How To Write A
Successful Synopsis
by
Jane
Holland
Everyone hates writing
a synopsis. For starters, the word sounds like a legal document. But it’s
actually very simple. A synopsis is a selling document, written by an author
for a publishing professional, to answer a number of vital questions for that
reader. One, can this writer structure a story correctly? Two, is this story
likely to sell? i.e. does it fit the current market for its genre? Three, am I
interested in this story and these characters enough to want to represent or
publish this writer?
The problem is,
there’s no definitive way to write one. Some authors always do it one way,
others change their approach according to the novel. Even publishing professionals
have wildly differing requirements from a synopsis. Most want a one-page precis
of your story; others prefer a more leisurely two pages; and a few like to know
everything that happens.
My advice to a newish
writer, especially one approaching an agent for representation, would be to
stick to a one-page, single-spaced précis. Maybe 500 words. And tell them the
ending. Yes, including any devilish twists. You won’t spoil the surprise.
Agents and editors don’t want to be surprised. If your mild-mannered hero is
revealed in the final third to be an assassin who’s lost his memory, tell them.
If he saves the world in the end, tell them. Don’t conclude your synopsis with,
‘But can he defuse the bomb in time?’ This isn’t a blurb. They need to know everything.
Everything, that is,
with direct impact on the story. They don’t need to know about Aunt Mabel, even
if your hero does save her from being eaten by an escaped pteradactyl. Unless
that’s the life-altering event that triggers him into abandoning a life of
crime for a Buddhist monastery. So no minor story events, no funny anecdotes,
no lesser characters. You just don’t have the space.
And while the synopsis
needs to be written in a simple, straightforward way, remember they are buying
you as a writer. Yes, avoid rhetorical flourish. But do write with confidence
and aplomb, even panache. Make them trust you. You can make them laugh too. But
sparingly. Unless it’s a children’s book or a comic novel, avoid jokes or
enjoying your own prose quirks too much. No bullet points or wacky margins and
fonts; no over-use of italics or bold. No character lists. No single paragraph
of dense text. Three or four short paragraphs is probably best.
When introducing a
character, avoid over-describing them. Selling document, remember? They are
looking to fit your book into a niche. So ‘Barbara (23), a small-town
librarian’ in a romance is probably all they need to introduce your heroine. No
need to tell them about her wavy golden hair or her daily struggle to avoid
cake. Unless it impacts the plot. (You know the drill by now.) And keep
character description consistent. Your hero in this story should not be ‘Mark
Paul Hubbert, a thirty-year-old fitness fanatic with a love of gerbils and a fascinating
job in the music industry’.
And if you’re thinking,
age isn’t relevant in my story, age is always relevant for main characters.
Because age is relevant to the readership. Imagine if Mark had been 70 here. Or
Barbara 17. See what I’m saying?
When structuring your
synopsis, it should be a fairly linear retelling. However, this doesn’t mean it
needs to be dull or prosaic. Imagine you’re telling a friend in a pub about
your story – ‘There’s this geezer, see, and he’s lost his memory!’ – then
recast that conversation in less slangy language, and in the present tense. Make
it sound inviting. It should also show cause and effect, if possible. ‘When wage-slave
Bob wins the lottery, he’s finally free to fulfil his boyhood dream of running
a zoo. But his wife Jane has other intentions.’
A synopsis should
normally be constructed the same way you plot a novel. Certainly there needs to
be a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying end. This isn’t the place for
experimental structure. You need to set out the ordinary world of your story as
it begins – that could be as short and sweet as the example above, eg.
‘wage-slave Bob’ – but quickly explain what happens to change this status quo –
‘Bob wins the lottery’. Then you need the middle stuff, i.e. Jane’s own ‘intentions’
for their winnings, and how that conflict plays out between them.
The synopsis should
show an escalation towards the end of the middle section, where things get
really bad. Maybe Jane leaves Bob. Or steals his money. Or Bob gets his dream
zoo, but the animals escape – maybe Jane lets them out! – or Jane runs off with
the elephant keeper, and he’s so stressed by dealing with everything alone, Bob
ends up in hospital. Then explain how these conflicts and problems are
resolved, so their story can end in a clear-cut way.
A synopsis often feels
awkward to write, and even to read. So don’t beat yourself up about it too
much, or get bogged down in trying to cover too much in one short document. I’m
sure some people will hate this, but I often pop a one-line teaser or tagline
at the top, so an editor can ‘get’ my book at a glance before reading the
synopsis. But you might want to save that for when you have a relationship with
the reader it’s going to.
Introducing…
Forget
Her Name
Rachel’s dead and she’s never coming back. Or is she?
As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package—a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition—that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past.
 |
| Amazon.UK | Amazon.com |
Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery. Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks. Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages…
While Catherine struggles to focus on her new life with Dominic, someone out there seems intent on tormenting her. But who? And why now? The only alternative is what she fears most.
Is Rachel still alive?
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About
the author
Her debut thriller, Girl Number One, hit #1 in the UK Kindle
Store in December 2015. Jane lives with her husband and young family near the
North Cornwall/Devon border.
A homeschooler, her hobbies include photography
and growing her own vegetables.
