Rachel Here: Most writers dread crafting the synopsis. We feel constrained and pressured. How can we boil down a 70,000 or 100,000 word manuscript into 3, 5, even 10 pages? We can! And we will. I’ve never dreaded writing a synopsis because it enabled me to hash out my story points, to see in a consise manner what my book was going to be. Most writers dread this process because they don’t know what the book is about, they don’t really know the characters and their story arc very well, and most likely don’t want to take the time to find out. It’s more fun to write. Or, an author might feel the story is so good with so many layers they can’t possibly leave any out, so a 20 […]
Read the RestTag Archives | synopsis writing
Synopsis Day 3 — Making it Colorful — Part 1
A synopsis, as you know, is not only a summary of your story. It is a slice of your writing style. It gives the editor the first taste of who you are and what you write. Because of that,you want to give it the flavor of the type of story you write. What do I mean? Well, every noun and verb you use conveys a feeling or mood. For example, if you are trying to up tension, and create fear, you might use verbs that generate feelings of fear. Stricken, caught, blindsided, choked. If you want to convey feelings of warmth, you might use, embraced, soothe, coo. If you want to create feelings of suspense, you might use: flicker, ripped, tear. The idea is to look at your piece, and choose carefully the words you […]
Read the RestThe Big Bang! Synopsis Day 2
Or how to deliver a knock-out in the first paragraph: Today, I want to talk to you about the BIG BANG – or the one-two first paragraph punch of your synopsis. Just like the first line of your book, you want the first paragraph of your synopsis to really grab your editor. You want to zero on the most important part of your book, the theme, or the plot and hook them good. Because, although you are going to try and make your synopsis as entertaining as possible, it is still a summary and you want to make sure you have them before things slow down. What am I talking about? Well, when you move to the Query-letter stage, we’ll be working on 100 word blurbs. These are the story in nutshell, focusing on the highest […]
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