It's time, my current project is in the hands of Beta readers and now I have to the enviable task at writing a synopsis. The most dreaded thing of writers that most hate and make them want to run into a corner and cry. For me though, I don't mind it.
It's sort of like an outline after I've already written the book. I like to go back and summarize the entire project in about four - five pages. It helps me figure out if the plot arc works and if not, where it falls apart so that I can then go back and fix it. Thankfully, I usually don't have anything glaring that needs fixing, but sometimes I do notice some small pieces that need to be fixed like a character arc that doesn't make sense and such.
Also, writing a synopsis is something I've done a lot in both screenwriting as well as in novels. I find screenwriting easier, but some of the things that I do is when I go through my book/screenplay I try to summarize each chapter in these ways:
What happens:
Who does it:
Any new characters introduced:
Subplots:
Conflict:
Relationships:
Now with my current project that deals with a three sided conflict, my synopsis will mainly deal on the conflicts against the main character, with small hints at the other conflict. I will also try to build up and show the relationship triangle that goes on between the main character and two others. But other than that it will just be a break down of my story.
Synopsis? Why do you fear them? Why do you love them? What are some of your strategies with tackling them? Let me know in the comments.
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