Death is your art. You make it with your hands day after day. That final gasp, that look of peace. And part of you is desperate to know: What's it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. She really wanted it. Every Slayer has a death wish. Even you.

Spike ,'Conversations with Dead People'


The Great Write Way, Chapter Two: Twice upon a time...  

A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.


sj - Jun 06, 2006 6:17:05 am PDT #7026 of 10001
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Yay, Erika! Congratulations!


deborah grabien - Jun 06, 2006 10:38:05 am PDT #7027 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.

Gar, you have feedback. Not sure if it's any use - as mentioned, I'm clueless about non-fiction proposals - but for what it's worth, check your email.


Typo Boy - Jun 06, 2006 10:47:04 am PDT #7028 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

Deb thanks! It is all useful.


Typo Boy - Jun 06, 2006 11:03:41 am PDT #7029 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

OK - this is the modified paragraph. Still a weak hook?

An electric four passenger sedan travels from Boston to New York (216 miles) at normal highway speeds on a single charge; it uses so little power, that a gasoline powered car with equivalent mileage would need to get more than 200 miles per gallon. But, this is not the latest breakthrough, available at top prices to green yuppies; a test drive showed off the Solectria Sunrise on October 24, 1997 – a car slated to retail for as little as $20,000, less than the median price for new cars at that time. You have no reason to feel guilty for not owning one, though; it was never put on the market.

(The other stuff was easy to fix - except the summary which I'm still thinking about.) If we have a chapter by chapter summary do we need comprehensive summary of the book besides? Especially since it is essentially a list book. We are taking stuff and adding it up to come to a conclusion. A summary that left that out would be five paragraphs. One that put it in would duplicate the chapter by chapter summary.)


Allyson - Jun 06, 2006 11:08:31 am PDT #7030 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica

The table of contents on my site is the same chapter summary I used in my proposal, TB.

[link]

It's just supposed to be concise and snappy.


Typo Boy - Jun 06, 2006 11:10:43 am PDT #7031 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

OK so the chapter summary can be the book summary. I had thought so. Cool.


Typo Boy - Jun 06, 2006 11:57:42 am PDT #7032 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

I think Deb is right about my hook. Too much like a Junior High math problem.

So let me post this "hook" for the overview in hopes that it works better:

================ ==============
Cooling it! No Hair Shirt Solutions to Global Warming, an optimistic book about a gloomy subject, explains the hundreds of existing technologies that together can completely replace fossil fuel at an equivalent cost – ranging from mid-priced 200 MPG cars to affordable solar electricity.

Unlike most renewable energy books, it emphasizes technology available on the market today with a net cost comparable to fossil fuel – dealing only briefly with future breakthroughs. Unlike most global warming books it focuses on solutions - spending little time trying to convince the skeptical quarter of the population that the problem is real. By concentrating on the technical case, it makes an urgent social point; political decisions, not technical incapacity are behind continued carbon emissions. Destructive expensive burning of fossil fuels, or dramatic cuts in standard of living are not our only choices.


Liese S. - Jun 06, 2006 12:40:25 pm PDT #7033 of 10001
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

Much better, Typo. Sounds good. I would read it.


deborah grabien - Jun 06, 2006 1:23:52 pm PDT #7034 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.

Yep. One thing to remember is, the agent/editor aint necessarily an expert who wants the stats upfront. What they're looking for is a reason to think they ought to buy it.


-t - Jun 06, 2006 1:43:44 pm PDT #7035 of 10001
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

That has me inntrigued, TB.