I have a question for anyone who has any thoughts on the matter regarding writing a synopsis for a character-study. My novel is fantasy, which is why I'm asking about it here, though I don't think I can define it much more than that. Basically I would say it is literary fantasy, if such a thing exists (as a genre; I would argue that it definitely exists in specific examples!). I shall try to be brief, that being the soul of wit; although I am unfortunately too much like Polonius in that respect.
Stripped to its bare bones, my question is: How do I go about describing the action in a story that is largely about character development arising out of action, conversation, and introspection?
(If you have an answer at this point, you could skip the rest, which gets into details about how I see my novel working and why I find it difficult to describe.)
The action in my novel is for the most part homely and local. There are awkward conversations, quarrels, intimate revelations, meetings with strangers and friends, meals both pleasant and not, baths and playing chess, sitting on the terrace and having tea. There are also more exciting activities: traipsing half-way around the world to rescue a giant caught in a trap; staring down a dragon; giving a knight-errant directions; saving the world; talking with a river-god. Most of the time it is how the MC does and perceives himself as doing these things that is important.
Part of the story is the relationship between the homely and the grand, the MC being someone who is a full part of both. Most of the homely activities, for instance, take place in the MC's house. Being the Lord of the world and the guardian of the water of life, among other duties, his house is located in the Garden of the Hesperides. That itself is located in modern-day London, where the outside action of the story takes place.
I suppose that this counts more as thematic material and doesn't need to be covered in a synopsis, or even a query letter, but I'm not entirely sure what I do put in. Do I describe the conversations? The one over tea is much more important to the plot than the encounter with the knight-errant; the fact that the MC plays a song, a bit inexpertly, for his brother is far more significant than when he saves the world; the former is very nearly the climax whereas the latter is only the middle. I think the way the internal and external events come together makes the story more interesting, but it also makes it rather hard to describe. It has layers.
One of the pivotal chapters, for example, consists largely of a lunch where the hostess tells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to her guests. Among these guests is the MC, who is Orpheus (though none of the other characters know this), and is rather unhappy to have to listen to the story and not let on about it. He is therefore snappish and short-tempered, and has a quarrel with his brother, and then . . . He realises something about himself, which causes him to act differently, which in turn . . . But how am I to describe that in a synopsis?
I'm sorry that this is so long, and I hope it is not too complicated (or, worse, boring). Just so you know, I am aware of my tendency to over-use adverbs and have been diligently pruning them out of the novel. The long sentences are a little harder.
Thanks for getting this far, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Victoria
Stripped to its bare bones, my question is: How do I go about describing the action in a story that is largely about character development arising out of action, conversation, and introspection?
(If you have an answer at this point, you could skip the rest, which gets into details about how I see my novel working and why I find it difficult to describe.)
The action in my novel is for the most part homely and local. There are awkward conversations, quarrels, intimate revelations, meetings with strangers and friends, meals both pleasant and not, baths and playing chess, sitting on the terrace and having tea. There are also more exciting activities: traipsing half-way around the world to rescue a giant caught in a trap; staring down a dragon; giving a knight-errant directions; saving the world; talking with a river-god. Most of the time it is how the MC does and perceives himself as doing these things that is important.
Part of the story is the relationship between the homely and the grand, the MC being someone who is a full part of both. Most of the homely activities, for instance, take place in the MC's house. Being the Lord of the world and the guardian of the water of life, among other duties, his house is located in the Garden of the Hesperides. That itself is located in modern-day London, where the outside action of the story takes place.
I suppose that this counts more as thematic material and doesn't need to be covered in a synopsis, or even a query letter, but I'm not entirely sure what I do put in. Do I describe the conversations? The one over tea is much more important to the plot than the encounter with the knight-errant; the fact that the MC plays a song, a bit inexpertly, for his brother is far more significant than when he saves the world; the former is very nearly the climax whereas the latter is only the middle. I think the way the internal and external events come together makes the story more interesting, but it also makes it rather hard to describe. It has layers.
One of the pivotal chapters, for example, consists largely of a lunch where the hostess tells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to her guests. Among these guests is the MC, who is Orpheus (though none of the other characters know this), and is rather unhappy to have to listen to the story and not let on about it. He is therefore snappish and short-tempered, and has a quarrel with his brother, and then . . . He realises something about himself, which causes him to act differently, which in turn . . . But how am I to describe that in a synopsis?
I'm sorry that this is so long, and I hope it is not too complicated (or, worse, boring). Just so you know, I am aware of my tendency to over-use adverbs and have been diligently pruning them out of the novel. The long sentences are a little harder.
Thanks for getting this far, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Victoria
