Writing: The Synopsis

 Another step I am long from taking is the query letter. Which explains why this has been so long in my notes. The following is from Nathan Bransford's How to write a synopsis for a novel:

A synopsis is a 1.5-4 page single-spaced summary of what happens in your novel. That’s it. It’s an end-to-end summary of the plot from start to finish.

Don’t worry about spoilers. And do include how it ends.

Agents and editors typically use synopses as reference documents. They use them to get a sense of the overall plot of the novel. They also sometimes use them later on as handy refreshers when their memories fade about character names and plot points.

If a publisher is considering a multi-book deal, you may also have to write synopses for unwritten future installments of your series to give an editor a sense of where you want to take the narrative.

###

Think of a synopsis as a longer query letter that includes how the book ends. You have more room to include more detail and depth about the plot and key subplots, but the synopsis should still cover the arc of the book in a relatively succinct way.

As in a query letter, ditch all discussion of themes and what the novel means. Focus on what happens. You don’t need a meta-summary or log-line at the start of the synopsis. Just start where the novel starts and end where it ends.

####

Just as in a query, the more detail and specificity you can infuse into the synopsis, the more it will come to life and the clearer it will be. “Nathan was over-caffeinated” and “Nathan was so amped he scraped the silver off the Red Bull” may describe the same moment, but one has a lot more life to it than the other. (And uh. No. That didn’t happen why do you ask.)

###

And above all: Make sure your protagonist’s motivations and the stakes are clear. What happens if the protagonist succeeds or fails? Infuse the synopsis with that information so the agent knows why they should care about the events of the novel.

###

Instead, don’t be beholden to the precise sequence in which events unfold in your novel. You don’t have to follow an alternating-character structure in the synopsis that mimics the novel. Try as much as possible to “get above it” and focus on describing the essential events in a way that’s clear to the reader. Err on the side of being clear rather than constraining yourself to how the novel precisely unfolds.

That could mean sticking to one character per paragraph, or it could mean describing the plot from a gods-eye perspective.

Write your synopsis in third person present tense even if your novel is written in first person or past tense. (First or third person is acceptable for memoirs, but I usually prefer third person for memoirs too).

Whatever you do, optimize for clarity and cohesion rather than being a stickler for mimicking how the novel is structured.

###

Unlike the way manuscripts are formatted, synopses are single-spaced and are 1.5-4 pages long depending on the length and complexity of the novel. The sweet spot is usually on the shorter side: 1.5-2.5 pages.

Put your book title and your name at the top and include the word “Synopsis” so an agent can easily see what it is.

As with manuscripts, Times New Roman 12pt font is standard. Use 0.5″ indents and, again, single-space the rest. Don’t include any extra spacing before or after paragraphs, and it’s not necessary to break up the synopsis into chapters or parts.

 sch 10/17/22