Writing a Synopsis

After the query letter, the synopsis is the most important supporting document you will send to agents. It tells the agent what your manuscript is about and gives them an idea if your manuscript is worth pursuing without reading the whole thing. Think of the synopsis as the digest version of your narrative: it gives the major plot points and characters in an quick and easy format. Taking a 100,000-word story and condensing it into a comprehensible two-page summary can feel overwhelming. Here are some tips to make it easier.

The Basics

The main purpose of a synopsis is to show the agent you know how to structure a narrative, so the first thing you want to do is map out your narrative onto the basic story structure:

1. Beginning State

2. Inciting Incident

3. Rising Action/Conflicts

4. Climax

5. Resolution

Elements of the narrative that fall outside of the basic structure, such as subplots, can be left out. Focus on the journey of the protagonist (or protagonists if there are multiple storylines). Keep the details to a minimum, including only the ones that are vital for understanding the plot.

Once you have the basic structure of the narrative laid out, include brief character descriptions of the major characters. These should be short, to the point and highlight one or two key characteristics: Maeve, a fairy in the queen's guard... The character's age can be included in brackets to keep the word count down: Jean (33).

General parameters

• A synopsis should be two pages or less unless the submission guidelines say otherwise.

• Write in the third person, regardless of the tense of the manuscript.

• Write in the present tense, regardless of the tense of the manuscript.

• Write in clear, neutral language. No one expects a synopsis to be exciting.

• Focus on the elements that move the narrative forward or delay the protagonist's goals. Leave out the intricacies of the how. Side plots don't need to be included.

• Make sure to give a good sense of the protagonist and what they stand for.

• Make sure the primary goal of the narrative/protagonist is clear.

• Stick with the general. A few important details can be included, but this is an overview. No need for detailed descriptions of settings or political structures.

• Include all the plot twists and the ending. Don't worry about spoilers.

Narratives with parallel plots

Narratives with parallel plots (like Game of Thrones) present a special challenge for synopses as there is often too much story to be easily condensed. If possible, find the thread that binds all the narratives together and use this as the scaffolding to build the synopsis on. If this thread is too vague or abstract to serve as the base for the synopsis, then write a short synopsis for each narrative thread separately. The length of each individual synopsis should reflect its importance to the overall narrative with the goal of creating a two-page synopsis. Once the individual synopses are done, work on combining them into a single document.

Note: This only applies to narratives where the parallel plot lines are relatively equal in their importance and page/word count. For manuscripts that include a chapter here and there that provides an alternate viewpoint (like Ben's in Cold Fire), this minor viewpoint can be left out. These chapters are used for depth and context. They are usually not relevant to the plot as a whole.

The Details

• Condense complex scenes (like a climactic battle) into something similar to "A battle ensues. The protagonist wins." A blow by blow account isn't needed.

• Title the document with the manuscript title and your name

  • Same for file names. Make sure it is BookName_synopsis or similar so the agent knows exactly what it is. Naming the file "synopsis" means it will get lost among all the other "synopsis" files.

• Use bold or CAPS to identify each character the first time they appear. This makes the synopsis easily skimable.

• Follow the submission guidelines. This means having multiple versions of the synopsis as the guidelines can vary quite a lot between agencies.

  • This means following the word count and any formatting guidelines they ask for. It is not unusual for agents to sneak an odd request or two in just to see who is reading closely.

• Make sure the document is well edited and free of mistakes. Formatting should be simple—title, 1.5 line spacing, common font (Times, Arial, etc), left justified—unless the submission guidelines say otherwise.

Conclusion

A synopsis shouldn't feel overwhelming. Focus on the driving force of the narrative: the main plot points and the important characters. The idea is to boil away the details and leave the essence of the narrative in its most straightforward form. Remember that the synopsis isn't the time to get creative. This is a functional document. Follow the directions and give the agents what they want.

*If you'd like help with your synopsis, check out my querying services*