The novel synopsis…and beyond.

Just what is a novel synopsis?  It is actually a short story of your novel.  It is a selling tool for an editor to read without having to read the entire manuscript.  The synopsis can be as long or as short as it takes to tell the editor what your novel is about.  I once had an agent that insisted on a 39 page synopsis.  I’m not sure why she insisted on that page number, but she did.  As I started writing the dreaded synopsis I realized that perhaps I should have done an extensive outline before I wrote the book.  On the other hand it was good experience to finally get to know my story in a condensed version.  The problem?  What to put in, what not to put in and to write it in present tense.

I can’t help but chuckle when a writer talks about writing a short story, the pitfalls they suffered through, getting enough detail in to satisfy an editor and reader.  Boy!  To a novelist, a short story is an outline.  Yet when you read a short story you soon realize the necessary elements that went into the telling of the piece.  The synopsis can also be written like flash fiction, which is even shorter than a short story.  If you are a reader of short and flash fiction then ask yourself what grabbed your attention; how did the short story author handle the theme, the problem, the goal, the characters?  If you were satisfied as a reader, then the author of that short story makes my point and that is what a synopsis is.  Don’t bore the editor! 

There are basically a couple of ways to write a synopsis.  One is to write a short detailed description about your novel, remembering to tell the plot, characters, theme, problem and goal.  To me the shorter the synopsis the better, because it doesn’t give the author time to dwell on their favorite parts.  Another type of synopsis is to write a chapter by chapter outline and blend together.  This style is a little easier to do.  Hit the highlights of each chapter, turning point leading up to the next chapter and so on.  Or you can simply write a chapter by chapter synopsis, much like non-fiction book authors do.  It depends on how comfortable you are with your writing skills.

Once you are satisfied with your synopsis, regardless of length, put it aside and go onto the next step.  And what would that be?   Break your novel down into three paragraphs.  Yes, three paragraphs.  Then condense it into two paragraphs. 

When you are satisfied with the two paragraph description go to the next stage.  Tell your entire story into a twenty-five word sentence.  What fun you’ll have…if you don’t pull your hair out by the roots and hurl the entire manuscript out the window.  There is a reason for this insanity!

The reason for this is that whenever you trim, edit and condense to a manageable level of what your story is about, the better you’ll know your own novel.  Impress an editor with your honing skills.  And…you won’t be wasting your time with each of these steps because the twenty-five word sentence is your attention getter in the first line of your query.  The three paragraph description you worked so hard on?  That’s the body of the query letter.  And that’s another column.

Good luck, happy writing and I’ll see you in print.

Karen