Synopsis question

What you need to pick out is the main plot points.

My novel runs three narratives, which gives me the same headaches; but in the synopsis I treat it as one story not three.

I'd do two synopses.

I tend to start a synopsis off with bullet points, so I'd go through and bullet point the whole thing. Then I'd ignore the book for a moment and just work from the bullet points. I'd put the bullet points in chronological order regardless of how they're arranged in the book. Put a number with each paragraph and each bullet point so that you remember how the book is arranged.

Then I'd check for any holes. You might find that you've skipped something as you went back and forth through time. For instance, I understand that for a lot of people, going back to the sixties makes them forget things. We won't discuss what happens when you go back to the seventies.

Now that I'm sure I've got everything right, I'd work on turning it into something someone else can read. After I was happy with that, I'd go back and rearrange it back to the book, using those handy numbers I mentioned. I'd then add transitions as needed, and then put the thing in the freezer for at least a few days.

And realize that you might find in moving this stuff around, you find a better way of arranging it.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

The Bawlin Sox said:

Examples I remember seeing of synopses seemed to have had everything set out in chronological order, just like the stories to which they referred.

How do I set out a synopsis for a story that jumps around in time and space?

My story moves back and forth, chapter by chapter, over 150 years, and back and forth, chapter by chapter, between two different parts of the world. There would be virtually two different stories existing within the book. “This happens and then that happens” - which is my understanding of what a synopsis is - occurs only on an “every second chapter” basis.

Example:

Chapter 1 - Country A - present day
Chapter 2 - Country B - 1850s
Chapter 3 - Country A - present day
Chapter 4 - Country B - 1850s
Chapter 5 - Country A - present day
And so on to the end.

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I'd split it into story arcs: do one for the 1850's story and one for the present day.
There's a play a bit like this, which switches from 19th century to 20th alternately, but can't remember seeign a synopsis of it.

jclarkdawe said:

I'd do two synopses.
Jim Clark-Dawe

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I tend to agree. Some agents want a brief overview of the story and some want a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. The only order you have to follow is the order of the novel itself. In a short synopsis don't get bogged down with subplots, keep to your main through plot. When constructing a chapter-by-chapter synopsis you have more latitude. Whichever one you choose make sure to maintain the voice of the novel and make it as appealing as possible. It is all too easy to deaden a synopsis by cramming in so much info that the heart and voice of the piece is lost.
Good luck with this. The darned things can be torture to write.