This week I need to sort out my rough, really rough, synopsis of DEMON.
Why?
Many reasons:
1) editors/agents tend to request such beasts to verify the writer can hold a plot together until the end of the manuscript
2) after you sell, publishing houses buy on proposal which consists of synopsis and three chapters
3) two contests that I want to enter require one--THE REAL REASON
I'm aiming for five pages which seems to be a nice round number for all parties concerned. Now and then, contests/agents/editors will request a two pager, but five pages allows you to flesh out the main plot line whether it is a romance, mystery, or whatever.
I just wish I could find the magic elixir to make this work. I've come close and as I work on this darn thing, I'll post what works for me.
Here are a few of the key components to remember when writing your synopsis:
1) keep to main plot of the story--subplots confuse and muddle the mix, and cute little idiosyncrasies don't add to the 'telling' of the story. I have a secondary character, Quinn, a Celestian sniffer that provides comic relief/another layer to the story, but I'm not mentioning him in the synopsis
2) I don't care what type of story you write, but from every editor's blog that I've lurked, they want conflict--INTERNAL CONFLICT within your main character. The purpose of this is to show the MC growing from the experiences they go through within the story
3) In my first paragraph, I write a sentence or two that hint of the MC's conflict that starts the whole story rolling.
4) Try to write the synopsis in the style and voice of your manuscript--it's all about word choices, baby! And yes, this is the tough part for me. It's easy to write a cut-and-dry 'this happens, then this', but to do it in the same tone as the story is hard, BUT it also shows the editor/agent the flavor (light, dark, gripping, comedic) of your story.
5) This is the one time that you TELL the story instead of SHOWING it to the reader.
6) try to follow the three act scenario screenwriter's use. X happens to start the story. Then the character is faced with Y, his choice will help him grow, or not, depending on whether he chooses A or 1. Each choice your character makes reveals his internal conflict.
That's it for now--
Write on!
Good luck! I hate synopses, too, but like you said, they need to be done when you're submitting.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a necessary evil, Edie. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI think it would be an interesting writing exercise to take one of the famous
ReplyDeletenovels we were required to read in high school literature class and write both a query and a synopsis, imagining we are the author and are trying to 'sell' our stories. The catch is, you have to change all the character names and see if the reader a) can guess what famous book you're describing and b) would even be interested in reading the entire book, or think it would 'sell.' I wonder how many really well known novels would never make it to publication now?
Different writers have tried this over the last few years. I don't remember the blogs, but I remember various people chortling about how Pride and Prejudice was turned down by all the 'A' agents, blah, blah, blah.
ReplyDeleteOn that note, I doubt if those 'classics' would be publishable. In this age of instant gratification, the long slow introductions/character developement/excessive description would prevent anyone from buying the novels.
Truthfully, I thought most of them were snoozers back in high school......
ReplyDelete