Ellen Mulholland––writer, dreamer
  • Home
  • Blog and More
  • Words by Ellen
  • Words about Ellen
  • 10 simple writing tips
  • Writers to read
  • BIRDS ON A WIRE
  • THIS GIRL CLIMBS TREES
  • Book Reviews
  • Author visits, book signings, more
  • Shop
  • Young Minds

How to Write a Synopsis

11/23/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
So you've spent time polishing your pitch, what's next? Time to write that synopsis - your story's summary that will excite an agent to help you sell your book.


First, go back and re-read your manuscript. While you're reading, jot down these things: the inciting incident, climatic moments and theme. Consider making a story board (maybe you already have one). Visualize the key elements of your story. Your synopsis should read like a movie trailer. Like your pitch, it needs to sell your story.

A synopsis is a summary, but it's not a retelling. It's the highlights of your narrative. It needs to wake up the reader and make them say, "Hey, I want to read this story. I want to know more about this character." It is written in third person, active voice.


First, a primer. 
  • An inciting incident - sets your story in motion and your protagonist on her journey towards her goal.
  • Opposing events - moments/scenes that interfere with this goal.
  • Climax - decisive event where the reader learns whether the goal will be met.
  • Resolution - demonstrates whether or not that goal was achieved.
  • Write your synopsis in the same manner you wrote your story. Infuse it with the same tone, tension, narrative quality. Highlight the story's strengths. What are you most proud of? The theme? The protagonist? The tension between characters? Voice? Draw these out in your synopsis.

Next, as I've done before, I refer you to Pixar. Their writers operate from "22 Rules for Storytelling". I find Rule #4 an easy place to start.

Use these sentence starters, and see if you can complete them with the details from your own story.

Storytelling Rule #4

Once upon a time there was ______. Every day _____. One day _____. Because of that, _____. Because of that, _____. Until finally _____.

Finally, now that you're prepped, try it. Begin with the Pixar frame and go from there. Here are some thoughts on how to fill in the blanks:

  • Once upon a time... (include your setting, time, protagonist)
  • Every day ... (talk about your protag's goals, hopes, dreams, fears; mention other supporting or opposing characters)
  • One day ... (the inciting incident)
  • Because of that ... (opposing events)
  • Because of that ... (opposing events)
  • Until finally ... (climax and resolution)

If each of these elements is about a paragraph, you will have a nice two-page synopsis to share with an editor, agent or publisher. Remember, you want them to help you sell this story. They need to know how it ends. The trick is to infuse some mystery by leaving just enough of the middle out.

Good luck.
Write on!

*Sign up for my newsletter (there's a form to your right) and gain secret access to sample synopses of my own books.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Antagonists
    Apps
    Authors
    Blogs
    Book Suggestions
    California
    Characters
    Childhood Memories
    Common Core
    Community
    Crime Novels
    Death
    Editing
    Endings
    Exposition
    Figurative Language
    Flash Fiction
    Friendship
    Genres
    Grammar
    Great Books
    Headlines
    Historical Romance
    Ideas
    Inspiration
    Magic
    Magical Realism
    Martin Luther King
    Music
    Mystery Novels
    NaNoWriMo
    Nature
    Organization
    Paris
    Peace
    Plot
    Protagonists
    Query
    Rain
    Reserach
    Resources
    Revising
    Seasons
    Secret Project
    Senses
    Sensory Writing
    Social Media
    Solstice
    Summer Reading Lists
    Survey
    Theme
    Time Saving Ideas
    Time-saving Ideas
    Twitter
    Twitter Chats
    Villains
    Weather
    Women
    Wonder
    Words
    World Events
    Writer's Block
    Writing
    Writing Challenge
    Writing Tips
    Writing Tools
    WWII
    YA
    Young Writers

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from francisco.j.gonzalez, jinxmcc, pedrosimoes7, vanhookc, mikecogh, Brett Jordan, Leonard John Matthews, NICSOLUCION, Jason Grote, FaceMePLS, Chris Parker2012, quinet, raffaespo, torbakhopper, shannonpatrick17, haru__q, Javier A Bedrina, ChrisL_AK, Brett Jordan, MIKI Yoshihito (´・ω・), liebeslakritze, aldenjewell, koalazymonkey, La Citta Vita, Barrett.Discovery, Javier A Bedrina, Leedman, 陈霆, Ting Chen, Wing, Creative Tools, ..Russ.., Sten Dueland, JD Hancock, The Marmot, Rose PT, Brett Jordan, Kim Bost, lublud, liebeslakritze, UNE Photos, Vassilis Online, Zahlm, Jahvoronok, kurafire, rodtuk, Shan Jeniah, manoftaste.de, Last Hero, torbakhopper, steveczajka, Fountain_Head, thewritingreader, Highways Agency, pawpaw67, Nicholas_T, Gwydion M. Williams, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Canned Muffins, volkspider, peddhapati, DaveBleasdale, Keith Allison, TP studio, Drew Selby, stoneysteiner, WeGotKidz, mrsdkrebs, Kelly Short6, mkhmarketing, moria, WWYD?, Rega Photography, Brett Jordan, Creative Tools, numberstumper, symphony of love, Hub☺, chris kuga, PaoloPV, mikecogh, thewritingreader, Amanclos, Leo Hidalgo (@yompyz), JD Hancock, themonnie, Gwydion M. Williams, jennnster, Sistak, dno1967b, Gwydion M. Williams, Lohan Gunaweera, tsmall, Gustavo da Cunha Pimenta, Hometown Beauty, Charles Henry, Manchester Library, sheggy, Brett Jordan, chaskerr4, Javier A Bedrina, D&S McSpadden, DougitDesign.com / Doug Aghassi, State Library of South Australia, Max Goldberg, bjornmeansbear, juliejordanscott, rcmd_tagcoor_10_3, thedailyenglishshow, mpclemens, Daily Dose Of Champions, edenpictures, MoneyBlogNewz
  • Home
  • Blog and More
  • Words by Ellen
  • Words about Ellen
  • 10 simple writing tips
  • Writers to read
  • BIRDS ON A WIRE
  • THIS GIRL CLIMBS TREES
  • Book Reviews
  • Author visits, book signings, more
  • Shop
  • Young Minds