That dreaded....synopsis? A question for fellow writers...

     Yesterday I wrote about overcoming a current snag with working in some transitions to better connect some of my scenes and chapters. Thankfully I have the confidence to push through and get on to another task at hand, because let's face it: there is always another task at hand.
     While I may not be 100% finished my novel, I am at the 70,000 word count milestone and since I know the additional scenes to work in, I also have to start thinking of the bigger picture: the finish line and all that comes after that. Not only was I fortunate enough to pique the interest of an agent at the 2013 Surrey International Writer's Conference - my first time attending and my first pitch ever. I also recently won a critique by a published author while attending a Romance Writer's of America Greater Vancouver Chapter Valentine's event. Okay so February may have come and gone already, and not I have not submitted my pages for critique yet. And I can honestly say fear is not standing in my way of progress: I need all the feedback I can get so I can make my novel as wrinkle-free as possible and ready for submission. It's just that, with this critique, a synopsis was required.
     I'm going to be brutally honest here, I had to look up and refresh my memory what a synopsis is. Ridiculous coming from an aspiring author, right? I have taken writing courses in college, but it's been a decade since I had heard, seen or read a synopsis.
     Really, how hard can they be?
     Harder than I thought, that's for sure. I know what my story is about, that's not the problem.
It's the giving away 'the goods' - all the plot twists, conflicts and so on - that I'm finding most difficult. Yes, I know. I've checked into this and learned that it's mandatory. There are no exceptions. A synopsis must include all the secrets of the story.
     There is a part of my that wants to shout out: "what's the point of that?" Why would anyone want to read the full story if they pretty much have all the details summarized for them? They know exactly what's going to happen. Where's the fun in that? Where's the surprise? That to me is like accidentally seeing a spoiler for your favourite TV show or a newly released movie before you get to watch it for yourself. Seeing as I loathe spoilers, I can easily see where the reluctance comes from.
What I need to know is, how do I suppress this defiant part of myself that wants to hold onto these details. What's the best way to approach a synopsis for someone who hasn't had a lot of <recent> practice writing them? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

Blissful & Curs-ed Distractions

     Isn't it always the way.

So near to the end of a project or task, completing it would be so fulfilling, that sense of accomplishment.

     And yet, random distractions always sneak their way in, catch your attention and pull you away from the task at hand. This is a repetitive cycle for me. I can start a lot of stories. Somehow finishing them seems to be my biggest obstacle. Even though I have been making greater efforts to turn ON my word document and OFF my tv, I still wander off task often. It's frustrating. I want the kind of focus others have. I want to be able to set a particular goal and complete it as a regular habit. It's the only way I am going to become the successful published author I dream to be.

     "Bumglue" as Mr. Dalton called it during his workshop at the #SIWC13, is fine, but it's not all that is required. I can sit in front of my work for hours. Not always am I writing new scenes as I set out to be. I get side tracked. I will re-read previous scenes over and over again, sometimes editing. Sometimes enjoying them for completed pieces in this gigantic puzzle. Other times, hours drain away through research. I know it's not necessary to get bogged down in the details at this moment. Too much in the details department can choke a reader.
   
I know this.

     But I find myself warring between the two sides. Write freestyle and work on it later? Or research to make sure it fits properly now. I find myself also getting stuck on reality details so much it will stop my progress in its tracks -You can probably imagine how unwelcomed that is since it's already my constant battle. How real and correct should it be? I know it doesn't have to be mirror images of a place or city, but I also want it to have enough so the readers accept it and stick to the story, instead of throwing the book against the wall. How long or short something should be? How much time should lapse between scenes? Which POV is better for that particular scene? DO readers prefer this over that?

     And, when more and more of the questions build up, I find myself coincidentally much easier to slip into a blissful distraction. A new favourite TV show. A sexy new actor. An engaging performance poet. So interested I will feel the need to find out everything about it or them, and it will draw me far away from any projects at hand, and into the comfortable world of their story- clearly leading my much further from working on my own.

     Does anyone else have these Blissful, curs-ed distractions? My most recent are Chris Hemsworth, no description needed ;), Jay Ryan & Beauty and the Beast, and the most inspiring spoken word poet Andrea Gibson. What are your current or reoccurring ones? Do you have a way to keep them at bay?