted to Pocket Books was for a Gary Seven book. But it wasn't until I had already written three other Trek books, featuring the main characters, that I finally got the go-ahead to bring Seven back.

Of course, that was five editors ago . . . .

 

[Rush Limborg]

Gosh, we went through this with you a year or so ago.

I know we did: I'm simply confirming it once-and-for-all, as I get the synopsis ready. Just on case there was something I'd completely forgotten about....

 

[Rush Limborg]

If you crave to tell a story about Eddington (say), then save it for later. Save it until you've proven yourself and established a relationship with an editor who's willing to listen to pitches from you. What you submit through the basic submission process is your audition, your demo. Make it a story that fits the guidelines and demonstrates your ability to tell a good story within those guidelines. Save the more unusual stuff for later.

Good point.

True story: the very first outline I submitted to Pocket Books was for a Gary Seven book. But it wasn't until I had already written three other Trek books, featuring the main characters, that I finally got the go-ahead to bring Seven back.

Of course, that was five editors ago . . . .

Fascinating!

Out of curiosity, was "Assignment Eternity" that original outline--or was it something totally different?

 

[Greg Cox]

If you crave to tell a story about Eddington (say), then save it for later. Save it until you've proven yourself and established a relationship with an editor who's willing to listen to pitches from you. What you submit through the basic submission process is your audition, your demo. Make it a story that fits the guidelines and demonstrates your ability to tell a good story within those guidelines. Save the more unusual stuff for later.

Good point.

True story: the very first outline I submitted to Pocket Books was for a Gary Seven book. But it wasn't until I had already written three other Trek books, featuring the main characters, that I finally got the go-ahead to bring Seven back.

Of course, that was five editors ago . . . .

Fascinating!

Out of curiosity, was "Assignment Eternity" that original outline--or was it something totally different?

It was a completely different TOS story, involving a futuristic college campus and a top-secret weapon capable of destroying energy beings. Later on, Ordover and I played around with yet another idea, involving Seven and Picard, but that never panned out either.

Even weirder, the book that ultimately became "Assignment Eternity" started out as a "Kirk meets Q" novel, but Paramount vetoed that idea, so I reworked it to involve Gary Seven instead . . . and that's the proposal that finally sold.

All of which goes back to a point made earlier. You can't necessarily expect that the original outline is going to bear any resemblance to the book you might end up writing. It's a complicated process involving many different cooks.

(One more anecdote: I once submitted a BUFFY outline to an editor--and ended up writing three ALIAS novels for him instead! And I never did sell that BUFFY proposal . . . .)

 

[RookieBatman]

So, in that same vein, if I were to hypothetically submit an "audition piece" featuring the ENT crew (not that I really plan to submit anything, but curious), and the editors were interested, would they be more likely to try to have me doing an ENT book, or might they be just as likely to try to plug me into the continuity of a different series?
I know that's kinda like the Buffy/Alias thing Greg Cox was just saying, but I don't want to assume it's the same with Trek.

Another question for the pros; given the nature of the submission process, and the knowledge that your original submission probably wouldn't be used, did you ever try to come up with a storyline just for the purpose of the submission, maybe one you weren't too fond of, so you wouldn't get emotionally attached to it?