The 'I Did' List

I've been writing since I was 17 years old. That's 28 years ago. (Don't do that math!) Through all of this time, there's one thing I never liked doing. Writing a synopsis. It's on the same level of self-promotion. It feels weird to do. But I got over the self-promotion thing. "No one else is going to do it for you, so suck it up and do it!" I said that to myself, not you.

So, I would write a synopsis for any work I did. I still didn't like it. I hemmed and hawed about it. I proclaimed failure loudly and proudly while doing it. Kind of a self-preservation sort of thing. If I rip into myself, no one else will, right?

Flash forward to today. I'm writing a synopsis for a short story I wrote. The short is intended to be part of a compilation book, but I want to write a synopsis for each story and perhaps send them out on their own to publishers. I have three short stories right now. So as I sit down to write one for The Brookville Arms. (The story of a dragon that terrorizes the residents of an apartment complex during a blizzard), I found a blog which outlined how to write a synopsis.

I start following the steps. A set of bullet points which are easy to follow and as I continue through the process, I soon discover that I'm anticipating the steps. I already know the steps, because I've already done them. Over the years of whining and complaining about writing a synopsis, what I was also doing was actually learning how to do a synopsis. I already knew how to do this! I'm not saying I don't need help. I'll always need help. But the blog post revealed something else about me. Something better. Validation.

I'm always quick to discount any skills or abilities that I perceive to have and that's a crummy habit to have. The life of a writer (or any creative) is fraught with self-doubt. I always placed writing a synopsis in that section of the 'I Can't' Ledger. I was wrong.

That same "I Can't" Ledger had entries for writing a book. I did that. (Adam Parker and the Radioactive Scout) For writing a second book. (Adam Parker and the High School Bully) Writing short story about time travel. (Paradoxed) Producing consistent video content for the Forgotten Cinema Podcast. (Commercial Playlist) All these thing started with me saying "I can't" and as I ignored that and continued on, it became "I did."

Synopsis writing is the newly added member to that "I Did" list.

What else can I add?