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Alright, guys. Ignoring the fact that I forgot to write this yesterday….IT’S SYNOPSIS TIME!

Before I begin, I want to clear up one little thing.

A book synopsis is a three- to four-page summary of your book, that tells your story from beginning to end, outlining the important plot scenes and character development moments and twists. These are typically designed to give to an agent or publisher so they can see a rough overview of your book and judge whether or not it’s worth their time and money.

This is not to be confused with a blurb, which is a short one- to three-paragraph description of the concept of your book, designed to make your readers want to read the book. Normally found on the back of your book. (I’m hoping to look at that next week or sometime soon-ish.)

 

So a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I write a full story synopsis to help me have a good layout of my edits before I begin. This week I’m going to look at what that synopsis should look like/how to write a good one, and why to write one at all. I’ll finish off with an example synopsis of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

So buckle up, let’s dive right in.

 
What Does a Good Synopsis Look Like?
When approaching a synopsis, it’s important to remember two things.

1. Don’t keep secrets.
2. Don’t share unnecessary details.

 

Like everything, there’s a right balance to the content of a good synopsis. It should lay out all the important things of your book. By the time someone finishes reading your synopsis, there should be next to no further questions to ask about the core of your novel.

For example, you can’t keep plot twists a secret. You need to show it all. Include the foreboding that leads up to the Big Reveal, and include the full depth of that Reveal and the resolution of the aftermath.

 

While you do need to not keep secrets, you don’t have to include every single detail of each scene. Only share the barest of details that are necessary to get by.

 

Another thing to remember: keep all the information chronological. Even if Goldilocks is actually the three bears’ long lost cousin, don’t say that right at the beginning. Reveal everything in the same order as it happens in the book.

 

A good method to use is to try boil every chapter down to just one or two sentences. What is the point of this chapter? What is the most important thing that happens?

Some chapters will be longer than a sentence or two, particularly the opening chapters (as they introduce a lot of crucial information about the setting and characters) and the climax (with lots of complicated reveals and twists), so don’t worry about having it exactly the right length. Anywhere from a sentence to a paragraph can be effective. The page number is also fairly loose and flexible, though you want to keep it as short as you can, while including everything you need to.

 

The first paragraph/sentence of the synopsis is the one main time where you can allow a bit of dramatic creativity. You need to try show who the main character is and why they’re the main character of the story, all in one quick glimpse.

For example, here’s the first line of the synopsis I wrote for one of my novels:

In a society where imperfection means death, MICHAYLA GLYN is a Unique, a defected, injured girl, hidden from the authorities since birth to protect her life.

 

In that one sentence, you get the set up for one of the core conflicts of this story. Michayla is the one you root for. She’s different than other people, and the place she lives wants to get rid of people like her.

 
Other Details
– Professional synopses should be written in third person, present tense, regardless of what POV or tense the book itself is written in.

– The first mention of each character’s name is put in all caps (so that they can be easily spotted for both you and a potential publisher).

 
Why Write a Synopsis Now?
The title of this topic has some bearing on this, finally. 😛 I said that writing a synopsis can help you write and edit your book, and this is why. It can…

• Help you rid any pointless scenes
• Focus on the big picture
• Evaluate the strength of your plot and theme in a quick glimpse
• Spot any plot holes

And the main one I like it for…you can also use your synopsis to add in your edits to make sure they work logically and fit with the overall story, before having to go through the full work of editing them into the actual book itself. This can save a lot of time. Instead of changing four chapters, then realising that doesn’t work, or you don’t like that, you can change four paragraphs and then make a decision based off of that.

When you’re making changes to the synopsis before the story, you can also see more clearly how much of the story that change will effect. Will it just change that one chapter, or will you have to tweak details in the five chapters before and after it? It’s just so. helpful. 😅

 

If you’re a super planned and organised person, it can also act as a sort of extensive outline before you write your first draft. I’ve never used it this way before, but feel free to try it out if that’s your style.

 
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Below is a synopsis of the classic fairytale story we all (probably?) know, so you can see the sort of style of a synopsis. Note that this is a rough version, as I’m only whipping it up just for this topic. 😛

 

PAPA BEAR, MAMA BEAR, and BABY BEAR live in a house deep in the woods. One morning, Mama Bear makes porridge for breakfast, but it’s too hot for the Bears to eat right away. The three go for a walk instead, leaving their house unlocked.

On the edge of the woods, lives a curious girl, GOLDILOCKS. She stumbles across the Bears’ house as she explores the forest, and enters to investigate.

Goldilocks tastes the porridge, finding Baby Bear’s the best, and finishes all of his. Wanting to sit and rest, she turns down both Papa and Mama Bears’, but breaks Baby Bear’s chair. Leaving the half-eaten porridge and broken chair, Goldilocks explores further and finds the bedroom. Exhausted, she falls asleep in Baby Bear’s bed.

When Bear family return from their walk, they discover that someone has disturbed their house and are furious. Following the clues of the eaten porridge, broken chair, and rumpled bedsheets, the Bears finally find Goldilocks fast asleep in Baby Bear’s bed.

The Bears consider punishing her for breaking into their house, but Goldilocks hears their grumbling voices and wakes up, screams, and jumps out of the window—terrified—before they can stop her. She flees back to her house on the edge of the woods and never returns to bother the Bears again.

 

 

Your turn! Give it a shot—write the first paragraph of a synopsis for your book. (It’ll be helpful for a later lesson.) Have you ever written a synopsis? Will you be writing one anytime soon?

 

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(p.s. I had a bad headache while writing this, so please pardon any parts that went off the rails or don’t make sense or repeated themselves. xD Just ask questions, if need be, and I’ll answer them when I’ve recovered. 😉 )