March 4, 2010
The Synopsis (Insert Dramatic Scary Music Here)
I don’t think I know anyone who enjoys writing a synopsis. Let’s face it, condensing a four hundred page manuscript into a five page summary can be a touch daunting. It can be done, however. What works for me is breaking the story down into the major plot points and building from there.
I use the first paragraph for the hook or inciting moment. The second and third introduce the hero and heroine, and their goal, motivation conflict. From there, I include the first turning point, mid-point, second turning point, dark moment and resolution. Pinpointing the major plot points helps to stay focused on the main plot and avoid adding unnecessary details. Since I write romantic suspense I must show suspense plot evolving as well as the romance element. So to be sure that there is room for both, I avoid including smaller plot points and subplots. It’s important to stay focused on the main story line.
There are some great resources on the web to help you write your synopsis. My favorite is Lisa Gardner’s. She has a detailed lecture series specifically geared to romantic suspense with examples. Also, Margaret Moore has an article about the evolution of the synopsis which shows the synopsis in very stages. And Charlotte Dillon has a number of great resources for synopsis writing.
Anyway, that’s what works for me. 
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I *love* writing a synopsis. (I know, I’m weird). I enjoy the challenge of boiling my story down to its bare bones components, and in doing so, I discover the themes I always come back to. This, in turn, strengthens my writing for the next story. Of course, I have my Top Ten Questions that help me stay focused.
Whatever works is a good thing!
Good luck, Dawn!
March 4th, 2010 at 2:24 pmI loathe the synopsis, but those are great tips and I’ll have to go check out the links. Thanks.
March 4th, 2010 at 5:04 pmThere are a few sick people out there (hi, Gina!
) who do actually enjoy writing the buggers – Diana Peterfreund is another one. Kathy Carmichael is another great resource – but I will definitely check yours out, thanks!
March 4th, 2010 at 7:11 pm