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Writing a knock-your-socks-off synopsis is a pain you know where. If it makes you feel any better, there are a whole passel of published authors who dread the synopsis as much as you. Some are at the point in their careers where they can say, "Scr** it!" and they don't write a synopsis--ever!
They've worked with their editors long enough and well enough that they bypass what they think is less than shining examples of their ability to write good novels--beginnings, middles, and satisfying endings, and compelling characters.
Those of you still pounding at the "citadel" to be noticed by an editor don't have that option. Those of us considered "midlist authors" must continue sweating over synopses, as well. We must hook the editor and show our writing ability at its finest.
So, how do you begin? With a hook. I just said that, didn't I?
So many writers meander and don't get to the meat of the story, what the characters are seeking. Study the back-cover copy of books. In a half-dozen sentences (oh, sure!) those "through lines" usually tell the reader what the heroine's and hero's major conflicts are. What's the crucial point in your story? Sometimes, but not always, it will be something which will place the main characters at opposite poles of an issue. How they resolve it makes up your story.
Next, give the editor information about each major character. I don't mean how tall, dark, and handsome the hero is. Again, it's perhaps age, setting and time, plus something about what makes the character the person s/he is.
Remember, you are writing narrative. Follow with developing the major conflict(s), motives and emotions. Do not include every twist and turn, but do write enough to include how the conflict(s) are resolved. The editor wants to know you can tie-up all the loose ends of your story. And for heaven's sake, don't get cutesy! "Read the entire wonderful novel to see what happens." That line will get you booted out of the editor's office posthaste.
If secondary characters play major roles, particularly if they are viewpoint characters, give enough information about them to make them believable.
You won't be including every blessed scene, so what you say may not be in the story's chronological order. What you do include must take the synopsis to a logical conclusion. Some writers use bits of dialogue, others don't. If you do, use dialogue sparingly.
Perhaps you can write a working synopsis. It's a one paragraph, chapter by chapter synopsis, and usually written first. If you can write this way, it's a dandy tool to plot your novel from the get-go and discover if the pacing is good, mediocre, or a disaster. Sometimes those "glorious" prose you've written stop your narrative cold! You'll discover in a hurry what you have accomplished with each chapter to move your plot--or not.
Synopses vary in length. Sometimes the length is specified by the editor. Follow directions! Usually, a two-to-four page synopsis is sufficient for a 55-65,000 word novel. Five to six pages for 75-90,000; 100-125,000 words should be covered in no more than ten pages. Play it safe. ASK the editor if s/he allows single-spaced synopses with double-spacing between paragraphs.
Every writer I know approaches his craft differently. There is no right or wrong way. In my case, after I've asked the crucial "what if" question, I might write the last scene of my entire novel first. That serves as a "comfort blanket;" I know where I'm headed.
Basically, I think about who my characters are, what motivates them, what their major conflicts are. Then I step to the the precipice (the beginning of the story) and leap into the mist!
This approach can lead to major rewrites. Oh, who am I kidding? Invariably it does.
I don't recommend it.
Books I recommend:
DARE TO BE A GREAT WRITER: 329 Keys to Powerful Writing by Leonard Bishop
YOUR NOVEL PROPOSAL: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook
THE DREADED SYNOPSIS by Elizabeth Sinclair
SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder
GOAL, MOTIVATION, CONFLICT by Debra Dixon
CRAFT & TECHNIQUE by Paul Raymond Martin (Writer's Digest Books)
THE LITERARY AGENT AND THE WRITER: A professional Guide by Diane Cleaver
CREATING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS: A Practical Guide to Character Development by Linda Seger
HOW TO WRITE THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass
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