Rather Predator-ish looking, eh?
I thought I was terribly clever when I thought up the title for this column, but it turns out someone beat me to it. Check out Raquel Byrnes' excellent rundown of what it takes to write a winning synopsis here.
Now to splatter my thoughts on the matter.
Last night, after editing through another chapter, I started thinking about the synopsis that I would have to eventually write. The inclination made me shudder. No kidding. I spend almost a whole day last week writing the query. How on earth would I tackle a synopsis? Then I started to think--what is the best way to overcome fear? Face it! I pulled up an old synopsis for an outline and tinkered with it. To my surprise, I drafted a one- page synopsis in half an hour. What the deuce?
It basically comes down to this--face your fear. Turn off your flight mode and fight back. After all. You wrote a novel (or in the process). What's a one or four page synopsis on top of that? Easy sauce on curly fries!
Dagnabbit! Now I'm hungry . . .
Remember my old post about Falling Action? Your synopsis should focus on the important parts, like the stops you make on a road trip. Leave the exposition and catchy songs in the car.
This is not the rule, just my thoughts on the matter. Synopsis writing, just like novel writing, takes practice. Have someone you trust read it, who knows the details of your story, and be open to feedback. This is one of the big steps in selling your story. Fear not and dive in. Some publishers or agents like a one-page synopsis. Others like three or four. Consider writing both.
Are synopses tough for you? What are some tricks you employ to make your summary an enticing read?
I'm David, and sleep is becoming a stranger.