How much will it cost to publish? Is my book even good enough to be published? How do I find a cover for my book? Where do I find an editor? Is it okay to use pictures from google?
Find practical and straight forward answers to these questions and...
A synopsis is a summary of your whole story, plot twists, endings and all. Most writers hate writing synopses because they reduce 50K+ words into bare bones of about one thousand words. Though it may look like a synopsis drains the juice from your story, the truth is that it allows you and others to look at your story objectively without the emotions evoked by dialogue, introspection and other elements of writing. A synopsis gives you the true picture of your story at its most essential level, warts and all.
Some authors prefer to write the synopsis even before they start their first draft. Why? Because they can then gauge the viability of their story idea even before they stretch it out into sixty thousand words. However, this would only work if you're a plotter. If you're a pantser, then writing the synopsis before the rewriting stage is your best option.
STEP 1: FOCUS ON CLARITY
When writing your story assume that you've just watched an amazing movie and are now telling your friends what happened. You want to convey that excitement in your synopsis. However, make sure that your telling of the story isn't so long that your friends lose interest in it.
A synopsis should not exceed one thousand words so try to cut out the fluff like metaphors, clichés and just give a straight and concise account of your story. It should be in third person present tense.
STEP 2: START BY INTRODUCING YOUR LEAD CHARACTERS
The first paragraph in your story should introduce your lead (s), their age, their occupation, their current status, their conflict in the story and their motivation.
Example:
CANDY CHAMP, 31, a security guard, thinks that she has the perfect career balanced out with a healthy relationship. It all comes crushing down when the museum she works at is broken into and a jewel stolen. When Candy becomes the prime suspect, she sets out to find the thief and clear her name.
GREGORY WISEMAN, 29, is a police officer who's been out of the force for quite a while because of a gunshot injury. The case of the stolen jewelry is his first big case and he wants to solve it to show that he hasn't lost his edge as a cop.
Note that in the example given, the first time acharacter is introduced, they are mentioned in all caps so that the readerknows that they are important to the movement of the story. If you have threeleads, then you'll have three paragraphs introducing each lead separately. Keepthe characters introduced in the synopsis to a minimum. You don't have to nameCandy's mother in the story unless she will help push the story forward.
STEP 3: DESCRIBE THE NARRATIVE ARC
After introducing the characters, explain whathappens in the story in a no-nonsense and clear way. Narrate your story in alinear pattern. Start with the inciting action, then show how each complicationleads to the next and the next and the next and cap it all with the climax andfinally show how the big conflict is resolved. There is no need to be coy hereand hide plot twists and turns. Remember you want advice on any plot holes sothe person reading your synopsis should see the whole picture.
Example:
Candy's best-friend, SAMANTHA REDDINGTON, a fellow security guard, begs her to fill in for her during her shift guarding the jewelry store that they both work out. Since she has nothing better to do, Candy agrees. She is doing her usual patrols when she hears a weird sound. She starts to turn but something hits her and she becomes unconscious. When she wakes up, the store's premier jewel is gone and there is no trace of who took it.
Gregory and his new partner, MICHAEL DEAN, swagger into the crime scene and are pointed towards Candy who is the main witness. But Candy claims not to have seen anything. The store's alarm never rang and there are no signs that the store was even broken into. Immediately both cops are suspicious of her...
STEP 4: SHOW YOUR LEAD'S JOURNEY
Show your characters' emotional journeys throughout the book and the reasons why they do the things they do at each step of the way. At the end of your synopsis, make sure to show where all named characters end up, how they change and how their relationship with the other lead characters evolves. Don't keep anything out of your synopsis including the twists, turns and ending. You want anyone who is reading the story to be able to determine whether you've got a strong, structurally-sound story.
Example:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
STEP 5: GET YOUR SYNOPSIS ANALYZED
Once you've written your synopsis, give it to a trusted but qualified person to analyze. Using a professional editor at this stage is money well spent because not everyone is capable of spotting plot holes. Editors are accustomed to thinking of the structural viability of stories. You can find editors by asking fellow writers or acquaintances, or going to similar books within your genre on Amazon. In the acknowledgments section of most books, you'll find the editor named. Many editors will agree to take a look at your synopsis either for free but don't be surprised to be charged a small fee of $10 - $100.
If you cannot afford that option, then you need to form a critique group with other writers (preferably published) who will analyze your synopsis, in exchange for your analyzing theirs or looking at the first chapter of the book. Alternatively, you could go to a site like Scribophile.com where critiquing is their business and put your synopsis up for evaluation.
Get two to three people to analyze your synopsis because then you'll have more opinions to compare and spot common problems that they've all noticed. This is not the time to be mollycoddled so the person analyzing the synopsis should be someone who isn't afraid to be straight with you. The analysis should cover the following elements:
1. Does thestory sound interesting? If it doesn't, what are ways I can improve it?
2. Is theconflict logical and does it escalate through the story?
3. Are therethings that happen that seem too coincidental?
4. Is theclimax as powerful as it should be and is it satisfactorily resolved?
5. Which characterseems to be driving the story? This should be the character with the most POVscenes in the actual story.
6. Are theresome things the character does that are in conflict with their character andincomprehensible given their role in the story? Does the reader root for yourprotagonist by the end of the story?
Professional editors will know to look for these elements in the story but if you're working with a fellow writer, just give them the above list.
STEP 6: USE THE FEEDBACK TO MAKE YOUR STORY STRONGER
The feedback you've received in this stage will guide your editing and rewriting. Of course you don't have to make all the suggested changes. However, before you discard any advice given by your critiquers, think about it carefully. Is this a legitimate issues? Will it make my story stronger if I change it? Though this process may lead to a few changes to your manuscript, don't be scared. Once you're done, your book will be much, much stronger and more interesting.
