After you’ve written your book, you need to either pitch it to a literary agent or an editor, or self-publish it through Amazon or other platforms. If you want to go through the traditional means of publishing, you have to send a query letter, the first few chapters of your book and a synopsis. Now, many authors hate to write a synopsis and with reason. If you do it wrong, the results will be catastrophic, while on the other hand, it is very tricky to get it right. There isn’t a right “recipe” that you can follow to write a book, and since the synopsis is a narrative summary of it, the same applies. However, there are some tips that might help you write a synopsis that will make any literary agent and an editor want to read your whole manuscript.
1. The first paragraph
You should take particular care with the first paragraph of the synopsis. It has to show that your story has a very fresh and interesting premise, that the protagonist is likable and interesting, and that the story, no matter whether it’s propelled by plot or character, deals with issues and themes that are specific and intriguing. To draw a parallel: the first chapter of your book needs to have a hook – something to draw the reader into the story, and it is that chapter that has to be compressed into the first paragraph of the synopsis.
2. Establish the story world
The synopsis shouldn’t be longer than two pages, double-spaced. When you think about compressing a novel of around 80K words (average), it may seem impossible, especially since it feels that you need to write more than just a few paragraphs describing the protagonist, the other main characters, and the world where the story is taking place. But this is necessary – you don’t want the reader to stumble in the dark as they read the summary, in fact, they need to know who the characters are. Additionally, make sure that the first time you introduce a new character; you write their name in capitals to draw attention.
3. Plot basics
The synopsis needs to show that your story has a plot that’s made of consequential events. The best way to achieve this is to read through every chapter and try to summarize the important major events that happen in each one. Don’t be afraid to sound a little dry – in fact you should, because in this stage you are stringing together the events that lead to the climax. Also, you have to include the ending. A synopsis doesn’t have a cliffhanger or an unfinished storyline. Remember, the goal of the synopsis is to convince the reader that yes, you can write a cohesive story and that the story has a satisfactory conclusion.
4. Character’s arc
After you’ve strung together the events of the plot, you need to include the emotional side of the story. A character usually goes through a major or a minor change during the course of the story. So, this time, go through each chapter and mark down how the protagonist changes with the story and include this in between the events. Don’t forget the cause and effect – make sure that the reader knows what caused the change in the protagonist, whether it’s an event or another character. Additionally, if there is a major relationship in the story, it has to be explained just like the plot, with explanations to why it happens. Additionally, it has to be clear what the major relationship was at the beginning, and what it has become at the end.
5. The narrative flow
The synopsis, at best, has to read like a short story, told in third person in the present tense, even if your book is written in the past tense from first person point of view. Avoid using phrases that step out of the narrative, like “in the climax,” or “in a flashback.” The narrative has to flow naturally, paragraph by paragraph. You should make sure that you haven’t included a break scene, and if there is a time jump of several hours, weeks, etc. you have to write it down as such to avoid confusion. Another thing you should avoid is going into too many details or including too many characters. If the characters and events don’t have a big impact on the plot, they should be left out.
Image credit: poppet with a camera on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As a 22-year-old art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.