How to Write a Synopsis
OK... I'm almost afraid to touch this subject with a ten-foot pole, and the entire length, depth, and breadth of the Internet to protect me.
Writing a synopsis. I do not know a single author who enjoys the project. I know some who are good at it. Others who get by. Lots and lots who are outright terrible at it.
Synopses are hard (in the same way that comedy is hard.) You need to know your audience. Some synopsis-readers (i.e., editors) want a two-page document. Some want a four-page document. Some will tolerate ten pages. Authors know every last detail of their stories; they can't imagine leaving out the imaginative creations that appear at the end of Chapter Forty-Two, for a few brief pages.
My agent coached me to write my synopsis for GIRL'S GUIDE as if I were writing copy for the back of a book. (I decided, though, to make it grammatically correct!) My GUIDE synopsis was very short (about four paragraphs), and it did not "give away" the details of the last half of the book. (Um, I couldn't give them away. I didn't know them yet.)
While I think that I pushed the outer edge of what a writer can get away with in a synopsis by doing GUIDE that way, I think that the "back of the book" advice is good. It makes the author think about *essentials*.
Today, over at Romancing the Blog, there are ten links to websites about writing synopses. I don't agree with all of the advice, but it's fantastic to see it all collected in one place.
So? What's worked for you? And do you hate synopses as much as I do?
Mindy, settling back into Marathoning...
Writing a synopsis. I do not know a single author who enjoys the project. I know some who are good at it. Others who get by. Lots and lots who are outright terrible at it.
Synopses are hard (in the same way that comedy is hard.) You need to know your audience. Some synopsis-readers (i.e., editors) want a two-page document. Some want a four-page document. Some will tolerate ten pages. Authors know every last detail of their stories; they can't imagine leaving out the imaginative creations that appear at the end of Chapter Forty-Two, for a few brief pages.
My agent coached me to write my synopsis for GIRL'S GUIDE as if I were writing copy for the back of a book. (I decided, though, to make it grammatically correct!) My GUIDE synopsis was very short (about four paragraphs), and it did not "give away" the details of the last half of the book. (Um, I couldn't give them away. I didn't know them yet.)
While I think that I pushed the outer edge of what a writer can get away with in a synopsis by doing GUIDE that way, I think that the "back of the book" advice is good. It makes the author think about *essentials*.
Today, over at Romancing the Blog, there are ten links to websites about writing synopses. I don't agree with all of the advice, but it's fantastic to see it all collected in one place.
So? What's worked for you? And do you hate synopses as much as I do?
Mindy, settling back into Marathoning...
Anyway, I found it easiest to pretend I was explaining it to my 11-year-old stepdaughter. If you tell her about a book and you don't stick to the very basics and the most exciting parts, she won't pick it up. So, in the past few years while learning to "sell" her on books, I guess I learned a method that seems to work okay for synopses. Not that my synopsis has been put to the test yet, but I'll find out in the next few weeks.
It all worked fine until we were discussing principles of alienage and immigrants' rights. Charlie was actually in class that day (a first). Alas, we never bothered to definie "alien" to Charlie, we just expounded on the various rules about when you let aliens take certain types of office. The next day, our con law professor reported that Charlie was slightly confused about why we needed to protect people who didn't even live on our planet!
I actually enjoy writing a synopsis. It helps me find the logic holes in all the wonderful ideas I need to start putting into a book. Of course I usually wait until I have a chapter or three written to make sure the characters are going to behave in a reasonable manner before I try to synopsize.
Want my article on how I write one? I'm starting a Writer's Workshop page on my website http://www.ireneradford.com and this will be one of the first essays to go up--probably the second. I want to start with "Is it Love or just Sex" to attract some attention.
Phyl
This sounds great - I've thought of adding resources for writers on my website, but I haven't coordinated that yet.
I'd love to see your article! When you fold it into the resources, I'll gladly post a link here!
Mindy, always looking for more ways of doing things
Phyl
(Anonymous)
Hi guys!