Published this month:
What's New? - Upcoming projects by TeamOfDreams
Ongoing Projects - What we're doing right now!
Book Review - Their Little Biker
Education - Synopsis
Interview - AndiBlackbird
Team Picks - Favorites around Wattpad of each Team O...
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If you're going to submit your manuscript to agents and publishers, one of the most important things you'll send them is the synopsis. In fact, you've had to write one for the Wattys, if you entered it, as well. In this month's article we're going to be looking at what a synopsis is, what it's for, and how to write one.
A synopsis is used to summarise the plot of your novel. In one to two pages you outline the entire plot of your novel, including spoilers and the ending. The synopsis is usually about 500 to 2000 words long, depending on the recipient; every agent or publisher has different guidelines for its length and it is well worth making sure you follow these.
You might ask what the point of a synopsis is; doesn't it take away all the tension and surprise when a prospective agent picks up your book for the first time? Well, yes, however if the synopsis doesn't convince them of the strength of your plot, they'll never pick up your book at all.
An agent or publisher uses the synopsis to get an idea of what your story is about. To understand how your book is different from others in its genre, what happens, how the plot is developed, and in what way the ending delivers on the promises the beginning of the story makes. Agents and publishers have seen it all before, all the tension and thrills and excitement of cliffhangers. They just want to know whether your story is built up well. That's what your synopsis should show.
It is hard, very hard, to make such a short summary of your, perhaps, 80K-words novel in a way that makes it sound exciting. However, it is worth trying to make the synopsis as enticing and compelling as you can, because if your synopsis manages to grip the agent, you've got one foot in the door.
There are a couple of rules the synopsis should adhere to. It needs to be written in third person; not in the main character's voice. The first mention of every character's name should be written in all caps. It shouldn't include descriptions, but only the chain of events that lead from beginning to end. These rules are standard and every agent will want you to adhere to this. However, every agency also tends to have their own rules, so you should check their website for those, too.
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The synopsis is not the same as the outline or plot plan. You write the outline before you start writing the story, it contains the ideas you have and the direction you want the story to take. But while you're writing, your story is bound to change and take shape, perhaps in slightly different directions. The synopsis, very importantly, is the summary you write after completing (and editing, and re-editing) the novel.
