I like kind of a middle road--having some things laid out but being open to the sudden burst of insight that comes about from the plot. I adore when the Scroll of Universal Understanding unrolls itself in the middle of something I'm working on.

I was doing some editing last night and I came across a line that was a great bit of foreshadowing of what this character would do later, echoing the reasoning he would use for some ominous doings. It was also totally unintentional. Apparently, I do my best foreshadowing by accident.

Apparently, I do my best foreshadowing by accident.

It is often the case.

A friend has offered to hook me up with his editor on a book deal. The book is not already written as such, but what the editor is looking for is something I really would love to write. I have extensive unpublished work I can put together and update pretty quickly. I think I could commit to having a book complete by August, because really it is not true that the book is not written, it is just in pieces, so what I am looking is a major edit without much micro-editing needed. But at the moment I don't even have an outline. To put together a good outline/proposal normally takes two weeks. And I have commitments the rest of the week. So:

1) I think the editor is out of town, so I can send a one page query by Monday and not lose the opportunity.

2) I can't honestly say an outline is ready, but would it lose an editor to tell him in the Query that an outline will be ready in two weeks? Will he be wondering WTF I'm sending him a query for if I don't even had an outline/full proposal ready?

How much info should I share about the readiness? I have a feeling telling an editor I'm combining and updating several unpublished works would send out all sorts of warning flags.

Might the way be to put it that a draft is two thirds complete? Basically all the words are written but have to reograized, but it really will be Macro organizing. I think the chapters can be left intact, with just some transitions added between paragraphs, and some end notes updated with more recent information. And 2,000 additional words that have to written from scratch.

What is an approach that is honest with my potential editor, but also is not going out of my way to say "Danger, Will Robinson!"? God, do I wish I had an agent.

I would say a query letter explaining the premise of the book, the promise of a full synopsis if s/he is interested, and say that the manuscript is in draft form and could be complete by August is both honest and not off-putting.

Question re usage: I'm copyediting something someone else wrote and he asks for a picture as a JPG file. What's the correct usage? I'd normally use "JPG" but he's put ".jpeg".

Advice?

I think the ".jpg" extension is actually correct, if not as pretty. I don't think my Chicago Manual of Style covers it, though, because it's old.

I also don't know if that's the style manual you use, though.

Also, what Deena said re: the proposal, Typo.

Thanks Amy - we use AP style and, of course, my copy is old enough that it's not covered. Or maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. grr

The actual name of the standard is JPEG. It's from the Joint Photographic Experts Group that created it. The file extension is usually seen as .jpg, but the format is JPEG.

ah ... will have to check with the head editor on this, then.

Thanks!