[stylist] How to Write a Synopsis

[Judith Bron]

Joe, This is fabulous!  I'm going back to try to do what she's suggesting. 
Later, Judith
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 8:49 AM
Subject: [stylist] How to Write a Synopsis


> How to Write a Synopsis
>
> by Marg Gilks
>
> Writers will spend years writing, lovingly polishing and then marketing a
> novel, and yet they shrug off the synopsis with a comment like "I hate
> writing synopses."
>
> I hate writing synopses, too. I used to hate them because the ones I wrote
> sucked all the life from the novel, reducing it to bare-bones sentences 
> that
> did nothing to capture the depth of the novel itself. Now I hate writing
> synopses because they are much more difficult to write than the novel ever
> was. It's not easy distilling 100,000-odd words into a few pages. But it's
> important.
>
> The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package and, as
> such, it has to be developed and sweated over and polished with the same
> attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with the cover letter, 
> the
> synopsis is what sells the editor on the manuscript. If they don't see
> anything they like in the synopsis, they won't even glance at your chapter
> samples.
>
> The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for your
> novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the publisher's
> art and advertising departments, if the novel is purchased), and write it 
> as
> though you're trying to entice a casual bookstore browser to buy the novel
> and read it. Which isn't too far from actuality.
>
> "Okay," you say, "you've sold me. This is something I have to do, and do
> well. But how?"
>
>
> One Step at a Time
> Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it down. 
> Do
> it step by step.
>
> The first step, of course, is realizing that you're going to have to write 
> a
> synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The best time to
> realize this is just before you sit down with your manuscript for the 
> final
> reading preparatory to declaring the thing completed.
>
> Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you
> finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph summary of
> what happened where, and to which character, in that chapter.
>
> Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading? 
> Symbolism
> you didn't realize you'd woven through the story while you were slogging
> away at the computer for all those months? (The subconscious mind is a
> wonderful thing.) Take note of themes, too. You may just discover your
> one-line story summary that agents and editors like so much, if you didn't
> know what it was before. Or even if you thought you knew what it was, 
> before
> (surprise, says the Muse, you were wrong).
>
> What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel 
> outline,
> what I call my author's outline. This is pretty dry reading, and since
> chapter-by-chapter outlines seem to have fallen out of favor with editors
> and agents, this will likely remain one of your most valuable writing 
> tools,
> and that's about it. Don't throw this away when you've done your synopsis,
> either. You may know the story intimately now, but you do forget details
> over time. You may decide to revise the novel in the future, and this
> outline will help you. I've used mine to make sure I'm not duplicating
> character names from one project to the next. (The subconscious mind can
> also booby-trap you.) Reading an outline is much easier than leafing 
> through
> or rereading an entire novel.
>
> Anyway. There is an immediate use for that outline. What you are doing,
> basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more manageable
> packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most important plot points in
> that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
>
> Notice I said the most important points. We're talking about only those
> events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major way. We're
> talking about only the most important characters, the ones your reader 
> will
> ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right now, we are striving for
> bare-bones.
>
> "Yup," you say, "that's bare-bones, all right, and just as boring as 
> ever."
>
> Yes, it is. It's also probably still too long, but don't worry about that
> right now.
>
>
> Let's See Some Enthusiasm!
> Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that 
> synopsis:
>
>
> Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that will
> pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to buy the
> book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a feel for how
> it's done.
>
>
> You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your friend.
> You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot him and that
> was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that sounds like your
> synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things like, "The good guy is
> wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the evil Dr. Death, the whole 
> world
> is in danger, so he staggers after Dr. Death, falls, somehow gets to his
> feet again, and at last zaps him with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the
> world."
>
> That's how your synopsis is going to sound, when you're done: 
> enthusiastic.
> Enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick up the 
> manuscript
> and find out how this happens!
> How can you make your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main
> character and his or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote
> briefly from the novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's
> emotions and motivations, those points that explain why a character does
> something, but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of 
> it
> into the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background
> information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand the
> story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story summary by
> using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a sample of your
> writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel will be like, so
> give it your all.
>
> Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the 
> story
> that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your cover 
> letter.
> Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only will it pique
> their interest, but it's something they can use when presenting the novel 
> to
> the buying board. It's also something you can use, the next time someone
> politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
>
> "Wow," you say at last, "this is pretty good! It reads almost as good as 
> the
> novel!"
>
>
> Shalts and Shalt Nots
> But wait, there's more. Now we get to the "thou shall and shalt nots."
>
> First, acceptable length. One guideline is to allow one synopsis page for
> every twenty-five pages of manuscript, but even that could be longer than
> most editors and agents want to see. Most editors and agents, busy people
> that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten pages. The busier ones
> like five pages at most. I personally consider two pages ideal, and have
> distilled synopses down to a single tight page. If you've written a
> thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry if it's ten or more pages long
> -- but it had better be gripping.
>
> Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the synopsis
> must remain interesting and supply the necessary information. Yes, this is
> the hardest part. Don't know what to cut? Lose the adjectives and adverbs;
> keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
>
> You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the first
> three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four. Don't leave 
> out
> the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to request the full
> manuscript in order to find out what happens. What they will do is decide
> you're an amateur.
>
> No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always
> written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to Jerry
> went to the bullfight.)
>
> Format: there seems to be disagreement as to whether you should single- or
> double-space your synopsis. To be on the safe side, double-space; it's
> easier to read. In terms of layout, format your synopsis much as you did
> your novel, or a short story.
>
> The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in
> CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by referring
> to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the first time,
> "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's also advisable to
> identify which character(s) is the point of view character by typing 
> "(POV)"
> after the first instance of the character's name.
>
> Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this way: 
> not
> only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your 
> writing
> skills at the same time.
>
>
> Copyright C 2001 Marg Gilks
>
>
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