Is it just me or does everyone hate Summaries of manuscripts as much as I do? They are the bane of my existence! I swear that there must be a million fabulous manuscripts out there that haven't been published because of the cursed S-U-M-M-A-R-Y! Nobody I know has any knowledge of how to write one.
I have written four manuscripts, now, and I have four very lousy summaries. How can they possibly expect me to summarize in one or two pages what took me four hundred pages to write in the first place?!
So, this Easter weekend, I have been determined to write an amazing summary for my manuscript, 'One Step at a Time.' I have two written, both horrible. I sent them to a writer friend in California for editing. He hated the first one, said the second was good not great. There was no emotion in it just a relaying of the story !@#$%%$#@#$%^! Excuse me? What is a summary if not the relaying of plot?
Apparently, a summary is supposed to be full of emotion and can catch the interest of the reader and make them CRAVE to go on and read the entire book. OY! I need a miracle. Or a darned good writer.
Back to my Summary. Maybe I'll get it right in a year or so.

Every two years, in the little town of Dayton, where Erma Bombeck used to live, a writers' conference is held in her honour. And what a conference it is! It's all about humour and how to write it, and gaining contacts.
I've attended a few conferences over the years and I have to say I learned the most about the 'business' of writing here. Ironically, it wasn't the conference that was the most fun, but it was the most useful. And in the scheme of things, if you want to be a published author, knowing the 'business' of writing is just as important as knowing how to write.
So, as of April the 2nd, I am off to lovely Dayton, Ohio, to the Erma Bombeck Writer's Conference. I'll give you an update when I return.