Extract of Book, 1 tbsp.

[rj_anderson]

Some recent discussions in superversive's journal, plus an essay by alg about how to successfully pitch a novel to an agent or editor, got me thinking about a problem I've been struggling with for some time. To wit, what is the proper answer to give when relatives, casual friends, and just-met acquaintances ask you, "So what is your book about?"

At present, I have two methods of responding to this question, and neither one is up to much.

The first is for people who don't actually read or care for fantasy:

THEM: So what is your book about?

ME: Uh, well, it's a YA fantasy novel.

[long, awkward pause]

ME: Look, there's a ruby-throated hummingbird!

THEM: Where?

ME: *runs away*

The second is for those who do:

THEM: So what is your book about?

ME: Well, uh...

THEM: Yes?

ME: it'saboutfairies.

THEM: What?

ME: fairies.

THEM: What?

ME: Look, there's a ruby-throated hummingbird! *runs away*

So as you can see, my explanatory technique could use some work.

Seriously, though, it is a problem. Because I know very well that when people ask "What is your book about?", they want a brief, pithy answer, not a long rambling explanation. This is especially true if they are not particularly knowledgable about or interested in the fantasy genre. However, when you're the writer and you're intimately acquainted with all the nuances of the plot, it's very difficult to boil it down to one or two sentences without feeling as though you're misrepresenting the book, or worse, lopping off your own limbs. And giving a vague, thematic answer such as "It's about truth and love and the search for freedom" not only fails to address the real question, it makes you sound like a pot-smoking hippie.

This is further complicated, in my case, by the Fairy Problem. Yes, the book is about fairies, of the small winged female variety, and I know full well that as soon as I say that, my listener is going to think of Tinkerbell -- which in this case would be a mistake. However, explaining that these fairies are in fact unimaginative, grimly pragmatic folk who have lost their magic and live in constant dread of the outside world, and that in a cage match with my crow-killing heroine a bit of fluff like Tink wouldn't last two minutes, is likely to tax my listener's patience, not to mention making me sound defensive. And even if I get through that part without boring them to death, they still won't have found out much of anything about the novel.

jamesbow had a recent entry in his blog about the difficulty of writing catalogue copy for his second book, Fathom Five, and how he ultimately had to turn to his wife to help him boil down his 40,000 word story to its essence. Of course, in some cases the inability to summarize a book in one or two sentences is a warning sign: it means that the plot lacks coherence, that the themes are too diffuse. But that really wasn't James's problem, I don't believe, and although earlier drafts of Knife may have suffered from that malady, I don't think it's really the issue with my book either.

Ultimately, I think I'm just too close to the story, especially right now, to step back and look at it as a first-time reader would. But somehow, I need to figure out how to get the necessary distance -- and soon, as I'd like to have a pitch prepared for any contacts I might make at the SCBWI conference I'm attending next month.

Thoughts, anyone?

Comments

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

So how did you manage it? Any tips?

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

Go take a look at http://www.misssnark.blogspot.com and search for the Crapometer entries. There are 100 of them from just this month, so you'll find them quickly.

I learned a lot from her snarkilious comments.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

"It's about fairies who've lost their magic. Though they distrust the outside world, they're forced to deal with it when they come into contact with [heroine]."

(This is an extrapolation based on what you've said in this entry, so it may or may not actually represent your book.)

[kerravonsen]

I agree that "It's about fairies who've lost their magic" is a good start -- because (a) it is one of the central dilemmas of the plot and (b) it tells people that these aren't Tinkerbell-type fairies.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I hate summarising things I'm close to. There's always the brute-force advertising-speak solution. If it helps, you can practice the following technique a couple of times on some of your favourite TV shows before trying it on "Knife".


"However, explaining that these fairies are in fact unimaginative, grimly pragmatic folk who have lost their magic and live in constant dread of the outside world, and that in a cage match with my crow-killing heroine a bit of fluff like Tink wouldn't last two minutes, is likely to tax my listener's patience, not to mention making me sound defensive."

So it's about xenophobic fairies.

Are they *aggressively* xenophobic fairies? Grimly paranoid fairies?

Two adjectives, one noun, is generaly a good rule for pithily summarising things, people and situations. Try doing that for three most important elements in your book.

Then stitch these descriptions together with suitable verbs, adverbs etc.: "meets", "while visiting", "during a time of", etc.

Finally append, "with hilarious results!". [N.B. this step is optional. =:o} ]


You'll probably hate the resulting description. Ignore that you hate it: Does it say the right things?

