Here Are 3 Top Tips For Creating An Amazing Synopsis
You’ve sweated (and probably cried) over your first draft. You’ve finally typed ‘the end’. You’ve edited and checked and tweaked. You’ve reached the incredible stage of submitting your novel to agents, but then you realise you’ve got to summarise all of this work into a single page. We feel your pain! But don’t worry, we’ve got you.
What is a synopsis?
When you’re preparing to submit your novel to literary agents and publishers, one of the required elements of the submission package is typically a synopsis of your book. But what exactly does this mean? And how do you create a novel synopsis that demands attention?
A synopsis is a short overview of your novel. This must include essential details such as the main plot points of your novel, the ending and character descriptions. Sounds simple, right? Writing a novel synopsis can feel tricky, but we’ve created a simple guide to getting your novel down to a one-page overview.
What is the purpose of a synopsis?
The purpose of the synopsis is to sell yourself as a writer, to sell your idea, but most importantly to sell your novel (or your story).
A synopsis will be read by literary agents and publishers. Although it is often just a single page of writing, it’s an incredibly valuable one and often a huge part of how literary agents make decisions about choosing to take a novel on or not. The synopsis can help an agent or publisher decide whether they think your book will sell. That’s why it’s worth spending time on it to make sure it covers all the necessary elements.
Although summarising your story might sound simple, it can often be one of the most challenging things to get right. That’s why at Derbyshire Writing School, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you write your synopsis!
If you’re feeling stuck during the process of writing your synopsis, or need that extra bit of motivation, check out our recommendations of books that will inspire you to keep going. They’re perfect for giving you the friendly push you need to help you back on track.
So, let’s get started.
Top tips for creating an amazing synopsis
1. Plot Your Story
Think of the synopsis as a miniature version of your novel.
Your first task then is to outline the key plot points within your story. This can provide clarity about exactly what happens and when. This will help give you the building blocks of your synopsis and provide you with a foundation to build from. One way to do this is to summarise each chapter as a paragraph, and then as a sentence. If you have a longer chapter, maybe consider your key ‘turning points’ or areas of conflict or even your three acts, this can help you to identify the core elements of your story.
Although there isn’t room to expand on every detail, laying out major points such as the crucial events and your protagonist’s motivation on the page in front of you, can help you prioritise the essential details to include in your synopsis.
2. Add Detail
Although there isn’t room to discuss the entire narrative arc of your novel within the synopsis, it’s important to check that you haven’t missed any of the essential elements. It’s all about being concise in the detail that we give and ensuring the heart and themes of your novel are present.
Go back over the summary of plot points you’ve written. Have you missed any key events from your novel? Is it clear what your protagonist’s name is? Have you given enough detail about the conflict that drives the story? Have you carefully shown the transformation your character goes through?
Keep checking for these things as you read through. When we’re focused, it can be easy to let some of the small, yet important details slip through the cracks.
Don’t worry about revealing too much, you must share the ending and any secrets within the story. With a synopsis, the focus isn’t on intriguing the reader. It’s all about selling yourself as a writer and selling your story.
3. Editing
Although many agents and publishers will have specific guidelines regarding the word count of your synopsis, a general guideline tends to be a single page. However, be sure to key the wording and requirements from each and every agent you plan to submit to. Agents often say their requirements are ignored, and this results in many submissions being ignored.
Read back through your synopsis and see if you can be more concise in places. This can be a really good exercise in editing and rewriting. That sense of restriction can often act as a trigger to focus our mind on the crucial things we need to include. It can help us be more succinct.
Other tips to consider when writing a synopsis
Synopses are usually written in the third person, present tense. If your novel is written in a different voice, something to look out for is that you don’t slip into the voice of your novel within the synopsis. This helps to provide distance, you don’t want to add emotion or additional ‘drama’ to your story, the story should sell itself. For example, don’t use descriptors such as ‘a heart-breaking tale’.
Does the synopsis parallel with the chronology of events in the novel itself? The synopsis should recount what happens in the order it happens, which sometimes isn’t the order of your novel. This can sound confusing but it’s important to share the details in a chronological order, whilst retaining the narrative.
Check to make sure there aren’t any inconsistencies or holes within the plot.
If you’re struggling to develop the synopsis for your own book, you could try practising the process using one of your favourite novels. After all, consistency is often how we get better at things, whether this is developing a writing habit or writing a synopsis.
Most important of all…
Keep going!
At Derbyshire Writing School, we believe in you and your writing. Everyone has a story to tell and the world needs to hear yours.
How do you feel about writing your synopsis? Is it a part of the writing process you enjoy? Or do you find it infuriating? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Get in touch with us at info@derbyshirewritingschool.com. We can also help you shape your submission package as part of our coaching programme.
