Tell Me Your Ways...with Carolyn Saletto
Author interview, revision update, and a tip for writing the dreaded synopsis.
I met Carolyn during The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Deep Dive Series. If you are devoted listener like me you can hear Carolyn call into the comp line on the April bonus episode! She gives a great blurb of her work.
What are you currently working on now?
I am currently in the revision process for my first book titled ONE HAZEL GREEN EYE, a memoir.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why do you find this the best way for you to write?
I definitely am a plotter! Even though it's my life story and I know how the story goes, I still found that arranging my thoughts with an outline kept me organized and moving forward. I hope to continue writing since there are several stories dancing around in my head that need to get out on to paper. I have a rough outline for all of my story ideas already, then I will develop the characters, scenes and plot. I don’t think there’s only one way to approach writing. Storytelling is a creative endeavor, and the writer needs to approach it in a manner that best suits that person.
What does your drafting process look like?
My drafting process is "butt in the chair" as Bianca Marais is fond of saying! I schedule my writing, approaching it like it's my job. Growing up a gymnast, then becoming a business owner as an adult, disciplining myself to sit down and write isn't really a challenge. However, sitting down to write a book, I quickly learned that I didn't know how to write! So, I enrolled in "The Narrative Project,” a program I found in my local community. Connecting with writing coaches and taking classes kept me and all of my fellow writers accountable which helps immeasurably! My writing class put us into groups of four. As newbies to the world of writing, we would submit 3500 words a month, then we learned how to critique. All of this kept the first draft moving forward. As a new writer, I had to learn to get out the "shitty" first draft. Going through the steps of excavating one's past when writing a memoir that contains trauma or memories that would prefer to remain hidden in the corners of one's mind can be difficult. But getting that first draft out was the first step. Not only the first steps toward finishing a book, but in my case, first steps towards healing.
Please walk us through a little of what your revision process looks like?
I am in the world of revising now, which at first seemed incredibly daunting. In my writing class we talk about...chapter one, chapter one, chapter one. Then, chapter one, chapter two, chapter two, chapter two.
Chapter one, two, three, chapter three, chapter three...you get the picture. Like a crazy writer's dance!
I felt overwhelmed by this, so I decided to look into Autocrit which is a subscription online editing program. I have found it to be incredibly helpful, especially for a writer swimming through the murky, confusing waters of an initial edit. After my first revision, I plan on finding another beta reader to read the revised version of my book.
Do you have a favorite book on the craft of writing?
I don't have a specific book I use for writing, but rather, reference a multitude of books, websites and podcasts. If I had to choose, I would say that Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a great choice!
Anything else you’d like to share? Where can we find you?
I have learned that writing is my happy place! I love the ability to share stories and hope to create stories that people enjoy!
I can be found at @csaletto_writes on Instagram and
carollynnsaletto.substack.com on Substack.
Revision Update & Synopsis Tip
Currently, I am revising two projects, alternating between the two. I wrote the first and then set it aside to “give it space.” During this space-time, I started the other, then got carried away. 80,000 words and three months later, I’m revising two projects. The first one is a romance set in Scotland. The other is a romance inspired by Richard Linklater’s film Before Sunrise—or so I thought.
In March I applied to Rev Pit with a third romance I finished last summer—I may have a drafting problem. I didn’t win, but I received a very substantial discount on a review of a query letter, synopsis, first 25 pages, and a thirty minute call to discuss. I jumped at this mostly for the synopsis critique. The Before Sunrise project has some complicated timelines, and I wanted to know if it sounded like it works.
The editor was lovely. She said the query and pages were in good shape, but the synopsis could use work. (Don’t I know it. Why are synopsis’ the hardest thing to write?) She was very clear to say she can’t know for sure without reading the whole manuscript but she thinks what I’ve written is a women’s fiction novel, not a romance.
I was reeling. Still am. There’s a Happily Ever After, but she assured me women’s fiction can have those too.
She also said to make sure my novel is truly dual timeline and not just flash backs (which if they are might be unnecessary). She brought up The Notebook a lot.
Confession time, I have never seen or read The Notebook. Well, hadn’t. I read it after the call. Oof, it is sad. I need to watch the movie, because I’m not sure which she meant. But I can see her point—one timeline can’t exist without the other.
Does mine have that? Honestly, right now I’m still too close to tell. More space-time and back to the Scottish romance for me.
The editor did give me a great tip for writing a synopsis. If you use any kind of beat sheet, write one or two lines per beat. That’s it. That’s your synopsis.