I post often about writing contests and
conferences, sometimes mentioning, as if an afterthought, that these may
require a synopsis of our work. But how long has it been since I actually
posted about the writing of the synopsis itself? After attending this month’s
synopsis critique session from the Dallas Mystery Writers group, I found that
writers are struggling with the same problems that bedeviled me at the time of
that last post – in 2013!
So, here’s an updated version of that post
now, with interjections from the recent synopsis critiques.
***
My
personal experience was that, after attending at least numerous panels and any
number of blogs in which agents all but swore on their grandmothers’ graves
that synopses were a waste of time, I had never written a synopsis worthy of
the name. I’d never been taught how to do it. And like writing essays or
business letters or feature articles, it’s not a format newbies can expect to
toss off instinctively.
Maybe
you’re thinking, hey, how can anybody who’s written three or four hundred pages
of a novel be baffled by how to write a one-page summary telling what the whole
thing is about? Except anyone who thinks that is not a writer who’s ever tried
to cram those hundreds of pages into one.
Author/editor
Sandy Steen at Dallas Mystery Writers actually gave her students more leeway
than that, allowing them extra pages for character lists and elevator pitches –
which will be the focus of another post.
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| Image: wikimedia commons |
Two
to three pages at most, Steen repeated. More often one page. “If the agent or
editor wants it fleshed out, they’ll ask for more….It’s the concept you’re
selling.”
Fortunately,
Facebook friend and fellow writer Kathleen M. Rodgers had previously posted a
link to “How to Write A One-Page Synopsis,” from Susan Dennard’s blog Pub(lishing)
Crawl. Following Dennard’s “three rules of thumb, eleven-point method” gave
me a coherent one-page (single-spaced) summary within an hour or two. I can’t
guarantee this will get you offers of representation. But it saved my sanity
and it can save yours.
Here are Dennard’s three rules of thumb:
-- Don’t name more than three characters in a
synopsis as short as one page: the protagonist, antagonist, and relationship
character. (Steen also added that characters’ motivations, especially that of
the main character should be included and very clear!) In writing my initial
synopsis, I broke the three-character rule for a couple of secondary
characters. With words at a premium, it took less space on a page to use a
one-word name than the two-word description, “protagonist’s mother.”
-- Tell the ending. Right, spoilers and all. (This is not the “jacket blurb,”
written to tease the reader. The agent/editor must know how everything fits
together and that the ending is worthy of the rest of the story.)
-- Do not include sub-plots unless you have enough space. In writing my own
synopsis, I bent this one for an agent who said she wanted to know if there
were subplots. I sacrificed a single sentence to convey the biggest one
briefly.
The
eleven steps will be familiar to anyone who’s read Christopher Vogler’s The
Writer’s Journey (although the nomenclature differs slightly) or any
works dealing with three-act structure. They are: (1) opening image; (2)
introduction to the protagonist, including his/her desire; (3) inciting
incident; (4) plot point one; (5) conflicts and character encounters; (6)
midpoint; (7) winning seems imminent, but. . . ; (8) black moment; (9) climax;
(10) resolution; and (11) final image.
Weirdly enough, I got stuck figuring out what the midpoint was. In desperation,
I thumbed halfway through my printed manuscript. And found what I needed.
If you’ve written any story at all, something major has happened halfway
through the pages. If nothing leaps out at you from the exact numerical center,
flip back or forward a few pages. Picking random examples from what’s on my
nightstand -- it’s the place in Wuthering Heights where
Catherine dies; where Tita of Like Water for Chocolate refuses
the summons of her abusive mother; where the narrator of The Island of
Dr. Moreau learns the extent of what the mad scientist has done. You
will know the midpoint of your novel when you see it.
Susan Dennard applies this with examples from the movie Star Wars,
which will also give you a much-needed laugh in her complete explanation.
***
After
posting this originally in 2013, I also located a blog by fantasy writer C.J.
Redwine with other tips that may not be obvious to a first-timer: Write in
present tense, in third person, in the same font as your novel, and mimic the
pacing of your novel.
In
general, a one-page synopsis will be single-spaced and longer synopses
double-spaced. However, be sure to read the agent’s or editor’s instructions.
For instance, I recently was asked to submit a 300-word synopsis with double
spacing.
***
And,
oh, yes, I’ve also posted cavalier mentions of query letters and pitches. Stay
tuned for more on these topics as conference season gets into full swing!
