Back to Tips and Tricks

Synopsis Notes

  • At its simplest, a synopsis describes the plot and main characters of your story, concentrating on the most intriguing elements. But if it were that simple, we wouldn't all be here today.
  • A synopsis is like explaining a movie to a ten-year-old
  • Length: this is a big variable. Before you start writing the thing, you better check with whomever you are sending it to and ask what they prefer. This info can often be gleaned from guidelines, but sometimes you may have to call. If you do, ask whoever answers the phone, do not ask to talk to the editor or agent.
  • Spacing: this is another one to call on if it isn't in the guidelines. Some want single-spaced, some want double
  • Include the title, genre, word count, and your contact information at the top left
  • Use present tense
  • Indent paragraphs do not skip lines between
  • Give the title, word count and genre in the first sentence
  • Don't get caught up on chronological order. The synopsis doesn't have to follow the book chapter by chapter, rather it tells the same story. Interesting is more important than accurate.
  • This is bare bones writing to show your ability to understand your plot and characters. This is not the place to show off your writing or vocabulary. However, the writing should give the flavor of your style and the language used in your book (this is a tough line to walk)
  • Avoid adjectives and adverbs
  • Leave out minor or secondary characters or subplots
  • Some good questions to ask yourself before you begin:
    • Who are the main characters?
    • What do they want? Why?
    • What stands in their way?
  • What is the story's primary theme (you should be able to spout this off in a sentence)
  • Include the main action, main characters, main storyline
  • When introducing the POV character put POV in italics after the name
  • Concentrate on key scenes that show the heart of the story
  • Some advice says leave out dialog and description, some say put it in. I say, if it's your strong suit, put it in; if not, leave it out

Good things to include:

  • The story's set up
  • The beginning action characterization
  • What makes them unique or special
  • Setting
  • Theme
  • Important scenes (plot for plot-driven, character growth and change for character-driven)
  • Include internal and external tension emotion by touching on the exciting, touching, interesting points
  • Tone -- if the book is humorous, put humor in the synopsis a good way to practice your synopsis is with a tape recorder and a friend. Tell your friend about the story. Then go back and listen and revise.

Good ways to think about your plot and scene/sequel or action/reaction or cause/effect a way to look at synopsis and hook, beginning action, complications (what brings them on and how they are resolved), end

One way to lay out a synopsis:

1. Hook: a few sentences to pull a reader in (starting with a question is often a good hook)

2. Character sketches: give a sense of the main characters and their motivations, especially those that will bring the characters into conflict with one another

3. Plot highlights: detail the beginning scene, the ending scene, and 1 or 2 in the middle that give an indication of the emotional intensity or type of action to be expected. Look at a scene as incident, reaction, decision

4. Core conflict: the hook should contain your conflict, you should be able to state it in 1 sentence

5. Conclusion: Don't hide your ending. Include internal and external conflict resolutions

Another way to lay out a synopsis (this one is great for romances) by Peggy Hoffman:

1st paragraph: hook, story set up

2nd paragraph: heroine's story goal, motivation, physical description, internal and external conflict, back story as needed

3rd paragraph: all the above info on the hero following paragraphs: story development and conclusion

And yet another(this one also good for romance) by Carla Anderson:

1 paragraph on setting

1 paragraph on the heroine

1 paragraph on the hero

1 paragraph on the internal conflict (romance)

1 paragraph on the external conflict (complications)

1 paragraph on the ending

And not to leave out Kris and Dean (who did a fabulous 2 day workshop on all this and more, tapes of which are available in our tape library):

1. describe a character who

2. has a conflict

3. in a setting

4. the character must try to solve the conflict

5. the character must fail to solve the conflict

6. things get worse

7. climax comes when the character tries again, risks everything and

8. succeeds or fails

9. validation: a way to repeat to the reader that not only did the character succeed or fail, but lived happily ever after (the denouement).

Steps 1-3 are your beginning, 4-5 are the middle (these steps may repeat many times), and 6-7 are your ending.