(via yahighway.)
I'm so excited about the movie coming out - not only is the book a personal favourite, but EMMA WATSON. I love everything she's in... by which I mean, 'man isn't Harry Potter the best?' (It is the best.) 
Book: Write a Great Synopsis by Nicola Morgan
Genre: Non-Fiction/Writing Advice
Most writers hate writing synopses. They need dread them no more. In Write a Great Synopsis – An Expert Guide, Nicola Morgan takes the stress out of the subject and applies calm, systematic guidance, with her renowned no-nonsense approach and laconic style.
Write a Great Synopsis covers: the function of a synopsis, the differences between outlines and synopses, dealing with requirements for different agents and publishers, finding the heart of your book, how to tackle non-linear plots, multiples themes, sub-plots and long novels, and it answers all the questions and confusions that writers have. Nicola also introduces readers to her patent Crappy Memory Tool, explains the art of crafting a 25-word pitch, and demonstrates with real examples. Gold-dust for writers at all stages.
I’ve been waiting on tip-toes for this book to be released – synopses are tricky stuff to write, and it’s always nice to get an expert’s tips on them. While the UK publishing industry is a little more friendly than the US industry there’s a lot less information available online about it. We’ve got The Writer & Artist’s Yearbook, Carole Blake’s From Pitch to Publication, and now there’s Nicola Morgan with Write A Great Synopsis and her more general industry advice book Write to be Published. The best part about it – WAGS is only £1 in January! You can buy in here from Amazon UK.
Nicola’s book is a short and snappy read that covers all the bases – the only thing I would have liked is a more formulaic method, which tends to work best for me (Susan Dennard’s method worked a charm for me recently). Nicola’s recommendations don’t rely on a formula or a section break down, but this this allows her methods to work for a much wider range of stories. Her tips work brilliantly for both your run-of-the-mill 3 Act stories and for non-fiction and fiction that doesn’t follow a standard structure. She even includes some particularly useful advise for books that jump around, include flashbacks, or have multiple endings.
This is a succinct and brilliant book, and I recommend it for any writers (UK, US or otherwise) who’re tearing their hair out getting that synopsis written.
A very late entry to Paper Hangover‘s Friday Fives today. They asked: What are the FIVE books you’re looking forward to in 2012?
The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking).
Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.Or are there?
I bought this as an e-book without ever hearing anything about it, because of it’s brilliant title and intriguing storyline. Now a lot of people are talking about it, and after hearing one writer describe it as better than the Hunger Games I’m eager to try it out.
Shatter Me #2 by Tahereh Mafi.
I need more Warner. There is never enough Warner. And as mentioned in my review, I’m very curious about where Tahereh is going to take this series.
Divergent (and Insurgent) by Veronica Roth.
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
“Divergent” has been on my to-read list for ages. This year will be the year I read it. Eventually.
Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick.
The final book in the paranormal romance series about a girl and a snarky fallen angel named Patch. I’m a fangirl for the “Hush, Hush” series, and I’ll be waiting patiently for the final volume to hit the shelves this Fall.
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.
It’s 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on – and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they’ll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out.
I am reading this entirely because the two main characters are called Emma and Josh.
Just watched the latest Panic! At the Disco video, and I’m quite impressed by how they’ve kept the strong visual style of “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” while giving it a Steampunk update. The video has a nice suspenseful edge while the viewer figures out what in the world is going on, and the track used is excellent. All in all, this is a nice way to come back from a musical break (and a major line-up change) without alienating old fans – and I’ll be checking out their new album. I’ve embedded the video below:
(Top image is from My Chemical Romance’s Danger Days album.)
Today, for their Road Trip Wednesday feature, YA Highway asked: If you couldn’t use your own name, what would your pseudonym or penname be?
This is a question that, due to my own over-thinking about branding and the future, I’ve already dealt with in small ways.
My original penname was just my full name, ‘Emma Maree Urquhart’, but for future books I’m shortening my penname to just ‘Emma Maree’.
It’s short, it’s memorable, it makes a snazzy URL, it’s easier to spell and pronounce than ‘Urquhart’ (Urk-hart), and it helps avoid any fussing about if I ever have to change my maiden name.
I wouldn’t mind trying out a brand new name if I ever had to write anonymously, it would be kind of fun to create a new identity from the ground up. I think it would have to have either a nice ring to it, or a subtle pun there somewhere – most of my favorite pseudonyms do (Frank Quitely, for instance).
EDIT: Thanks to the lovely Colin in the comments, I’ve now decided my super-anonymous(/gender neutral) pseudonym is: M. Amaree. 
Ta-da!