OK, now polish it until you love it. But without adding more than three extra words. =:o}

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

"A pragmatic, xenophobic tribe of fairies have lost their magic, but the youngest, a warrior, seeks the secrets that humans can teach her. Wackiness ensues."

That last bit is optional.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Aw, that was my favorite part!

[yunitsa.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it - I still haven't figured out a good way out of that. For Paths of Glory, my answer was "It's about this guy...". For my current project it's "It's about this guy and his artist boyfriend...IN SPAAAACE!"

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

"It's about this fairy and her artist boyfriend NOT IN SPAAAACE!"

You know, that almost works.

[yunitsa.livejournal.com]

Together, they fight crime!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

That too!

Gosh, you'd almost think you'd read the book!

[yunitsa.livejournal.com]

Well, I have, but it was several rewrites back :) I'm sure there's even more wackiness and crime-fighting now.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Why don't you say it's an intelligent, adult, modern take on fairies? I'm sure it is all of those things, and much more. And these are buzzwords that get people wanting more.

If you can put in "sophisticated" you get bonus points. Othe words will probably occur to you...

[zakhad.livejournal.com]

We're in the era of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its cohorts, and also Pan's Labyrinth (http://www.panslabyrinth.com/) which is about fairies and satyrs and is totally R rated (haven't seen it, not sure I want to). I don't think you'll have problems if you can convey that it's not for kids. Something like "If fairies were real, they might be less gossamer and more pragmatic, and they would certainly be facing the same changing world we live in."

[zakhad.livejournal.com]

And I totally didn't read through the comments before I posted, and hey, lizbee and I are pragmatic twins!

Link Correction

[jamesbow.livejournal.com]

My trackback seems to be acting up. The proper URL for my post is http://www.bowjamesbow.ca/2006/09/15/excerpt_from_th.shtml

All the best,
James

Re: Link Correction

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Fixed now, thanks.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. Writing screenplays brings me up against this way too often, because unless you have a pithy, interesting single sentence nobody's going to want to even *read* the screenplay.

And I'm absolutely terrible at it. I make my writer's group help me out. (I actually kind of like lizbee's take, but take that with caution, since it comes from untalented me, heh.)

[jalara.livejournal.com]

A couple years ago, when I was trying to help with "Knife," Mom asked me what I was working on and I told her I was trying to help you edit your book. (I know I didn't help much, but I did try and I was trying to explain what I was doing in her language.) Anyway, she asked the question, "Oh what is it about?" and I answered, "Fairies."

I will never forget the look on her face as she turned to stare at me in shock. Being a generation ahead of me, her definition of "fairy" is much different than ours. 'Nuff said. :)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Hee! My father had a different misapprehension when I first told him the book was about fairies -- he thought I meant ferries and asked me what made me so interested in boats!

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

I had to write one of those pithy sentences for my undergraduate project--which also happened to be a novel. Basically, write a paragraph synopsis including the main character, the main conflict, and a main them. Then look at your paragraph a few minutes later (or a day, however long you want) and trim. A snip here and a snip there; you'll eventually get it down to a few words. You might have some "hippie" stuff like truth and love, but if those are important than you can't leave them out.

Here's what I came up with for my own novel: "To escape a forced marriage, a young woman disguises herself as a man to fight in the Civil War and soon discovers that true freedom is not at all what she expected."

Yours might be: "A young fairy stumbles onto the mystery of why her people have lost their magic and in turn learns that what she was truly missing was not magic at all."

A bit tweeish, but no pot smoke in sight I think :D.

[infiniteviking]

Ooh, the feeling is familiar. For casual listeners: I've found it useful to tell them what the story would be about if there were no fantasy elements. "It's about how people interact in a closely-regulated society where identity is a liquid commodity" sounds more impressive than "It's about aliens who live in a planetwide RPG". Phrases such as "character-driven", "connotational aspects", and "the sociological implications of" can help too. Put enough in and the audience distract themselves. ^_^

For people who really care: If people get stuck on the word 'fairy', try 'hidden descendents of a half-forgotten magical race'. Or 'sidhe' or 'the blessed folk of myth'... to paraphrase Churchill, the old words can be the most evocative. If the plot contains some readily identifiable hook -- "It's a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story, a heroic quest" -- that can help too. It doesn't have to be a major part of the plot; just something for the listener to keep in mind until they can curl up with the finished product.

Hope you find something satisfactory!