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Synopsis Question

konstantineblacke

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I have been (tentatively) thinking of sending out my work into the big wide world. I keep coming across this, both for agents and publishers:

"As attachments to the email please prepare a short synopsis (maximum 2 pages) and the first 3 chapters of your manuscript. If your chapters are short and you would like to submit more material we are happy to look at the first 50 pages. Please attach these as two separate documents, in Word or Pdf format."

What is the best advice for a synopsis? (and really sorry if this has been asked before). Getting an 80,000 word novel down to 2 pages seems a little daunting. To me it would kind of just be, and this happened, then this, then that...

I would assume the synopsis would have to be engaging and show you can write at the same time :)

TIA
 

-Riv-

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I have been (tentatively) thinking of sending out my work into the big wide world. I keep coming across this, both for agents and publishers:

"As attachments to the email please prepare a short synopsis (maximum 2 pages) and the first 3 chapters of your manuscript. If your chapters are short and you would like to submit more material we are happy to look at the first 50 pages. Please attach these as two separate documents, in Word or Pdf format."

What is the best advice for a synopsis? (and really sorry if this has been asked before). Getting an 80,000 word novel down to 2 pages seems a little daunting. To me it would kind of just be, and this happened, then this, then that...

I would assume the synopsis would have to be engaging and show you can write at the same time :)

TIA
To get you started, here's a link to the How to Write a Synopsis sticky in Query Letter Hell.

All the best,
Riv
 

BethS

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What is the best advice for a synopsis? (and really sorry if this has been asked before). Getting an 80,000 word novel down to 2 pages seems a little daunting. To me it would kind of just be, and this happened, then this, then that...

What will make a synopsis engaging is not just what happens, but why it happens and what the consequences are, both external and internal. The latter is particularly important; otherwise it's just a dry recitation of events. Also, in a two-page synopsis, you have little room for subplots. Leave those out if possible. Do include something about the setting and the main character(s) (what they want and what's preventing them from getting it), and then two to three major turning points in the story, plus climax and resolution.

This is the view of your story from 30,000 feet. Clearly much will be left out or brushed over.
 
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Harlequin

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The guidelines don't change based on novel length. 200k epic fa--still has to be condensed into the same couple of pages. Pity the epic FA writers! ;-)

As above, focus on one character and a few major points. My first MS is multiple pov and about 110k (in other words, a fairly standard fantasy ms :p) so I chose one character, followed their emotional and plot arcs, and left out everything else.

Big advantage of a synopsis over a query--in addition to getting double the length--is that you can break pov. I can show the plot happening concurrently, and reveal things the MC isn't aware of. That helps to cut a lot of wordage.
 
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indianroads

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Yesterday I listened to an online discussion about writing a synopsis and the back cover description. The agent that gave the talk said that it should consist of:
Place
Person
Pivot

Basically, where and when the story takes place. Who is operating within that world. And what is the pivot that kicks the story off.

A description (for Amazon or the back cover) is limited to 200-300 words, so it has to be immediately compelling, tightly written, and not give too much of the nitty gritty details of the plot away.

This is what I'm still struggling with - I'm close, but no cigar as yet. My first two novels were autobiographies, and I had a somewhat easy time summing them up in the descriptions. My WIP is SciFi though, and I'm having a tough time summarizing all the stuff that goes on in the story. Eh... time to get back at it.
 

Laer Carroll

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Yesterday I listened to an online discussion [of this topic]. The agent that gave the talk said that it should consist of:
Place
Person
Pivot

In other words, the three basic parts of a story: setting, character, plot.

Obviously very compressed, especially the plot. In a query or blurb you only leave a stub of the plot, basically just a restating of the problem the character(s) face. But in a synopsis you include the events leading up to and the ending of the story.

One tactic to writing a synopsis is to first list the main events, then flesh it out with a few of the most relevant setting and character info. Lastly review the synopsis keeping in mind the advice of BethS - focus on the high points, especially the emotionally resonant ones.
 
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indianroads

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The agent suggested writing 5 sentences each: Place, Person, Pivot. On a query letter you may want to flesh that out a bit more, and on the description a bit less, but you get the point.
 

BethS

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Basically, where and when the story takes place. Who is operating within that world. And what is the pivot that kicks the story off.

A description (for Amazon or the back cover) is limited to 200-300 words, so it has to be immediately compelling, tightly written, and not give too much of the nitty gritty details of the plot away.

Sounds like the agent was describing what should go in a query letter. When an agent asks for a synopsis, however, they mean a summary of the entire story, including how it ends. This can run anywhere from one to several pages, though often they'll specify a limit. So a synopsis would need to include all the major turning points, plus the ending.