The thought of writing a synopsis is enough to make dread swirl in our guts. After months of plotting, writing and editing – we’re finally faced with five things that stops us in our tracks.
- Novel title
- Pitch/Logline
- Blurb
- Synopsis
In this week’s blog, I’ll be breaking down the elements needed for synopsis writing. Hopefully – removing your fear of how to craft one. It’s not hard… honest. It’s simply a different process.
One thing I discovered while writing my first synopsis, is that literary agents and publishers wants the complete story. So don’t leave them hanging with your story. Reveal the climax and ending.
The one page synopsis is intended to communicate to agents and publishers that you have a complete plot and character arc. They’ll be able to identify if the story works as a whole.
Tell the story. Keep it simple. I like to skim through my novel jotting down notes of plot points: Action & Emotion. From the notes, I begin to shape my synopsis. The notes highlight the important story elements. Always write your synopsis in 3rd person, even if the novel is 1st person and write in present tense.
Think of this as more of a technical paper, it’s a factual explanation of the events that drive your story. Don’t evoke your writing style and voice.
Set the stage by providing the setting and introduce your main characters (Protagonist and antagonist). Always introduce each characters NAME in full capitals, the first time they’re mentioned. Then include where the story starts and identify the inciting moment. But keep it simple. Use a few well-chosen words to evoke meaning.
- Person
- Time/Place
- Action
- Consequence
From there we begin to flesh out the details by revealing what the protagonist and antagonist are planning to do. Showing how, why and when are they going to do this. Don’t include side quests, additional characters or plot twists – unless they’re vital in explaining the story arc. There will be practically no backstory or description, it will clutter the synopsis.
Finally, it’s time to reveal how the story ends and how it was achieved. Remember to link it back to the inciting moment.
© Author Lorraine Ambers and http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2018.
Thank you for this post.
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You’re welcome. Thank you for commenting. 😊
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My pleasure
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Ah, the dreaded synopsis. How to condense ninety- thousand words down to two-hundred and fifty words.
A task that can be compared with trying to skin a live cat.
Both leave you worn out, bleeding, and wondering if you’re sane.
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Haha, very true. I’m use to technical writing, so I’m finding pitch/ blurb writing much harder. 😣
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Hello.
I have nominated you for the ‘ Liebster Award’. https://believepm23.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/liebster-award/
Good luck.
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Wow, thank you. 🙏
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welcome
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Reblogged this on Angie Dokos.
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Thanks Angie. 😍😍
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thanks Lorraine. yes, the dreaded synopsis. you’ve broken the writing of a synopsis down into manageable steps. well done.
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Thanks, sounds great in theory I just hope it actually helps. 😊
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Great information for all writers, Lorraine. I’ve shared your post on social media.
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Thank you Hugh, much appreciated 💙
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Really helpful advice!!
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Thank you
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You’re welcome!
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What an informative and enlightening post. A treat to read and share. Your explanation peels away layers of perceived complication for which I am very grateful 🌸
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Thank you for your lovely comment. Have a great day.
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Pingback: Hook your agent, publisher, reader. How? Synopsis – IdeasBecomeWords
Great advice.
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Thank you, hope it helps.
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It sure does.
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I self-published my first and only book. So I haven’t had to go through the process of writing a synopsis. I did have to write a book description for amazon where my book is hosted. It was one of the hardest things I’ve written to date. I’m still not entirely happy with it. But then again, I probably never will be haha 🙂 A fantastic post!
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I’m struggling writing my blurb/ hook. It’s much harder than synopsis writing. Perhaps I should write a post about that? Thanks for your comment.
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That would be fantastic. I found it very difficult to praise my book in a manner that would interest readers. I ended up scrapping my first attempt altogether. For me, it’s a matter of trial and error right now to see what works.
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I’ve written 30+ for my first book. And struggling with this next one, but yes, practice makes perfect.
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I edited mine again today haha 🙂
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Haha, I’m sure it’s fantastic.
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It’s better than what it was. 🙂
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Thank you for this; coming across this post was the best thing that happened today!
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Thank you lovely, your very kind.
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Great post! I dread synopsis with my every being. This really helped a lot 🙂
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Thank you Ari, glad I could help.
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Very good. I’ll come back to this when I’m finished with my rewrite
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Thank you and good luck with the rewrite, I too am revising my MS.
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Pingback: Logline and the Perfect Pitch – Lorraine Ambers
Thanks, Lorraine!
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Thanks for another awesome blog post!
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Great tips. I’m going to schedule to share this 🙂
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Pingback: Creating a Catchy Novel Title – Lorraine Ambers
Thank you for this. I’m glad I’m here.
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Pingback: How to Write a Synopsis – Alison Aldridge
Thank you 😊
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