I know that people panic about writing a synopsis. The fact is, there are many different synopsis styles and deliveries. There is no one right way – but there are few principles. Let’s start with Delivery: You can write the synopsis a couple different ways. First, you can tell it is if you are the narrator – telling yourself the story. e.g. This story is about Maggie, a former Red Cross nurse who lives in World War 2 New York City. More than anything she wants to get over the grief of losing her fiancé during the attack on Pearl Harbor, but her life seemed to stop the day she got the news and she doesn’t know how to start it again. Until, one day, she runs – literally – […]
Read the RestArchive | Story Crafting RSS feed for this section
Conversations: Writing the Synopsis
“I’m stuck.” Sally said as I hung my purse on the chair and shucked off my jacket. Outside, the last remnants of a late-season snow clung to the ground. I’d had to dig out my Uggs for a trip to town for our weekly chat. “Good,” I said. “What do you mean, good? I thought you were rooting for me!” “I am. But let me guess – you’re in chapter six or seven and the thrill of the first act has worn off, and now you’re slogging through the middle, wondering what to do next.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “How do you know that?” “I’ve written thirty-five books. I know what happens around chapter seven.” I smiled at her and sipped my coffee. A raspberry white chocolate indulgence. […]
Read the RestConversations with an aspiring author: Building the Triumphant Ending!
“You might be able to write a book in a month, but I’m only on chapter five. I have four kids, you know.” Sally wasn’t wearing makeup today, her blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked like she’d lost some weight, her blue eyes a bit tired. “I spent all weekend spring cleaning my house. I haven’t touched my book in a week. My ending is so far out of site, I’ve forgotten what I’m writing about.” “It’s all right, Sally,” I said and nudged my uneaten bran muffin over to her. “You’ve just forgotten what you’re aiming for. See, if you set out on a journey without a destination, you might get lost or even…discouraged.” She tore off a chunk of the muffin. “So, you’re saying that […]
Read the Rest
Quick Skills: Black Moment Construction
The Black Moment in your novel is the most important part of your novel. I just had to say that because I see so many manuscripts that pull their punches on the Black Moment. Authors have fallen in love with their characters and they just don’t want to hurt them. But creating a powerful Black Moment is what both the character and the reader need to convince them they must change. So, how do you create a powerful Black Moment? First…let’s just take a look at the Black Moment Flow Chart: Dark Moment of the Past (Greatest Fear + Lie) = Black Moment Event = Black Moment Effect = Epiphany = Character Change. Again, how do we find the Black Moment? We go into our character’s backstory and find a […]
Read the Rest
